The philosophies on which Adi Dassler built Adidas are increasingly at odds with commercial realities, but utilizing his methods for the pinnacle products in each category would have a positive halo effect on the entire adidas brand.
When designing products, Adi Dassler followed these steps to ensure that they would be the optimum solution to an athlete’s problem: 1 - Observe! Any idea is worth more than no idea at all. 2 - Only by trying can you get it right. 3 - Think outside the box in order to get great ideas. 4 - Strive for perfection, there is always something you can improve. 5 - Always attempt to simplify every process as far as possible. 6 - Test, test, and test again.
Utilizing these principles, we created a visual design system and created sample products to demonstrate the aesthetic possibilities.
The result was set of examples and guidelines that defined the design approach and the qualifying criteria, ensuring that Adi Dassler products were visually and functionally superior to other products in the category. They were to have a prescribed lifetime and be taken out of the market when their innovations cascaded into other products. The commercial success of the Adi Dassler concept was less relevant than the brand-building goal, so there were no sales targets that could compromise the design approach. Unfortunately the economic situation at the time prevented this concept from going to market.