Welcome to the future of football.

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This revolutionary football design is 8 years in the making. Nike went through 67 different iterations before landing on the final ball shown below. A team of designers and engineers all contributed to the progress of this study in improving the aerodynamics and flight consistency of the modern football.

Todd Smith was the design director overseeing the project, Arthur Molinari was the lead innovation engineer, and Miguel Herrera was the product designer before I took over as product designer in 2018. I worked on further ideating + evolving the deboss design until we landed on the 68th iteration that improved the ball’s flight-path consistency by 30%. A patent for this revolutionary football design was issued in January of 2020. (Patent #11148014)

I also designed the launch graphic for the Nike Flight Ball. My goal was to ensure that nothing would distract from the beautiful grooved channels of the new design. I wanted the ball to have a timeless aesthetic that felt both classic & futuristic simultaneously. So I kept it mostly white with 2 bold swooshes on either side. I also covered the entire surface of the ball in a subtle, color-changing ink to accentuate the grooved topography. In the right light, this ink highlights the grooves with a vibrant teal blue color. The iridescent ink also turned the entire ball a creamy ivory color that made it feel aged, yet futuristic at the same time; an interesting visual paradox that captivates the eye. Finally, I covered the ball in small technical details that hint at the data-driven nature of its conception.

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WHAT IS NIKE AEROWSCULPT TECHNOLOGY?

Aerowsculpt Technology is a new patented deboss design combined with raised 3D ink that disrupts airflow evenly across the entire ball for less drag and a more stable flight. This powerful combination results in 30% truer flight compared to the previous Nike Merlin ball.

WHAT DOES 30% TRUER FLIGHT MEAN?

Every football has some unpredictable movement in flight due to a variety of aerodynamic parameters. For instance, if a ball is completely smooth, it is gripped by the air, creating a significant wake and causing frequent changes in direction. These shifts can result in misplaced long balls, derailing a potentially fruitful counter, or shots that stray off goal. The Nike Flight ball utilizes a patented deboss design that eliminates this unpredictable movement in the air, allowing the player to take full control of the flight path of the ball.