Perch

Perch

A 200 year anniversary is more than a milestone. It is a story of care, craft, and time well spent.

Skills

Design Thinking

Design Sketching

Surface Modeling

Visualization

Animation

Software

Procreate

Illustrator / Photoshop

Fusion360

Keyshot

Figma / Framer

Duration

5 Weeks

The Brief

Being an athlete often means dealing with a lot of shoes and limited storage space. Bulky shoe racks take up room and add unnecessary clutter, especially when you’re constantly moving between practices, games, and daily responsibilities.

This project focuses on designing a sleek, low-profile shoe rack that keeps footwear organized without getting in the way, making it easier to stay efficient with a packed schedule.

Design Goals

Simple Design

Nike Perch needs to be simple, to accurately embody the brand.

Smooth Finish

The design has to be smooth and sleek to avoid visual clutter.

Authentic to Materials

Perch will be painted, but it still needs to match the material it’s built with.

Sized to Large Shoes

Shoes vary significantly in size, so it needs to match the largest average shoe size.

Shoe Racks: Current Drawbacks

Horizontal Form Factor

Most shoe racks opt for a horizontal form factor, which is efficient, yes, but takes up significantly more floor space than a vertical form factor.

Purley Function

The majority of the shoe racks you find have a primary function. If you want a visually appealing piece of furniture, your options are limited.

Lacks Brand Cohesion

Many people are loyal to their favorite brands, and with a product that doesn’t yet exist, Nike can leverage that loyalty to capture interest.

Who is Perch for?

"My apartment’s too small. Shoes end up all over the place."

Christian F.

18 years old.

"When I’m between practice and work, I don’t have time to constantly look for my gear."

Football Player

Christian plays football for the Milford Eagles, and he has a bright future in sports.

If my place is a mess, it throws everything off. I can’t focus like that.

Work & Sports Balance

Sports can be overwhelming, especially when balancing a part-time job.

He needs a shoe rack that brings Nike’s bold design language together with effortless, standardized convenience.

The Nike Brand

Nike is the leading company in sports apparel and equipment. It needs to have a strong brand and product identity. Nike meshes strength and resilience with accessibility and community to create the perfect storm for a no-doubt, unique look.

Form & Finish Studies

Nike uses simple, fast-moving forms that signal motion and strength. The builds are stacked and space-efficient, with clean, no-nonsense surfaces.

Initial Sketches

Round One

This phase focused on exploring overall form and design language, which served as an analysis of what forms worked with the KitchenAid design identity.

The Final Prototype.

Poplar Wood Build (Prototype in Pine)

Spacious Multi-Layer Design

Each layer is generously sized to comfortably fit up to three pairs of shoes, keeping your space tidy without compromising accessibility.
Fully Deconstructable for Easy Moving

Designed with mobility in mind, the structure is fully and simply deconstructable, making it easy to transport or store without tools or hassle.

Wood Study

Poplar: Great workability and cost, durability is too low and the wood runs soft and splits occasionally
White Oak: Great durability and aesthetics, cost is too high and workability is low
Maple: Great durability and aesthetics, cost is too high and workability is low
Poplar: Great workability and aesthetics, cost is too high, and availability is low
Pine: Fantastic workability and Cost, but knotting is frequent, and splitting is very common
Poplar: Great workability and cost, durability is too low and the wood runs soft and splits occasionally
White Oak: Great durability and aesthetics, cost is too high and workability is low
Maple: Great durability and aesthetics, cost is too high and workability is low
Poplar: Great workability and aesthetics, cost is too high, and availability is low
Pine: Fantastic workability and Cost, but knotting is frequent, and splitting is very common
Poplar: Great workability and cost, durability is too low and the wood runs soft and splits occasionally
White Oak: Great durability and aesthetics, cost is too high and workability is low
Maple: Great durability and aesthetics, cost is too high and workability is low
Poplar: Great workability and aesthetics, cost is too high, and availability is low
Pine: Fantastic workability and Cost, but knotting is frequent, and splitting is very common
Poplar: Great workability and cost, durability is too low and the wood runs soft and splits occasionally
White Oak: Great durability and aesthetics, cost is too high and workability is low
Maple: Great durability and aesthetics, cost is too high and workability is low
Poplar: Great workability and aesthetics, cost is too high, and availability is low
Pine: Fantastic workability and Cost, but knotting is frequent, and splitting is very common

Extra Materials

Speedball India Ink

For the darkest possible coat, Perch uses Speedball India ink.

