From Nike via David Creech:
Designing Jordan Brand's Future
September 17, 2018
I get asked all the time what it’s like to be the creative director for Jordan Brand. The answer is it’s an unbelievable opportunity to take an iconic symbol known around the world — the Jumpman — and obsess about how we can script it for the future.
Of course, we in Jordan Brand are fortunate to lay claim to all the assets and the icons we have; there’s a long history of ground-breaking design to borrow from and modernize. But great designers — and we have a huge team of them here — know that design must look toward what’s next.
We are always looking to grow into new audiences, and we know we must continue to deliver product along an evolving and modern lens.
A preview of a new, innovative component in the Air Jordan XXXIII.
As we focus on the future, we need to lead with innovation. We call this Flight Utility, and it's about designing for the future — extrapolating from the core Jordan Brand DNA along an innovation and function-first approach. As designers, we see ourselves as problem-solvers. When you start with innovation, it leads you to someplace new.
That new design ethos can best be seen in our forthcoming game shoe, the Air Jordan XXXIII. This shoe arrives from balancing an opportunity in innovative, data-backed design with an aesthetic that speaks to what feels uniquely true about Jordan Brand. It also stems from something we believe in deeply: that audacious athleticism is what takes sneakers into the future. Leaps of faith and daring are the best places from which to imagine.
Flight Utility is about designing for the future – extrapolating from the core Jordan Brand DNA along an innovation and function-first approach.
But the way we are conceiving new frameworks for Jordan — with the XXXIII, plus other upcoming footwear and apparel silhouettes also inspired by Flight Utility — always demands appraisal too. The question becomes clear: what is the new proposition that should carry us forward?
It's an answer that verges on the inspirational — Jordan Brand is driven by attitude. It’s an attitude you can see in Flight Utility, and as we design for a new generation of fans. We harness this attitude by taking inspiration from a wide array of partners: athletes, brands, clubs, entertainers, universities and more.
Audacious athleticism is what takes sneakers into the future.
In the end, Flight Utility opens a new aperture to form the future visual language of Jordan Brand. Call it an attitude or a championship mentality or a commitment to the pursuit of greatness — it’s all predicated on adapting to athletic and aesthetic shifts. This is the mentality you’ll see come to life in our design going forward. After all, for us at Jordan Brand, conquering change is second-nature; you can see it in the Jumpman, shaking free from the grip of gravity.
