The Ball Sports product team wanted to design a basketball backpack for club and high school players that could be easily customized. The players take these bags to and from games and long weekend tournaments. The bag needed to hold a basketball along with changes of clothing, beverages, and snacks. Having played basketball in high school, I had a feel for what the bag should look like, but I spent time interviewing athletes and working with focus groups to nail the details. 

 

 

FORM

The biggest challenge for this bag was making the bag big enough to hold all of the necessities, while not making the bag too bulky. Basketball players have big feet. I sized the back to make sure it could hold a size 15 shoe, a basketball, and personal belongings. As I was simultaneously working on a volleyball bag for Wilson, I was brainstorming alternative solutions to carrying the basketball outside of the bag. I proposed a single ball bag that could be utilized for all balls sports. This would be an additional SKU for purchase on Wilson.com. What makes this sling bag better than the others online is the clip on the bottom. The clip prevents the single ball bag from swinging back and forth when the wearer is in motion. I added front and side perforation for bag ventilation, a thermally lined pocket for temperature controlled storage, an easy access phone sleeve on the arm strap, and a sternum strap for when you are on the move!

 

 

COLOR

The backpack is offered in five different colorways. The colors were chosen based off the most popular high school and travel team colors. The body colors are black and grey for costing purposes. The team colors are highlighted through the zippers, pulls, and branding.

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MATERIAL

Exterior: Water resistant nylon

Lining: Polyester

Webbing: Nylon