Nike AirMax Celebration
The Nike AirMax is not just another running shoe. First released in 1987, the line has been updated regularly, with each release prized by both runners and fashion mavens. In 2006, Nike asked Method to help announce the new model, the AirMax 360, with print and online press kits as highly designed as the shoes themselves.
Method played with the theme of "air" in the design: the shoe floats in space wherever it appears. In the digital version, users can spin the shoes and the shoe displays in a quiet, frictionless interaction. Designing the experience involved extensive exploration on 3D forms in a 2D environment. "We had fun experimenting with the various metaphors such as glass containers and floating motion to evoke the feeling of air in a subtle way," said design director Robert Murdock. "Many of these ideas made it into the final piece."
Promoting a series of shoes with such a legacy presented a certain challenge, but that very legacy is what Murdock found most inspiring: "We didn't want the design and elements you interact with to overpower the shoes and their story. I think this led us to take a fairly restrained approach to the design." Light backgrounds and graphics serve the theme - and at the same time, make the shoe's accent colors pop like fireworks in the foreground. "We strive to keep interaction design intuitive and playful," says Murdock. "I think that comes through in this project."
The interface includes seamless access to high-resolution imagery, ensuring ease of press coverage.
