Sneaker Design: Top 5 Favorite Air Jordans

Since Uniwatch published my early shoe design treasures yesterday, I've been in a basketball shoe mode ever since. Today I want to take a look at my top 5 favorite Air Jordans of all-time. As a young basketball player growing up in the 1980's, there was nothing more special than the Air Jordan shoe. I know I had way too many of them, but I loved the designs, the advertising and the posters that went along with them. So, here you go, my top 5:

#5 Air Jordan 2

The Air Jordan 2 was a drastic departure from the original Air Jordan that preceded it. The Air Jordan 2 took basketball shoe design to a level never seen before. The shoe featured a side panel that had an iguana skin look. The tongue of the shoe featured the winged Air Jordan logo that had become so famous. The Air Jordan 2  was so different than the shoe it followed, but still gave the shoe buying public something it had never seen before. The design innovations alone land this Air Jordan 2 at the #5 spot in my favorite list.

#4 Air Jordan 17

The Air Jordan 17 is most famous for being the first Air Jordan to come out with a retail cost of $200. The shoe was completely over the top. It was the poster child for sneaker business excess. It came packaged in a silver Air Jordan suitcase style box with a Michael Jordan CD. The shoe featured many high tech features, including the blue carbon fiber panel along the bottom. The design of the shoe was simple, sleek and refined and the color scheme had a great balance.

#3 Air Jordan 1 Black/Red/White

This was the shoe that started it all. The original Air Jordan 1 was the catalyst that launched the basketball shoe craze that continues to grow. For innovation alone, this one should be at the top of the list, but my list is one that profiles my favorite designs, so this Air Jordan 1 hits the list at #3. After Michael Jordan appeared on the court in these shoes, basketball players all over the country hustled to get their hands on a pair of them. It is truly one of the greatest creations in sports design history.

#2 Air Jordan 3 Black/Cement

The Air Jordan 3 was the first to use the Jumpman logo, rather than the winged Air Jordan logo that was used on the Air Jordan 1 and 2. The shoe was another completely new design, different than both of the Air Jordans that came before. The shoe was a mid-cut, rather than the full high top of the first two. The original color scheme was white/red/cement, but this color scheme is one of my favorite sneaker designs ever. The shoe had a clean design, with the contrasting animal skin elements on the front and back. This one could be #1 on my list, no doubt, as it is one of my all-time favorites.

#1 Air Jordan 1 Black/Blue

This Air Jordan 1 is not nearly as well known as its siblings done up in red and black, but is my favorite of all-time. Of all the pairs of Air Jordans I owned, this colorway was the one I enjoyed the most. The dark black and royal blue made a great color combination and the shoe had some of the flair of Michael's original solid black and red AJ1. I know that this would not likely make a historical list's top spot, but in my list of favorite designs, this is my top pick.

Thanks for letting me indulge my inner shoe designer. The design of the Air Jordan was one of my favorite subjects growing up and I still have a love for their innovative designs and styles. As you could see from my appearance on Uniwatch yesterday, I was a shoe design afficianado and the Air Jordan's designs were at the root of my graphics obsession!

Comments

[johnny griswold]

I wore the red and blacks all the time as a young, whipper-snappin', skateboardin' teenager.

[Jim Ransdell]

Johnny, I swear I could jump about five inches higher when I was wearing the Black and Blue pair of AJ1's!

[Stef]

Where can I buy a pair at? Air Jordon 1 for my boyfriend?

[Buy]

When Jordan went to compete at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics to play for the US Men's Basketball Team (also known as the "Dream Team"), Nike released a special Olympic color combo of the Air Jordan VII model which featured Jordan's Olympic jersey number, 9 while all of the previous Air Jordan models that featured his jersey number had always been the number 23.

[air jordan]

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