Erik Hernandez
Research board for Avoli covering who the players are, wordmark and icon directions, and image clusters for color, materials and attitude.
Phase 1.5, eight refined digital sketches, each a side view with a top-down view of the toe and lacing, using red accents, wave-shaped overlays and a VOL heel logo.
Phase 2, concept A, a low-top line rendering in white and grey with a wide midfoot strap and a pink midsole band.
Phase 2, concept B, both sides, with a perforated grey quarter, pink stitching at the eyestays, a pink midsole wave and a top-down view of the toe.
Phase 2, concept C, both sides, with a pink-outlined wave overlay around the eyestays, a VOL logo at the quarter and a top-down view of the toe.
Phase 2, concept D, both sides, with layered grey overlays on a pink outsole and a top-down view of the toe.
Phase 2, concept E, both sides, with pink lacing accents, a pale pink midsole and a top-down view of the toe.
Phase 2, concept H, with pink accents at the collar and heel, a grey toe and a dotted heel.
Outsole sketches in red, grey and teal next to a rendered pair of grey outsoles with lime green windows.
Rendering of the low-top in white with a wave-shaped navy overlay and a lime midsole window, with a top-down view of the toe.
Flow-molding pattern for the upper, with purple perforated zones at the toe and quarters.
Outsole artwork in two sizes with the avoli wordmark set into the traction, and the wordmark on its own below.
Mid shell pattern, lateral and medial, with redlined revisions and yellow, green and blue overlay zones.
Printed Mid upper pattern on translucent film, with red stitch lines, perforated mesh zones and yellow eyelet marks.
Avoli Low in white, aqua and teal with a lime heel loop and lime midsole window, lateral view.
The teal Low from below the heel, with a lime avoli heel tab and a translucent aqua outsole.
The teal Lows from above, with avoli printed on the lime insoles.
The Low outsole with the avoli wordmark in white on dark teal.
Avoli Mid in Cotton Candy, aqua and white with hot-pink overlays and collar, lateral view.
A pair of Cotton Candy Mids, three-quarter view from the toe.
The Mid outsole with the avoli wordmark in pink on translucent aqua.
The Cotton Candy Mid from below the heel, with a pink-to-blue avoli heel tab.
A player seated on a magenta court lacing a pair of pink Avoli shoes.
Avoli shoes in several colorways arranged on a green and magenta court.
A player in white knee pads standing on a lilac court in white Avoli Lows.
A player in mid-air swinging for a spike against a blue backdrop.

Brief

Avoli is a volleyball footwear startup for women and girls. Volleyball keeps players on their toes for long stretches, with constant jumping, cutting, and diving, but the shoes available to them were not built around their feet or their game. Avoli asked us to design its launch footwear around three needs: cushioning for repeated landings, a fit built for women’s feet, and ventilation through long matches.

Process

Early concepts explored side profiles and outsole studies, then narrowed to a low-cut direction with a wave-shaped overlay running from the forefoot back to the heel. Fit drove the upper. An engineered mesh base, a flow-molded overlay, and a multi-part sole unit with a ventilated TPU shank work together to lock the foot over the footbed and reduce slippage during lateral moves. Open mesh zones and midsole windows became the VoliVents, Avoli’s name for the shoe’s ventilation.

The Mid followed on the same platform, adding a higher padded collar for players who want more support at the ankle. Both went into production, and the line has since grown into a wide range of colorways, moving beyond traditional team colors so players can express their own style.