VOLLEY OVERGRIP

The assignment started with a request to design a new Volley lifestyle shoe, capable of capturing youthful buyers. Through analysis and better defining the target audience, and initial concept design, it was clear there was a need to reinvigorate both the brand and shoe offering from the ground up. The project now became a multi-faceted undertaking requiring design to clarify for management, as work progressed, what the ‘new Volley’ brand could become. Multiple elements were addressed in tandem. Volley’s heritage needed to be captured in all aspects of the significantly expanded shoe range and brand redesign.

The Overgrip is a new boot range for Volley. It comes in two versions - Overgrip Core (Classic range) featuring heavy-duty canvas, and Overgrip Black Label (Premium range) offered in leather. The design references many key DNA elements of Volley’s heritage shoe (designed in 1976) including an aggressive lugged version of the herringbone grip and the rubber front toe cap. Instead of a typical die-cut footbed, the Overgrip has a purpose-designed, colour-coded, Volley shock-absorbing Dampertech 10 footbed. The new footwear was undertaken along with a total refresh of the Volley brand.

Overgrip (a tennis term) is an ergonomic fit-for-purpose para-boot. Authentically Volley in character it’s fit for ‘young rebels’ and is regaining traditional user loyalty as well as a wide cross-section of new consumers. The boot design suits both light-duty works as well as casual wear. Despite only being sold online during Covid19, customer response has exceeded expectations. The boots, due to design, quality and the revised brand are achieving a previously unachievable price premium as well as providing far better margins than previously allowable.

Essentially this was a ground-up project. Starting as a new lifestyle shoe project it revealed a latent opportunity to relaunch Volley - by uplifting it from a name to a brand and offering a significantly expanded shoe range that leveraged Volley’s tennis and Australian heritage. The Brand Manager John Szwede gave full support to the relaunch. The approach was multi-faceted. Design work also involved securing and working directly with a new top-quality manufacturer in Vietnam. Informal manufacturing instructions were replaced by a highly detailed Techpack - described by the manufacturer as the clearest and most understandable spec they have ever received. Volley was originally a tennis player’s sports shoe but it had dropped to being a low-cost product sold in direct department store outlets. Volley’s history had essentially been let go. Further, Volley was suffering from identity confusion using 3 to 4 different logotypes, unrelated colours, divergent fonts, and limited message consistency. An integrated and systematic approach was taken to the new shoes (see product architecture diagram). Previously shoe sizes varied according to the manufacturer. Now all volley shoes employ a standardised unisex ‘Volleyfit’ .enabling the design of one footbed (Dampenertech 10), used across the entire Volley range.