Nerf (Sports and N-Strike)
Nerf (Sports and N-Strike) from Drew Johnson
Nerf (Sports and N-Strike)

In 1969, Nerf brand launched with one product, a simple orange polyurethane foam ball. It was introduced as the "world's first official indoor ball". Marketed that one can "Throw it indoors without damaging lamps or breaking windows." The ball filled a strong consumer need and by the year's end, they sold more than four million Nerf balls

Today the sports segment is still a large portion of Nerf's business. From 2007-2012, I have been fortunate enough to be the lead designer on everything sports related here at Hasbro. I am a decent athlete and all around sports fan, I found that I really enjoy designing sports equipment. I had a lot of creative freedom to bring new innovative ideas to the table. Things like clip on flags for flag football, to the swerve pitch baseball which allows anyone to curve a ball any direction they want without risking an arm injury, and to making footballs balls so durable that they can be played with in any element including water.

Concepts and Aesthetic Photoshop Renderings - I can honestly say that I designed over a thousand footballs during my tenure at Nerf. From Vortex, Weather Blitz, and even our classic foam football we constantly pushed to find better, innovative, and even in some cases more cost effective ways to make a football.
Soccer Ball Concept - Photoshop Rendering
Final Soccer Ball Photoshop Renderings and Concepts
Nerfoop Slam - In the fall of 2010, we released a higher end Nerfoop,this product simplistically captures the NYC STREET ball feel. The Slam featured a nearly unbreakable backboard and a high bounce foam ball.
Nerfoop Slam Aesthetic Renderings and Concepts - Photoshop
From 2007-2012 as lead designer for the sports line one of my favorite duties was to play graphic designer for one of our most popular item the Nerfoop and Nerfoop Wall 2 Wall. Above are some my favorites. - Photoshop and Illustrator
Skateboard Graphics for Dew Tour
Nerf Swerve Pitch You got to try this if you can still find one. Check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Csr-XDj_yI
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT IN A DIFFERENT WAY :: Works just like when your headlights make contact with a reflective material. FIREVISION SPORTS features incredible Microprism Technology, which creates a glowing streak of light, day or night. When you activate your FIREVISION ball with a pair of cool FIREVISION Frames, you reveal a glow with a range over 100 feet/30 meters. This project was a quick ask that really pushed engineering and myself to achieve results in a time and cost effective manner. Basically a manufacturing nightmare with shipping batteries and finding proper material for the micro-prism material to adhere. Graphic work Photoshop and Ilustrator
FireVision concepts - Photoshop Renderings
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Nerf (Sports and N-Strike)

In 1969, Nerf brand launched with one product, a simple orange polyurethane foam ball. It was introduced as the "world's first official indoor ball". Marketed that one can "Throw it indoors without damaging lamps or breaking windows." The ball filled a strong consumer need and by the year's end, they sold more than four million Nerf balls

Today the sports segment is still a large portion of Nerf's business. From 2007-2012, I have been fortunate enough to be the lead designer on everything sports related here at Hasbro. I am a decent athlete and all around sports fan, I found that I really enjoy designing sports equipment. I had a lot of creative freedom to bring new innovative ideas to the table. Things like clip on flags for flag football, to the swerve pitch baseball which allows anyone to curve a ball any direction they want without risking an arm injury, and to making footballs balls so durable that they can be played with in any element including water.

Available
Full-time, Moonlighting
Drew Johnson
Lead Designer of Emerging Technologies Kohler, WI