Week+Eleven

Hoping to hear back from Rachel and the other of the Burton women this week to use as a primary source

Some design information gathered:

I took a look at K2 and Atomic Skis and compared a few different models and broke them down for either gender or design in general. Below are some notes.


 * K2**

K2 product line for men’s is about twice the size in multiple areas of skis. For example they have four available skis for men’s park and pipe whereas they only have two for women.

When comparing the equivalent models for men’s/women’s park skis they matched up quite evenly and had almost al of the same features and were the same price. They even had the same graphic, just with slight color change. The graphic on the ski is attractive to both men and women and isn’t overly masculine or feminine. The color choices were also great for either gender. The men’s version was called “press” while the women’s was called “empress.” The only thing that was a little troubling to me was the tag lines. The women’s tag line was “reign over the whole mountain,” which makes it seem like a great ski, but the men’s line is “grow you skills and your wallet,” which makes it seem like its more a beginner/intermediate ski that isn’t top of the line but the price is right. This was a little troubling to me because it’s a little contradictory and a manipulation of marketing.


 * Atomic**

Atomic makes unisex and women’s skis. The graphics on the unisex skis could be attractive to both men and women, especially the skis made for powder and backcountry. The graphics incorporate pinks and purples as well as blues, reds, etc. The colors are used in a way that is neither too masculine nor too feminine. The use of colors in this way are making them more gender neutral and accepted into the culture as they are used expressively. The women’s specific skis are a little softer and feminine in design, but not kitschy and overly feminine.

I compared the graphics Atomic’s of backcountry and pipe/park skis. Each type of ski has a different look to them, bringing a different feel and energy. I think this is expressive of the style of skiing. The backcountry skis feature pictures of mountains and galaxy-like graphics and a combination of color layering and overlapping geometric patterns. The park/pipe skis have a bit more of an edge feel and the graphics are more detailed illustrations and graphic drawings.