CELL SAGA
NIKE PRODUCT CONCEPT
ROLE
Product Designer
TOOLS
Photoshop, Procreate, Facebook Analytics
OVERVIEW
In 2018 Adidas released a widely anticipated sneaker collection in collaboration with the immensely popular anime series Dragon Ball Z. Many anime and sneaker enthusiasts were very excited for the release of this sneaker collection but ultimately were disappointed in the designs and felt that the collaboration was a failed opportunity.
CHALLENGE
Reimagine the entire collaboration under an opposing brand with a focus on consumer choice and participation.
GOALS
Create seven unique sneaker designs based on the seven featured Dragon Ball Z characters that were chosen for the original collaboration.
Conduct user research and use the collected data to guide the creation of an expanded line of products.
RESEARCH + ANALYSIS
I conducted user research for this project by creating polls and open ended questions to collect feedback and opinions about the original design series. I also conducted a vote where participants interacted with each design and the design with the highest engagement was chosen as the subject for an extended merch line. I used the collected information to understand what the target audience would have liked to see and experience with this collaboration.
FEEDBACK AND PAINPOINTS
Below are a few examples of the feedback collected from the polls and survey.
"I liked that there were so many options to choose from. I enjoyed the variety."
- Mike T.
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"I didn't like the styles of the shoes in the collab. They were very busy, over designed, and not sleek."
- Keyton M.
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"I was pretty bummed about the fact that no female characters made it into the lineup."
- Alana B.
Based on user feedback I was able to define the problems that needed to be solved with this project.
I needed to create a series of designs that were sleek and not over-designed, but still captured the essence of the characters.
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After collecting feedback, Cell was voted as the favorite of the design series and thus chosen as the subject of an expanded merch collection to be named the "Cell Saga". Cell is one of the most infamous and beloved villains in the Dragon Ball Z series. Throughout his role in the series he takes on numerous forms until he reaches his final form, Perfect Cell.
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The designs for the Cell Saga merchandise line are based on his perfect form.
VISUAL DESIGN + PROTOTYPE
I began by choosing elements from the character design that I thought would be the most recognizable. Cell's design includes a very unique giraffe-like pattern so I chose that, and a semi-split complementary color scheme pulled from the colors of his character design.
After establishing the elements and colors I wanted to use I created rough sketches of the designs I had in mind, based on the Nike Air Max 90. After many iterations I chose the design below.
I used the sketched design as a guide to create the rendering of the final product using a combination of Adobe Photoshop and Procreate.
I followed this process for each of the seven designs in the in the sneaker series. Upon completion of the entire collection, I held a weeklong vote where a new design was featured daily for seven days and the design with the most votes (based on interactions) would be chosen as the subject of an extended line of merchandise.
VOTE RESULTS
At the close of the voting window it was clear that the participants had chosen the Cell design as their favorite and wanted to see more merchandise designs based on this character.
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With this information I created additional apparel products for the Cell merchandise line.
To complete the project I created additional merchandise to complete a small "Cell Saga" product line.
This line includes: The "Perfect Cell" Air Max sneaker, a Cell inspired bucket hat and t-shirt, a sublimated hoodie, and graphic socks featuring the popular villain in iconic scenes from the anime.
CELL SAGA MERCHANDISE LINE
CONCLUSION
As a person who customizes sneakers as a hobby, this was a passion project that I truly enjoyed. I especially love when I can bring designs to life through crafting. I loved interacting with fellow anime fans to collect user feedback, facilitate polls, and learn more about what people love and dislike as consumers.
One thing that really stood out to me in this project was the feedback from a user named Alana who was disappointed about the lack of female representation in the Adidas lineup. This inspired me to actually create a pair of sneakers dedicated to one of the most iconic female protagonists in the series: Bulma Brief.
