Puma Suede Forever
—
In celebration of the six decades since the inception of the classic Puma Suede shoe, we created the Puma Suede Forever campaign. We paired important moments in history and culture that the shoe has been a part of, with the art styles of those corresponding decades. We collaborated with iconic artists from across the country to reinterpret these moments in their specific art styles.
The art direction was simple, as not to get in the way of the posters but meaningful in that each piece was placed on a wall and sat on a timeline. We wanted the experience to feel like an art gallery commemorating an iconic shoe. This work appeared across the country including out of home in NYC and Philadelphia as well as an 8 page spread in magazines.
Role — Designer / Art Director
Creative Directors — Aaron Padin, Florent Imbert
Creatives — Emely Perez, Katie Bourgeois
Art Buyer — Treviana Delmastro
PIECES
1960s Tommy Smith 1968 Olympics, Psychedelic Art, by Justin Helton AKA Statusserigraph
1970s Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Abstract Geometric, by Dan Stiles
1980s B-Boy Culture, Graffiti Art, by Queen Andrea
1990s Grunge Rock Music, Grunge Collage, by David Carson
2000s Skateboarding Culture, Graphic Illustration, by Buff Monster
2010s Usain Bolt Fashion and Sports, Minimal Art, by Ben Wiseman
FUTURE Future, Unwritten Style, by Orhan Agis
Awards
London International Awards, Poster - Use of Illustration Campaign / Bronze / 2016
MANIFESTO
Copywriter: Nathan Goodson
1960s
Artist / Justin Helton A.K.A @statusserigraph
What better way to start our timeline than with the controversial moment in history when Olympic track & field runner Tommy Smith raised the black power salute after winning gold in the 1969 Olympics in New Mexico? With him was his Puma Suede classic shoes. We represented this moment in the psychedelic style of the 60s.
1970s
Artist / Dan Stiles
Walter "Clyde" Frazier is a famous basketball player from the 70s who often wore his pair of Puma Suedes on the court. The composition was inspired by an actual 1970s Puma ad featuring Clyde and the textured/geometric art style of the 70s often seen in Olympic posters of the era.
1980s
Artist / Andrea von Bujdoss A.K.A @queenandreaone
There was no doubt we were going to go with graffiti for the 80s art style. For the visual we have a beautiful type-driven layout, true what was done in the 80's. The outline of the shoe is treated like a tag sitting on top of it all, marking its territory.
1990s
Artist / David Carson
Working with the rebel type designer himself, we created a piece that represents the rock / performance culture of the 90s. We did this in a way that was true to the collage style that Carson is known for. It was the perfect match.
2000s
Artist / Buff Monster Skateboarding was big in the early 2000s and the Puma Suede shoe was part of that culture. We took this opportunity to represent a bad-ass female subject in the cartoon / airbrush style of the decade.
2010s
Artist / Ben Wiseman
The 2010's is the decade when things got minimal. Featuring none other than the fastest man in the world, we show Puma athlete, Ussain Bolt in a witty poster that talks to how he is always on the move even if it looks like he is not.
FUTURE
Artist / Orhan Agis A.K.A
This last piece shows a puma white Puma shoe on a white canvas. The future is yet to be defined and will be defined by us, the fans.
