Not as good as 1 episode, but I still like it.
The designer of several Nike shoe line is an interesting person, but the way the director uses audiovisual content, to represent life and work of the character is not as impressive as it was in the first episode. Anyway, I still suggest the tv-show.
7/10p
Abstract: The Art of Design (TV Series)
Tinker Hatfield: Footwear Design (2017)
User Reviews
Review this title2 Reviews
A Missed Opportunity
hosomio5 March 2017
Having seen the excellent first episode, I got the impression that the series was about the design process, with insights into the minds of accomplished designers. How do you get from the blank page to the final product, and what combination of inspiration, hard work and sheer luck makes it all work? As a designer, I have some familiarity with the design process, and each designer has a unique story to tell.
Sadly, most of Tinky Hatfield's story seems to consist of the famous people he knows (Michael Jordan first among them), and their testimonials to his brilliance. We get to see Tinky working out, Tinky skateboarding, Tinky (almost) surfing, but precious little about what makes Tinky tick as a designer.
Where is the discussion about craft, and what constitutes a great shoe design? We're left with the impression that it's all about graphic design, as an endless series of basketball shoes flashes across the screen, in every color and pattern imaginable. There is no struggle here, no artistic arc, no blank page. Only brilliance and success. The most telling scene has the interviewer commenting on the least-successful shoe design in the pack. Tinky responds with wounded pride, defensiveness and pathos instead of the "can't win em all" attitude every designer knows so well.
Tinky's magnum opus turns out to be the realization of a gimmick from "Back to the Future," a shoe that ostensibly shows us the future of shoe design, batteries not included. This reveals the shallowness of the whole enterprise: once you've used up every color and texture you can think of, what remains is gimmickry and self- promotion.
Aspiring designers will learn little about the design process from this film. The opportunity for an in-depth exploration is missed.
Sadly, most of Tinky Hatfield's story seems to consist of the famous people he knows (Michael Jordan first among them), and their testimonials to his brilliance. We get to see Tinky working out, Tinky skateboarding, Tinky (almost) surfing, but precious little about what makes Tinky tick as a designer.
Where is the discussion about craft, and what constitutes a great shoe design? We're left with the impression that it's all about graphic design, as an endless series of basketball shoes flashes across the screen, in every color and pattern imaginable. There is no struggle here, no artistic arc, no blank page. Only brilliance and success. The most telling scene has the interviewer commenting on the least-successful shoe design in the pack. Tinky responds with wounded pride, defensiveness and pathos instead of the "can't win em all" attitude every designer knows so well.
Tinky's magnum opus turns out to be the realization of a gimmick from "Back to the Future," a shoe that ostensibly shows us the future of shoe design, batteries not included. This reveals the shallowness of the whole enterprise: once you've used up every color and texture you can think of, what remains is gimmickry and self- promotion.
Aspiring designers will learn little about the design process from this film. The opportunity for an in-depth exploration is missed.
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