#2) PEAK Basketball Design Concept

Designer: Ventsislav Nikolov

Shoe name: PEAK Cradle

Design description: The design is inspired by trampoline, Chinese architecture (both modern and ancient) and Peak’s style of footwear. I wanted to create a new cushioning set based on trampoline absorbing function. Led by the briefs ‘When the lights are off” I tried to kind of make the system hidden beneath the surface of the shoe. Kind of making the hard work that stands behind the greatness little bit hidden. The Cradle system itself benefits in two areas – lightweight cushioning and extra stability and support in the midfoot area. All is suited in a simple yet striking package, called PEAK Cradle, hope you’ll enjoy it!

–

Design feedback by Brett Golliff:

Easily one of my favorite renderings of all the entries. Ventsislav does such a great job of balancing highlight and shadow and having a softness to it that really gives you the feeling of a conforming and comfortable shoe. His story is solid and so is his design but what he lacks is the execution of the aesthetic of the design.

Ventsislav did a great job of making sure that he wasn’t only providing for just cushioning with his technology set up. The aesthetic of the midsole and upper gives the shoe a nice flow and makes it look like it is moving while sitting still but because he kept the midsole height in the forefoot the same as the heel it tends to make the shoe look bottom heavy. Had it not been this way he would have had a great chance at knocking off Brandon for the number one spot.

It should also be noted that Ventsislav did a great job at featuring his work. The exploded views were excellent and aided in the technical elements of his design and his layout is very strong and provides him with an excellent portfolio piece. His sketches are excellent and his colorway is dope!

Design feedback by Trung Tran:

It’s one of those concepts that is far fetched yet plausible enough that I wish it was prototyped so I could try it. I like how Ventsislav’s cushioning concept not only absorbs shock, but is also dynamic and lightweight. Visually, the midsole appears to be very thick at the forefoot and midfoot. It’s because of the window at the arch and how the 3 pieces at the forefoot are all the same thickness.

You can tell he put a lot of work into this. The logo for the technology is cool and the presentation is excellent. That second page was crucial and does a good job of explaining how it all works. His entry would have been great without having the layout with the stacking sheets, but it’s those details that make it more memorable. Like Brett said, the softness of his rendering is really nice and impressive. It’s something that is very refreshing and has similar qualities to a traditional rendering.

One thing I wish Ventsislav didn’t do was to have Peak’s previous style of shoes as one of his inspiration. I understand the reasoning for it, but his story and other inspirations were solid enough and he didn’t need to draw from the Jason Kidd shoe. Peak is a newcomer in the US and so there isn’t a rich history of products or a design language that people are familiar with here. Therefore, I think it could have been better for him to let loose and let his other inspirations and his technology dictate the aesthetics even more. He did a great job and I think it could have been even better.