Behind The Design of the New ASICS Novablast 6 (Interview)

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do at ASICS?

My name is Yosuke Atarashi and I have been working at ASICS since 2009. I have primarily overseen running shoe design during my nearly 20 years at the company. After spending about three years working on sportswear from 2015, I returned to the Performance Running Design Department. Prior to the NovaBlast 6, I had the opportunity to work on the GEL-Nimbus 25, NovaBlast 3, and NovaBlast 5.

What type of runner and what type of runs is the NovaBlast best for? Are we hitting the track? Taking it out on long runs? How does it fit into the “Blast” family?

NovaBlast is one of our most versatile shoes, so it’s hard to typecast this model. It’s built for any runner looking for a more energetic, everyday run experience, so we’ve seen it work for the high school athlete, the marathon runner, and everyone in between; it’s the shoe we recommend most to family and friends when they’re looking for a good running shoe. 

The shoe has been a perennial favorite since it first hit the scene. What do you think draws so many people to it?

I think one of the reasons for its popularity and growth is that the shoe offers an experience focused on “enjoying the ride” rather than just “speed.” I also feel that the design of the tooling draws people in visually as well.  We have continued to improve each version of the NovaBlast and worked hard to further enhance the bouncy sensation underfoot.  

When you start thinking about the next iteration of a popular shoe like the NovaBlast, how do you decide what should change and what should stay the same?

Generally, we make decisions through discussions among the project manager, developer and designer. Our goal is to always deliver the experience the shoes are meant to provide, and we’re open to trying out a variety of approaches. We spent a lot of time during the development phase trying new concepts and constructions and are very happy with the final product.

What’s new for the NOVABLAST 6? Any new foam innovations or construction upgrades we need to know about?

We wanted to create a more substantial or pronounced bounce feeling in the forefoot. We built multiple prototypes but decided that a two-piece midsole provided the smoothest running experience. We cored out a section of the forefoot and added our bouncy and responsive FF Turbo Squared midsole material. This combined with our ASICS GRIP RUBBER around the forefoot, created much better traction during the push-off phase.

How do you balance wanting to continuously evolve and improve footwear with the idea that runners tend to fall in love with a shoe and don’t want it to change?

The NovaBlast will never stop evolving. The commitment to constantly taking on new challenges is a shared belief among the members of the development triad. In fact, we feel that without this mindset, our fans would eventually drift away.

We’ve seen ASICS drop some epic colors and design recently—how do you go about deciding what the shoe will look like? What was the inspiration for the design of the NB6?

During the sketching phase, the triad shares ideas to narrow down the design direction. Once samples are ready, we gather feedback from consumers and refine the design repeatedly in terms of both functionality and aesthetics. The inspiration for Nova 6 is “riding the lightning.” Visually, we selected an image of an object that has stored up energy, capturing the very moment it is about to explode.

Any final thoughts to share?
While the NovaBlast 5 was a product we were proud of, we are confident that the Nova 6 represents our most exciting version yet, featuring further advancements in both design and functionality. We hope you enjoy it!