Nike Superfly III - Meet the Designer
SoccerBible recently caught up with Rudy Manival, the Mercurial Project Manager and man behind the new Nike Superfly III football boots! Check out what he had to say on Nike's third generation of Mercurial Superfly football boots!
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In one of the countless offices at Nike's colossal Global HQ in Portland Oregon, SoccerBible sat down and exclusively chatted everything from the new design, to Cristiano Ronaldo, to the Nike SENSE studs...
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RM: Sure! It s vital to listen to the voice of the player.Mercurial players told us they loved what we had and wanted us to make only a few adjustments. Therefore, rather than going through a revolution, we refined and improve our existing boot.
Nike Flywire is a technology in constant evolution, and we ve adjusted the wires placement so that the upper conforms better to the foot s shape. Some players found the Superfly II s composite upper package a little too stiff and we ve refined the construction to make it softer for a better touch.
SB: What was the inspiration behind the new lightning pattern on the Superfly III?
RM: The inspiration comes from a number of our top players sharing their perspective on boot colors. Some midfielders have told us it is easier for them to spot a team mate that wears bright boots than the opposite. But it s not only about the color.
The last WC was a key point in time that helped us confirm the Superfly III color and graphic direction. Back then, we still had several options on the table, and rather than moving towards the unknown, we were able to test our visual acuity concept on the biggest stage football has to offer.
SB: What kind of play testing or design research went into determining the new pattern?
RM: Nike Football is not only about footwear and therefore we were able to partner with our friends in the equipment division. We have taken learnings from this field of work on Hi vis to inform the graphic design.
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SB: One of the distinctive features of the Superfly boots are the colors. What steps are taken in deciding a launch color?
Color and even graphics have always and consistently been part of the Mercurial DNA. That goes all the way back to Ronaldo s 1998 Mercurial, the very first in a line of great speed products. We have the very best team of color and materials designers. SB: At what point in the design process is the color chosen? Is it the last stage of the development process? |
RM: Neither at the start , nor the end of the process. The success of a product can not solely rely on its color.As the design of the boots graphic design evolves, so does the color to maximize both aspects of the boots look and feel, as we have to find the right balance between form, function, graphics and colors.
SB: The SFIII is all about being seen. Has getting a boot noticed on the pitch become one of the key challenges for any boot designer?
RM: Its really important for sure, but for a designer the importance of providing a competitive advantage through the product is the number one focus. Making the boot be seen on pitch is a key insight that comes from players, that helps improve their game first and also makes the boot visible on pitch which is an added benefit.
SB: Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the Superfly's highest profile players. What was his reaction when you first showed him the SFIII?
RM: He really liked the look of it! He loves the Superfly III not only because of its color and graphics, but also because we ve incorporated his specific performance feedback in the re-engineering process.
Cristiano Ronaldo, like many other high profile players is one of our key partners when it comes to creating products. We are fortunate to have him as a member of our team, and we always value his insights. SB: Since the launch of SFII last year, what professional/non-professional feedback have you had and has any of it influenced the design of the SFIII? |
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RM: We are really lucky as we spend most of our time with both professional and non-professional players gathering product insights. We ve heard some comments about the upper not being as soft as they d like it to be, we ve heard a few things on fit, touch and traction and we ve focused our efforts on improving those areas.
SB: Since the launch of SFII last year, what professional/non-professional feedback have you had and has any of it influenced the design of the SFIII?
RM: We spent a lot of time with Ronaldo, Pato, Drogba, Zlatan and others key players on this specific project. Their feedback was pretty clear, and since they didn t feel like we had to re-invent the wheel, we just talked about the key areas we could improve.
SB: Professionals such as Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo are known for wearing custom sole-plates. Does this have an influence when you are designing a sole-plate?
RM: Ronaldo and Drogba as well as a few others are really influential in the way we design and engineer our sole plates. Drogba plays in England where the conditions mean you may need to wear 6 studs, and when they don t, he d rather wear his custom plate which he believes does work better for him.
Ronaldo, depending on the ground conditions, also alternates between the SENSE sole plate when its firmer ground and his custom plate, when its softer underfoot. These two examples among others will help us define the future of the Mercurial sole plates.
SB: What are the challenges involved in designing a boot that is both lightweight and strong?
RM: They force you to be innovative in the way you engineer these boots, and to use materials or solutions that are delivering on both aspects. This explains why we ve only been using composite materials in both the upper and outsole of the Superfly and the Vapor. The use of Carbon and Glass fiber in these boots sole plates are the very best materials when it comes to delivering high responsiveness, and the very fastest players need to exploit their explosive speed.
SB: The SFII had a total of eight color-ways. How far ahead are new color launches chosen?
RM: I could tell you today what colors will be on the pitch in April next year, but I m not sure you can keep it a secret!
SB: How do you feel when you see some of the worlds best players wearing the boots you have designed on pitch?
RM: Alex Ferguson once said Winning is never done ! There is a great sense of pride when you see the big names in the biggest games wearing our product. That also applies to any player that chooses to wear our product. It s really satisfying and humbling. We kind of live in the future, and because we always strive to deliver better boots, we must always keep that in mind.
Want to see more of the Nike Superfly III football boots? Check out our full SoccerBible article on the boots here!
