The Function Of Form/The Form Of Function

Form and function are two sides of the same coin when it comes to design. Function can be derivative of form and form can arrive from function. The challenge is deciding which one takes precedent and creating harmony between the two. Many objects begin with an initial idea and the form and function are discovered on he fly.

One of the objects that comes to mind when I think of unified form and function are shoes (big surprise). To the untrained eye and uninformed consumer, many of the latest shoe innovations and technologies may seem nothing more than aesthetic evolution that is inevitable in any design. The newest technologies being offered by Nike are anything but. While they are aesthetically pleasing, their function is the underlying force behind their implementation.

These newest technologies come in the way of Flywire, next generation Flywire, and the new Hyperfuse construction method. Flywire is a high tensile strength fiber construction developed from technologies NASA uses to construct weather balloons. The new Hyperfuse is derived from the needs of basketball players in China and constructed without any stitching or environmentally harmful glues, giving the name to the shoe because it is fused together with heat.

Both of these technologies have become the pinnacle of lightweight modern basketball shoes and are appealing because of their innovative technologies, but these technologies are communicated with their form. The sleek styling of the Hyperdunk, which uses flywire, illustrates its cutting edge personality and lightweight performance without overpowering the consumer with its message.

The Hyperfuse exhibits a more utilitarian profile and conveys its intended use as a durable street/indoor basketball shoe that can withstand the heat, humidity, and conditions needed by Chinese basketball players. Both shoes found forms that are derivative of their functions. Both seamlessly (pun intended) blend form and function in a marriage of stable and sustainable design that appeals to informed and uninformed consumers alike. There is no over-embellishing of either and the two feed off each other the way any well-executed design should.