Highback, Snowboard ODM

ODM Original Design Manufacturer projects come naturally from a manufacturer, looking for a product offering that can be placed with one or more clients.  These customers do not have design departments generally, or the segment that the end product targets, mass market, falls off the radar screen of the in-house designers.

This project was initiated by the sales department at Kuji Sports.  The brief was simple, “make it the same as the Burton and Ride highbacks, but different.  A grid structure highback with a narrow waisted profile.”, discussions with the major retailers in Europe and the US give confirmation on where the sweet spot in a market offering.  One key element mentioned by the client was to have a inclusion of asymmetric elements.   The base geometry of a highback is established, the design task then is to find a unique but cross over appealing structure that will fit nicely into existing lines of branded product.

This method takes all of the givens , shape. proportion, real world scale and the context of the binding itself and allows for accurate sketch representations from the start.  A photo of the binding is grayed out and pencil sketched and then pen sketched for the basic ribs structure. There are some very literal looking competitor arrangements, this was to set a marker in the design language that was ludicrously derivative in order the push the client out of his mode of thinking.

Taking the accepted direction, before beginning 3D work, a series of more literal 3D hand sketches were drafted to show the arrangements and depths for the surface basis.

This method permitted and interim step of visualization.  The rough surfaces of the highback were modeled and the sketch mapped onto the surfaces and rendered.  Rhino3D software allows this step to be executed quickly and with a minimum surface definition.

To make sure that an ODM project is properly targeted, the rough rendered designs are reviewed with the product managers at the end client.  This project was reviewed with TSA the Sports Authority for inclusion for it’s in-house Sims brand bindings.      This feedback can slightly adjust the direction of a project and insure a good fit.

Rhino3D is the software we use to develop and refine the surfaces and aesthetics.  Nylon prototypes are machined during the process to verify thicknesses and relative stiffness.  The surface work during this phase continues to evolve, especially in the top border.

After the structure was finalized, one last variation of asymmetry was explored.   Tools inside the software allow rapid exploration of such variations.

This is the production highback sold in The Sports Authority chain under the Sims Snowboard brand name. Shown here in the alloy baseplate version.

Manufacturers can leverage production and design to support brands that are not able to develop in house.  The net result is that latest generation designs can be delivered to different markets under different labels.  The efficiency benefits both the brands and the forward thinking manufacturer.