Motion Activated Lighting

Perch uses a motion-activated light that saves battery.

"Shoe Stackers"

Perch use "shoe stackers" to utilize vertical room.

Purchase, cut down, join, and plane all wood.
Gather and label wood by part.
Laminate and glue shelves.
Plane excess material.
Cut each shelf end down to fix any shifting
Use a router to round the edges
Join the spine and base.
Join the shelves to the spine
Prepare to sand off any excess glue
Sand the spine
Paint each part with ink
Add under-glow lighting
Purchase, cut down, join, and plane all wood.
Gather and label wood by part.
Laminate and glue shelves.
Plane excess material.
Cut each shelf end down to fix any shifting
Use a router to round the edges
Join the spine and base.
Join the shelves to the spine
Prepare to sand off any excess glue
Sand the spine
Paint each part with ink
Add under-glow lighting
Purchase, cut down, join, and plane all wood.
Gather and label wood by part.
Laminate and glue shelves.
Plane excess material.
Cut each shelf end down to fix any shifting
Use a router to round the edges
Join the spine and base.
Join the shelves to the spine
Prepare to sand off any excess glue
Sand the spine
Paint each part with ink
Add under-glow lighting
Purchase, cut down, join, and plane all wood.
Gather and label wood by part.
Laminate and glue shelves.
Plane excess material.
Cut each shelf end down to fix any shifting
Use a router to round the edges
Join the spine and base.
Join the shelves to the spine
Prepare to sand off any excess glue
Sand the spine
Paint each part with ink
Add under-glow lighting

Perch

Motion Activated Underlights

Perch utilizes motion activation to conserve battery and enhances aesthetics.

The Overview.

Nike Perch, in an incredibly simple package offers many

Simple Design

With this battery and motor pairing, KitchenAid+ delivers up to 30 minutes of continuous use at medium load, or up to 20 minutes at maximum performance.

Smooth Finish

The KitchenAid+ immersion blender is capable of speeds up to 20,000 RPM, which helps support a wider variety of blending tasks, like emulsification.

Authentic to Materials

KitchenAid+ offers simple yet intuitive presets that make for a more accessible experience for less experienced cooks.

Sized for Large Shoes

KitchenAid+ delivers a high-quality experience through premium materials, including a high-grip rubber handle and real aluminum accents.

Key Takeaways.

The Nike Perch project focused on balancing the brand identity while keeping the original required utility that you get with regular shoe racks. The primary challenge with this project was working with materials I'm unfamiliar with and balancing this unfamiliarity with an existing brand language.

Thank you.

NHD

Perch

Perch

Skills

Software

Duration

The Brief

Design Goals

Simple Design

Smooth Finish

Authentic to Materials

Sized to Large Shoes

Shoe Racks: Current Drawbacks

Horizontal Form Factor

Purley Function

Lacks Brand Cohesion

Who is Perch for?

Christian F.

Football Player

Work & Sports Balance

He needs a shoe rack that brings Nike’s bold design language together with effortless, standardized convenience.

The Nike Brand

Form & Finish Studies

Initial Sketches

The Final Prototype.

Poplar Wood Build (Prototype in Pine)

Spacious Multi-Layer Design

Each layer is generously sized to comfortably fit up to three pairs of shoes, keeping your space tidy without compromising accessibility.

Fully Deconstructable for Easy Moving

Designed with mobility in mind, the structure is fully and simply deconstructable, making it easy to transport or store without tools or hassle.

Wood Study

Extra Materials

Speedball India Ink

Motion Activated Lighting

"Shoe Stackers"

Perch

Motion Activated Underlights

The Overview.

Nike Perch, in an incredibly simple package offers many

Simple Design

Smooth Finish

Authentic to Materials

Sized for Large Shoes

Key Takeaways.

The Nike Perch project focused on balancing the brand identity while keeping the original required utility that you get with regular shoe racks. The primary challenge with this project was working with materials I'm unfamiliar with and balancing this unfamiliarity with an existing brand language.

Thank you.

NHD