Hasta La Ideas

Movie: Nike Flywire cables that tighten on impact are built into these shoes specifically designed by Nike for running the 1500m track event, as described by the brand’s global creative director for the Olympics Martin Lotti in the last movie of our Nike+ House of Innovation series commissioned by Nike.

The cables in the Nike Zoom Victory Elite work like a seatbelt: they are loose when the wearer runs straight and the support isn’t needed but become rigid to provide extra support as the runner changes angle round the corners of the track. The base is made of carbon fibre layers, with the rigid middle part of the shoe comprising five layers and the front, where more flexibility is needed, comprising three layers.

Lotti spoke to Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs about Nike’s latest innovations for the London 2012 Olympics in front of an audience at the event we hosted at Selfridges last night – read highlights from the talk here including the importance of psychology when designing for sports.

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Victory Elite appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Wire: psychology is on an equal footing with technological advances when designing sportswear to improve an athlete’s performance, Nike‘s creative director for the Olympics Martin Lotti told the audience at a talk hosted by Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs at the Nike+ House of Innovation at Selfridges last night.

“It’s not just about lightweight,” he said. “It’s about looking good as well as the psychological element. We see performance on all levels: environmental performance, psychological performance, physical performance.”

When Nike created a custom-designed, super lightweight pair of gold shoes for Michael Johnson at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the American sprinter still raced wearing a necklace that weighed more than the shoe. “You can tell that psychologically it’s absolutely critical for an athlete to have this with him: it brings him good luck. So you have to bring all the elements together,” said Lotti. “Yes we’re trying to shave off weight or milliseconds but there’re other components that as a designer you have to take into account.”

For the London 2012 Olympics, the Nike team developed the Nike Pro TurboSpeed speed suit (above) that moves through the air faster than bare skin. The first speed suit they designed (for Australian sprinter Cathy Freeman at the Sydney Olympics in 2000) included a hood, but this summer Allyson Felix runs sporting a ponytail that can’t be as aerodynamic. Isn’t this a step backwards? “Skin is slow, so the more you cover and the more dynamic you are the better,” Lotti reasoned, but “there’s a limit to it in regards to what an athlete wants to do, in regards to how much they want to cover as well as ultimately this psychological element to it.”

Underlining the significance of style for results, Lotti reported that Alpine skier Maria Kirkova once told him “I perform better if I look better.”

The psychology of superstitions and wanting to look good isn’t just a consideration to weigh against technological advances from the lab: these insights from athletes as to what gives them a mental boost can be incorporated in new designs to actively improve performance.

For this reason, the inside surfaces of the arms and legs on the Nike Pro TurboSpeed suit feature patches of contrasting colour. “There’s a psychological element to this,”said Lotti. “Now we can’t quantify it – how much faster it is – but they feel faster.” The colour blocking also creates a flickering effect when seen from a distance or on TV, so spectators feel that sense of speed too. “When we’re designing this product we’re looking at all elements: delivering upon the needs of the athletes, first and foremost, upon the environment but then even on the viewers looking on TV.”

The new Nike Zoom Superfly R4 running spikes (above) are golden on the bottom for the same reason: “When you’re in the stadium you actually see the flicker of the gold when the light hits it”. The psychological effect on the athlete comes in here too: “Each athlete’s trained for the gold.”

So would Nike include a design detail if it maximised the psychological boost to an athlete but was detrimental to technological advancement? “That would be performance too. We see performance on all levels – environmental performance, psychological performance, physical performance – so you just have to weigh each of these. Like any design there are trade-offs, but I think first and foremost for us is to help the athletes to fulfil their own potential.”

Watch Martin Lotti talk about more of Nike’s innovations for the London 2012 Olympics in our series of movies for Nike, which we’ve been publishing all this week.

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says Nike’s creative director for the Olympics appeared first on Dezeen.

Movie: the base and sock lining of these lightweight football boots by Nike are made of castor beans, as explained in our next movie with the brand’s global creative director for the Olympics Martin Lotti ahead of this evening’s exclusive event at the Nike+ House of Innovation at Selfridges.

Brazilian footballer Neymar (below) has worn the boots throughout the Olympic football tournament and has scored three goals in the lead up to the final against Mexico.

Along with the sprinting shoes and knitted running shoes, the boots are coloured neon yellow to be clearly identifiable as part of the Nike products range.

Each boots weighs only 160g and the upper is made from 90% recycled material.

Lotti will talk to Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs about Nike’s latest innovations for the London 2012 Olympics in front of an audience at the event we’re hosting this evening – more details here.

