Nerf Super Soaker by Drew Johnson at Coroflot.com

Nerf Super Soaker

FULL PROJECT BOOK AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

First Test - In 2010, we launched with four aesthically new re-skinned Super Soakers. These four soakers designed around our best available mechanism and closely styled after the successful Nerf N-Strike line. I had about 2 months to design, correct ergonomic models, finalize 3d, and add some new features never seen before in the Soaker line. The result was a complete success and Soakers sales spiked considerably from previous years. Consumers loved the new aggressive look, the lighter more compact design, and that they all were cross compatible with our Nerf N-Strike line.

The Plan Works, Now Develop a Distinct and Completely New Design Language - Everything in the Soaker aisle looks the same. Consumers think all water guns are Super Soakers now. It is like calling RC Cola, Coke. Not cool. Here you will see that over many steps I created a distinctive design language for Super Soaker to carry forward with for many years to come. Keeping cost in check I found ways to minimize the amount of decorative paint hits needed while keeping many of the same color breaks that will give it that more distinguish aesthetic. - Photoshop Renderings

Initial Sketches - Pen & Paper and of course Photoshop

The Sketch that the Brand Language was Built of off. - Photoshop

Building a Brand - Now that we have a design language to work with, I started to create a lineup of soakers that would put Super Soaker back on top. Remembering that children and tweens love role-playing I wanted to keep a realistic type of design element into the forms of the rest of the soaker. The forms that mimic the designs of guns like the Ak-47, sawed-off shotgun, revolver, an Uzi, and even a bazooka would surely help differentiate soaker from the competition. I introduced the interchangeable water clips, a fully automatic spraying system, and even larger bladders to expel more water than ever before. Below you will see the process that I went through to get these soaker into production. - Photoshop Renderings

The level of detail that goes into each concept. From Mechanism development to how to get everything to fit and work. Engineering + Design, there is no other way. - Photoshop Renderings

Photoshop Renderings

CLIP SYSTEM - Behind every great product offering must be innovation, and in 2011, Super Soaker had something new to bring to the table. For the first time in Super Soaker history, we had exchangeable water clips, going to a clip system made total sense. Before Super Soakers weighed a ton which cause problems for some of our smaller consumers. Going to the clip system allows you to pick the size of the tank. We offer a 10 oz. standard clip, a 20 oz. banana clip, and a 30 oz. drum. The smaller clips have belt clips so they are carry around easily during battles. - Photoshop Rendering

More Clip Concepts - Photoshop Renderings

Design layouts finished now working on the 3D models with manufacturing, tweaking any ergonomic concerns, CMF and passing the legal color issues, and figuring out the proper part breaks to keep the desired aesthetic as well as keeping cost down.

Texture Pattern - The texture pattern used on the 2011 line and beyond derived from studying the dazzle camouflage used on navel ships in World War I and II. The Dazzle Camouflage was technique developed after the Allied Navies were unable to develop effective means to disguise ships in all types of weather. It did not conceal the ship but made it difficult for the enemy to estimate its type, size, speed and heading. The idea was to disrupt the visual rangefinders used for naval artillery