Nike iD and design customization
I’m excited! Like millions of people around the globe, I noticed after the holidays ended that there was considerably more of me to love than there was in the days and weeks prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas 2005. Determined to keep my impending battle of the bulge from exploding into an out of control insurgency, I started hitting the gym — hard – even before New Years came around. By the time all of the New Years resolution weight losers descended onto my gym, I felt comfortable enough to give them the same air of superiority, “move over new kid” scowls the other regulars had given me only a week prior!
Daddy needs a new pair of shoes!
I quickly learned that the workout gear I used to wear to the gym is in serious need of replacement. Starting with the shoes. Have any of you been into your local sporting goods store lately? There was an entire wall filled with cross trainer shoes alone and yet another wall full of running shoes! It was overload for me. I’ve had the same pair of Reeboks for almost a year and they could probably hold on for another 3-4 months, which is a disgusting reminder of how infrequently I’ve been in the gym of late.
My wife, ever the fashionista, reminded me that months ago I had mentioned while we escorted out-of-town relatives through Manhattan’s NikeTown, that I was enthralled with the Nike iD system and had vowed to try it when I needed a new pair. Then she put her hand onto my shoulder, looked me in the eye, told me that she loved me and implied that not only do my current Reeboks NOT have another 3-4 months left in them, they probably should have been retired 3-4 months ago. Time for a new pair.
1 hour later, she practically had to drag me away from the Nike iD website! I can’t wait for my new, custom-designed, Chris Gee running shoes to arrive!
Granted, I’m certain that the folks at Nike who assemble my shoes will never suspect that the owner is a person who earns a living doing design. It’s quite possible I have designed the ugliest shoes on their system and it’s almost certain that I’ll be sporting the ugliest shoes in my gym. But they’re MY shoes and considering that I’m a designer and have probably designed hundreds of things in my career, I’m surprisingly proud of my creation despite how incredibly ugly it is!
What’s your point, Chris?
There actually are impications for our industry in this. I’m a professional designer and I got a rush from being involved in the process. And I’m always involved in the design process. Just not with athletic shoes. We have the technology to perhaps offer our clients greater customization and control over their work. Like me and my customized Gee-mobiles, our clients will have a much greater sense of ownership to the designed pieces that we provide them with if they have a bit more control and are more involved in the process.
In this age of style sheets, digital printing and database printing, we have greater tools of design customization at our fingertips than ever before. The question is how to leverage that control in a way that creates a closer connection between our clients and the designs we sell them but does not compromise the quality of the work. Clearly it’s possible, the folks at Nike figured out how to do it. And even my own “ugly” running shoes are not truly ugly. My range of available choices are understandibly limited to the universe of what is acceptable to Nike and its core of designers and brand engineers.
A DIY culture
We have to start exploring these avenues because in truth, the culture is moving more and more toward greater customization and control. Not even 15 years ago, one had to wait 30 days to see their bank statement. Visit a branch in order to transfer $1,000 from savings to checking. You couldn’t execute a stock trade unless you got your broker on the phone and you had to watch what the networks wanted you to and when they wanted you to watch it.
Design buyers will have control over aspects of the designs we do. The only question, it seems, is who will decide how much control they have and in what areas? The answer will be either them or us.
BTW, it goes without saying that when my shoes arrive (in 3-4 weeks), I’ll take a pic and post it to the blog! 
.chris{}
