Treasured soles need a humble abode
Concept 1
I have talked extensively in the past, both here and on varying forms of social media, about my love for good packaging. The unboxing experience offers a unique touchpoint with the end user (customers) that it should be obsessed over.
When we started working with Saucony and mocking up the first shoe, I knew that we would have an equally laborious process of conceptualizing and iterating on the physical boxes in which the shoes would come.
On Friday we narrowed four conceptual ideas down to 2 ideas as a starting point in moving forward. In the interest of time, breaking down the two concepts into two separate posts makes the most sense. I want to convey the ideas and reasoning properly.
Concept #1 - The NYC Subway:
NYC is a thriving metropolis connected by the NYC transit system, most notably the subway.
On October 27, 1904, the first official subway line opened, connecting City Hall to Harlem. This 9.1-mile-long route, known as the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), was (at the time) an engineering masterpiece.
Expansion: (1905-1940)
The Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) and Independent Subway System (IND) were developed to compete with the IRT. The BRT, later reorganized as the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit (BMT), connected Brooklyn and Manhattan through tunnels under the East River. Meanwhile, the IND, a municipally-owned system, was built to provide better access to Queens and the Bronx.
Consolidation: (1940-1968)
In 1940, the city of New York acquired the IRT and BMT. This merger made it easier for passengers to travel more efficiently, and despite some financial challenges, the subway continued to expand during this time.
A citywide financial crisis: (1970s-1990s)
Underinvestment and a citywide financial crisis led to graffiti-covered trains, crime, and poor maintenance. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) took action in the late 1980s and early 1990s to restore the subway. With increased funding, the MTA replaced old trains, renovated stations, and implemented modern technology to improve safety and reliability.
Modern Era: (2000s-Present)
The Second Avenue Subway line finally opened in 2017 - a vision initially proposed in the 1920s. Stations and trains have seen technological advancement, notably OMNY's contactless payment solution eliminating the need for coins and fare cards.
So the idea remained, how could we tie this rich history back into a box?
Like most design work, it is important to create a mood board of images that elicit the (end) feeling you envision for the product. Below are some images/types that would help bring the feeling of this box to life.
The metallic nature of the train is something we are going to try and nail. It is not an overtly shiny metallic look (unlike the top left-wrapped box) and more of a dull (used/worn) metallic look. This may be hard to replicate, but that is the exciting part of trying things out for the first time.
The lettering is also clean and easy to read. I want to work this style of lettering into the box's design. On Friday, I contacted the Manhattan Transit Authority (MTA) for a license to use the official MTA logo in our work. Being granted this would elevate the design of the box even further. However, it is out of my control, so we may not get approval.
We can move into some (EARLY) mockups and creativity around a final rough-end product (below).
As a personal note, the top left image looks more akin to something that NASA would use in collaboration. The feel will change when debossing (for the aluminum effect) and the rigid lines of the subway cars are incorporated (the picture in the top right shows what those lines would look like). The main focus is to force ideas onto paper to further push the thinking around the objects.
Training
This week's training block was 42 miles with 5 lifts:
Monday: OFF (Lift - Push)
Tuesday: OFF (2 easy then 2 @ 5:48 (2 min rest) 2 @ 5:48) (Lift-Pull)
Wednesday: 7 (Legs)
Thursday: 4 easy (Lift - Push)
Friday: 6 (trackwork - 12x400m @ 1:25) (Lift - Pull)
Saturday: 6 easy (No Lift)
Sunday: 18 Long (No Lift)
After racing the NYC half last weekend, I took a few extra days off. My legs still do not fully recover, but I tried to get some miles on them this week.
[SKINCARE] Do you want to product test?
We are looking for some product testers for our skincare formulation. If you would like to be apart of that journey please fill out this brief survey: HERE
Articles I found interesting this week:
Why Construction Projects Always Go Over Budget
Eight celebrities also charged for illegal touting of Sun’s crypto asset securities
Questions? Comments? Drop them below!!
This is soooo incredible
When’s the podcast coming back?