Basketball shoe packaging re-design

The purpose of this partner project was to re-design a packaging type of choice, based on its stance in the current market. My partner and I chose to re-design a basketball shoe package design for middle school boys, based on research that showed the uniformity of packages within the industry and potential for boutique company growth. We chose to use a triangular shape with corrugated cardboard to increase recyclability and ability to choose and change unique shelving displays. Other features are involved in the final project as well (below).

Feature: geometric illustration and logo

The idea of the branding comes from the middle schooler’s love for current media trends and celebration culture of sports, like the “three” celebratory pose that often follows professional players’ shots. I hand-crafted illustration on Illustrator to include as the top face of the box. A simple color palette was used. A logo was created based off this branding strategy, both as a symbol and as a combined logo. Gestalt principles were used in fashioning this hypothetical “Three” brand.

Feature: Magnetic close-tab

The front facing side of the box features a “pull” unit, flanked on either side by high-powered magnets that allow for ease of opening and closing.

Feature: corrugated cardboard

Working with Notre Dame’s Innovation Lab, I was able to use a hi-tech laser-cutter with correct dimensions to craft a model of the actual box.

Feature: specific slots for shoes with shoelace drawstring

User studies indicated a frustration with shoving shoes back into the box after trying them on. A precisely cut foam piece with indents for the shoes solves this problem; a shoelace is attached for pulling out ease.

Feature: Stackability

Due to the interesting shape of the box, different stacking arrangements are easily designed and accessible.

Feature: foot size measurer

Due to discrepancies between footwear brands in terms of sizing, we implemented a sizing mechanism. The cobalt blue side depicts an area to “place heel here”, with several different markers indicating which shoe size, from 3.5 to 7. This feature would also reduce the hassle of having to re-measure a growing middle school boy’s foot size.