Watch other movies in this series – featuring a sprinting shoe inspired by suspension bridges, knitted running shoes, a bumpy speed suit that’s quicker than bare skin and a basketball kit with built-in combat pads – here.

See a story we featured previously about the boots »
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Football Boot appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Wire: an exhibition of design for sports is on show at the Design Museum in London to coincide with the London 2012 Olympics.

Above: Michael Phelps in SpeedoFastskin3 racing suit with goggles, 2012. Image courtesy of Speedo International Limited.
Top: Chris Hoy at the London 2012 Velodrome by Hopkins Architects.

Over 100 pieces of sporting equipment and clothing from over 30 different types of activity are on display, including racing bicycles, rowing boats, bobsleighs, Paralympic wheelchairs and F1 cars.

Above: Mark Cavendish wearing Oakley Radarlock. Image courtesy of Oakley.

There’s also a section dedicated to sporting controversies, showcasing design improvements that have been withdrawn or outlawed because they’re so effective they’re seen to create an unfair advantage.

Above: London 2012 Velodrome by Hopkins Architects.

Other categories are Sport and Fashion, notably Hussain Chalayan’s Puma Collection and Stella McCartney’s Team GB Kit, and Training and Safety where visitors can try out some of the equipment for themselves.

Above: Radarlock Path – Blood Orange with Fire Iridium Polarized by Oakley. Image courtesy of Oakley.

The show continues until 18 November.

Above: Williams FW33 F1 Racing Car.

See all our stories about design for sport »

Exhibition photographs are by Luke Hayes.

Here’s some more information from the Design Museum:

Designed to Win
In association with Oakley

Designed to Win celebrates the ways in which design and sport are combined, pushing the limits of human endeavour to achieve records and victories of increasing significance and wonder. From the design of F1 cars to running shoes, racing bikes to carbon fibre javelins, the quest for enhanced performance and function is endless. Designed to Win explores the various way in which design has shaped the sporting world, celebrating the introduction of revolutionary new materials such as Neoprene and carbon fibre, new technologies, fashions and sporting equipment, all of which have transformed sporting enterprise.
Designed to Win demonstrates the process of designing sporting equipment and its various influences, including material innovations, sporting constraints, nature and science. With new innovations and continued refinement, athletes have become faster, stronger and fitter, in turn transforming the role of sport beyond the sporting arena and now encompassing areas as diverse as fashion, advertising, art, film, design, business and politics.

Above: Williams FW33 F1 Racing Car.

The exhibition explores key moments where design has played a significant role in progressing sport and looks at themes of safety and performance. The exhibition highlights examples where sporting bodies have intervened to limit the effects of ‘technological doping’, where new equipment is deemed to give some athletes an unfair advantage over others. Raising the question, where does human ability stop and the contest between designers, scientists and engineers begin? By examining celebrated sporting moments and the sense of shared celebration and spectacle, the exhibition will look at not just how design can influence sport, but also how sport has influenced design, art and culture.

Above: manequins wearing outfits for different sports.

Global marketing campaigns and sports fashion lines reap huge financial rewards and in a profession where the difference between winning and losing can be as little as a fraction of a second, the importance of design is of paramount importance. Advances in sports training, sportswear and health science have resulted in enhanced performance and a greater understanding of the human body. Design to Win also looks at how design has revolutionised sports opportunities for people with physical impairments.

Above: exterior of the Design Museum.

Film clips, photography, models and interviews will be on display alongside interactive displays, sporting equipment and timelines.

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Movie: basketball games have become so aggressive that sports brand Nike decided to include combat pads in its latest kit, explains the brand’s global creative director for the Olympics Martin Lotti in the next Dezeen movie in anticipation of tomorrow’s exclusive event at the Nike+ House of Innovation.

When creating the Nike Basketball Hyper Elite Uniform, Nike’s designers asked players where they received the most bruises and integrated Nike Pro combat pieces under the jersey at these points.

They also noticed players using the inside of the shirt’s neck to wipe away sweat during a game and integrated textured fabric there to wipe the face more effectively.

The shorts alone weigh 58% less than those currently worn by NBA players, equivalent to a can of fizzy drink.

Each kit is made of 22 recycled plastic bottles.

Lotti will talk to Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs about Nike’s latest innovations for the London 2012 Olympics in front of an audience at the event we’re hosting tomorrow – more details here.

Watch other movies in this series – featuring a sprinting shoe inspired by suspension bridges, knitted running shoes and a bumpy speed suit that’s quicker than bare skin – here.

See all our stories about Nike »

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Hyper Elite Uniform appeared first on Dezeen.