James Harden Pitch
_adidas Basketball
The James Harden Pitch was one of those rare opportunities when a transcendent basketball talent was looking for a new footwear brand to represent. At that time, adidas was in the early stages of a creative awakening. “Creativity is the difference maker” was the brand positioning, and Harden was the most uniquely creative player in the game. The fit between Harden and adidas was undeniable. The mission was clear, sign James Harden.
My creative process often begins with a simple spark. A quick sketch. An image. A few conceptual words. Flipping these early sparks into creative momentum is one of my specialties. The James Harden Pitch concept began with the idea of a "glimpse cube" as its foundational spark. I wanted the overall pitch experience to simultaneously feel expansive and intimate. Conveying the immensity of the potential partnership and the very personal nature of adidas' co-creation process. As the concept evolved, the pitch journey showcased our collective future through brand strategy, brand marketing, and product co-creation.
The pitch journey led Harden to the product co-creator area, where our open-source and collaborative brand values were fully displayed. The Basketball Categories' talented product designers inspired Harden with a co-creator design session in mobile design containers. Once James got this final glimpse into his future with adidas, the rest was history.
The James Harden Pitch is one of my favorite experiential design projects. Of course, we did complete the mission and sign James Harden to a long-term deal. That level of indisputable success tied to a creative project is uniquely fulfilling. Furthermore, as creative director, I established a guiding creative mindset that leaned into momentum instead of perfection. My team and I had four weeks to concept, create, and execute this pitch project. There was no time to over-iterate or second-guess our creative instincts. Instead, we trusted our collective experience and embraced creative momentum at every step.
