Glow in the Clarks
collaboration
course
Anne van Hout
Julia Steinebach
Amna Strojil
Lucid design case
Extra curricular
C&A
In short
The study association Lucid from the department of Industrial Design hosted a design case in collaboration with Clarks to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the iconic Desert Boot. The assignment was to redesign a pair of Clarks Desert Boots to represent Eindhoven.
In order to represent iconic elements related to Eindhoven we chose subtle designs in which a reference to Eindhoven is hidden. One such reference is the triangle-shaped pattern on the front of the boot, representing the pattern visible on the so-called 'Blobs' which are located near the city centre of Eindhoven. However, other than representing this recognizable blob pattern, the patterns are created out of reflecting material, illuminating when hovered by light. Other than resulting in looking like a very 'lit' shoe by night, the reflecting light also represents GLOW, which is a yearly returning light festival in Eindhoven, attracting huge crowds from all over the country. As a result, I recognized the impact of material choices in design and strategies for storytelling.
Furthermore, various iconic logos are hidden in the design through the use of specific colours (red and white, representing the flag of Eindhoven) and shapes, like the 'vibes', the wavy lines, originating from the Philips logo as this is a company based in Eindhoven, but also the Eindhoven Brainport logo which is shown on the back of the boots.
Overall, it was a great learning experience in the early stages of my bachelor's in Industrial Design. This is mainly due to the exploration of methods on how certain messages can be communicated in subtle ways (e.g., by using recognizable shapes, icons and materials). Furthermore, as a first opportunity to work under pressure with limited resources and time, it was a great experience to discover how to best approach a design case by stakeholders, giving rise to pressure cooker techniques and quick decision-making.
Source: Domusdela (Facebook). (2020, November 8).
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