Made in the UK
NEw balance
THE Soul TO THE Sole - OF -
Logo
New Balance has a type
based logo. A type based logo has many positive
effects on the consumer.
The biggest advantage being a sense of honesty. This is created as the logo
itself is the brand name, it requires no effort at all
for the public to attach a
separate logo to the brand. Subsequently this makes
the brand innitially more memorable.
The ‘NB’ being the bold-
est feature of the New Balance logo means the logo is not the strongest. Perhaps this represents the brand,
i.e. not in your face. They produce high quality and
shoes for the people that
matter. Their loyal customer base.
TYPE Let’s make excellent hap-
pen - If you hadn’t noticed their end product, this
should hit home the work
ethic adopted by every member of the New Balance work force.
new balance ITC avant garde gothic pro medium lower case tracking -40 (approx. in thousandths of an em)
The simplicity of the New
Balance logo is supported with an all lower case
sans-serif called ITC Avant
Garde Gothic Pro. The medium weight is neither bold nor tampered with too much.
This repeats the NB ethos
of creating a product that functions well.
PERSONS New Balance have made it
very clear that there is noone more important than the
creative and hands-on people behind the scenes at their
company and more specifically the centre for production at their Flimby factory.
effort into finding the
Making’ clients who have an
unlike cutting pastry, he
which in turn drives sales
best cut of leather. It’s says, there are far more
imperfections that one has to keep an eye out for. In
the eyes of Roy there is no point in travelling home
thinking what he could have done better at work, he’d
much rather get the best job done, get home and listen
to his favourite soul music feeling good about life. Mark takes quality
control to the excess. New Balance have gone
indepth with the interest they take in their
employees, in a way of
celebrating thirty years of production in the UK. By
Whenever he’s out and about he will pop into a shop
influence over their market of New Balance across the globe. Chris will ensure
that the bulk of the product they use is sourced from
within Europe. This comes down to the ethos of New
Craftsmen
Balance in providing its
customers with the best. Yes he agrees that the products could be made far cheaper
by sending the patents out to a Chinese sweat-house,
but the end quality would be severely effected.
and pick up a New Balance
shoe and sneakily check for imperfections, however it is a rare occurrence that
Mark
employing local people from the surrounding area of the plant in Fimbly, Cumbria, they have variety within
the ranks and documenting the interests of these
people has thrown up some
Wayne he actually finds one. He is
positioned on the production line, so you would catch
him assembling the shoes.
The greatest feeling about working at New Balance for
Mark is the satisfaction of interesting stories.
Wayne had been working as
seeing people wearing a shoe he has helped produce to
Chris
part of the ‘making team’ for ten years but in the
last five years has worked as a supervisor and is always
keeping the quality of work coming out of the factory
at its highest. Outside of the factory Wayne’s main
interest is racing pigeons. An alternative hobby that
you don’t hear much about,
the usual high New Balance standard.
Chris’ job is to source
this reminds us that the
materials and manage
are in the heart of the
creative versions of shoes
producers of these sneakers English countryside.
Roy is a passionate
member of the cutting room team and always puts one hundred percent of his
distribution of the more
that are seen worn by the
youth of today amongst the sub-cultures that have
developed in recent years. All this activity is done within the walls of the ‘Vault’. The job Chris
does allows smaller limited run collaboration pieces
to be manufactured at the
Flimby factory. These pieces are produced for ‘Opinion
Roy
Craftsmen The only people New Bal-
ance will mention, no need
for big names just the need for passionate workers who
love the shoes they produce.
ON TREND
The New Balance 1500
design remains a fan
favourite, and when it was launched it claimed to be ĘťThe closest thing yet to
the perfect running shoeĘź.
This iconic runner broke the mould on its debut in late 1988, with the composite
materials in the mid sole making it one of the most resilient and technically
advanced running shoes ever made — the ENCAP-mid soled, triple-density Evathane
padded, performance piece
with the menacing angles was a break from the familiar New Balance shape but
maintained the prestige of
the earlier 1300 model, with a heavy-duty price tag to match.
New Balance have always
been providers of a quality
product and created footwear that is fit for purpose. Because of this it has
not always been a brand
that’s been associated with
popular culture. Many models of their shoes have been
designed with hill walking
and cross country running in mind. But a recent revival of the New Balance running shoes has propelled them into the spotlight along with other much larger
brands that have been revisiting ‘80s style for a lengthy period of time.
remains unsurpassed. The EN
with their own dedicated
densities was just part
show New Balance in a new
CAP sole unit in different of the shoe’s supportive
selling points and now the stealthy shape of the 577 has built momentum as an all-time classic across
different audiences. Few can contest that the no-nonsense panelling and premium
feel a UK-made pair of
577’s constitutes a design
classic, and in its original makeup, it’s a strong
ambassador for the brand.
following. These collabs light to a large number
of the population. To be seen producing exciting
pieces featuring interesting fabrics and materials,
this brand has made large
advancements and converted many people to the New
Balance way of thinking.
The most recent of these
collaborations was with
notorious sneaker designer
Benji Blunt’s 1500
Easily one of the most
recognisable and copied
New Balance silhouettes,
the 576’s story stretches
320
back to the late ’80s when the model made its debut appearance without the
extensive running press
ads or bombast of previous
Benji Blunt who was let
brand. Excess stock from the
the most popular model with
breakthroughs from the
675 sole unit was given to a In 1976 New Balance
launched their original
runner. The 320 featured a suede/nylon upper and was
the start of New Balance’s move away from bulkier
designer in the Boston office
loose on a pair of 1500s, the youth of today.
who altered the materials
and the colours of the upper and the 576 was born. Now it has developed iconic status
in the sneaker world and has
576
looking shoes. In 1979 after the success of the 320,
New Balance needed a new breakthrough lightweight
design to allow the company to continue to grow. The 620 was dubbed “The most
technically advanced running shoe on the market” by
Running Magazine. The new materials and new design
helped propel the company
become the discerning choice from Tokyo to New York. The most enduring
technical running series in the ‘80s and ‘90s has now
gained cult status with New
Balance sneaker connoisseurs
620
around the world. In
1982 the 990 was the first
athletic shoe priced at £100 and after technical advances forward.
From its birth in 1989,
the 577 was the cream of the crop of supportive
trainers for runners and
today can still be seen on a select few who feels it
and product innovations the 991 was created in
1999. Since then the shoe has become the foundation
for the ‘990 series’ while the 991 has retired into
lifestyle boutiques around the world.
In recent times, the
year 2000 till present, has seen a variety of
‘collaborations’ between New Balance and a number
of sneaker boutiques, each
577
James Gwyn Goodwin Davies Graphic Design BA (Hons) Graduate 2012
Scan this QR code or find me at jggd.co.uk
All copy found within this document is sourced via my background knowledge on the subject, or has come directly from the website that represents each of the brands featured.