HOYO
Aesthetic redesign of neutral style climbing shoes, while widening the entry for ease of use.
This project was all about designing solutions for niche problems. From my own love for the sport I looked into redesigning the climbing shoe. Wanting to open the shoe/sport up to new people, I focused on intermediate/entry level shoes. Some of the problems I focused on were; Tired hands after the end of a climbing session, curling velcro which could cause complications with the shoes staying closed, and finally aesthetic, as many intermediate/entry level shoes share a very similar closure method.
Ideation
through ideation I knew I wanted to move away from the traditional two velcro strap closure method, as well as keeping away from the lace-up closure.
Model Ideation
2-D ideation was not helping me visualize my shoe the way I wanted to, so I took to making physical models. My first couple of models were done using masking tape, which made it easy to mark up different parts of the shoe but was to flimsy to show other features I wanted. Over night I created a duck tape last of my foot to better stabilize a new mock-up. This lead to my fun-foam model that really started to bring the shoe to life.
Strap design
As Ideation of the shoe brought me to the single large strap design I encountered a problem. As this strap took up most of the space on the shoe it created a large boring blank space. After discussing with peers we came to the conclusion that the strap needed something to make it eye catching in a good way. Adding line work detailing made the most sense, so I worked through some ideation with the strap.
Finalized design with engaged and disengaged safety strap
The rubber safety strap is deigned to both form the heel of the shoe to the climbers foot better, as well as to keep the wrap around strap across the shoe.
Color design for Hoyo done by classmate Kevin Baten
-
A life full of adventure
-
A day in the life
-
Doing what I love the most
Each of the above colorways was created with my consumer Devon in mind. Devon is someone new to the world of climbing, as well as someone that has a tight budget. Climbing like most sports can get expensive, between shoes, harness, chalk, chalk bag, and a gym membership, and that is just the things needed to get started as an indoor climber. None of this equipment is cheap, especially shoes. Starting out as a hobby climber Devon would love something that is within budget as well as something that fits her aesthetic.
