Open Source x Creativity: Empowering Consumers to be Creators

As a fan of any sport, take a second to visualise the greatest moment for your favourite team or athlete. Now think of their worst. Now think of the last time you saw them compete.

Now think about what they were wearing.

Chances are, you can remember the kit or uniform they had on at the time. Consider how a team’s apparel becomes an undisputed part of their history.

Now imagine being invited to become part of that history.

That’s exactly what adidas Football is doing…calling consumers, influencers, athletes and legends to step up to the plate and join us as a brand of creators by designing the 2017/18 third jersey for AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Flamengo, Juventus, Manchester United or Real Madrid inside a new digital experience ‘Creator Studio’.

Easy to Pick Up…

This is an activation that lives and breathes open source, our goal is wholly consumer centric. When it comes to empowering and inspiring our consumer, there’s a thrill in knowing that when six of our clubs start the season in August 2017, they will be wearing something designed by one of our consumers. And for the consumer, our dream is that when they sign into Creator Studio for the first time they feel that same measure of excitement.

To achieve that buzz and passion, the experience has to be accessible to everyone, even those who have never considered themselves creative. Therefore the tool needed to be simple, intuitive and of course mobile, to ensure user comfort and instant ease-of-use.

 …Harder to Master!

A Helping Hand

Here’s Federico Maccapani of @MBROIDERED with some insights into the open source experience and tips to help master the Creator Studio:

• When starting a new design or project, I usually try to collect as much information as I can for inspiration. Good design doesn’t just begin in the studio!
• For me, the history of the club, the city of origin and its traditions are rich places to start; I try to tell a story through its design.
• Creating a balance between traditional graphic elements and different prints and textures is something that works so well, and finding a way to do that and still tell a story is something that creates a design that looks good, but resonates in the heart, too.
• There’s added features that are really the cherry on top of the cake. For example, you can take any image from your phone, even a photo you’ve just taken – and upload that into a design; tile it, rotate it and so on. It really lets you discover that design is everywhere and a nice photo can be transformed into a pattern so easily.

Creativity like this is power and excitement for not just the consumers, but Federico also sees that an open source activity like this brings fresh inspiration into adidas, too.