sportsjabber.net

Yesterday I had the privilege of checking out Easton’s major helmet-making facility in Santa Cruz, aptly named “The Dome.”

I assumed there was some real technology that went into my helmet. I assumed that people spent huge amounts of time studying the results of their frequent tweaks, others who picked apart the helmets of other companies, and more still who perfected the look of their own latest model.

I was right.

That said, I wasn’t even close to understanding just how many people work on them year-round (or how important a select few people are to the process), and how much time and effort actually goes into this stuff.

Here’s the process of making your helmet, in a tightly-encased, padding-packed nutshell.

PRODUCT BRIEF

Each year before a new helmet gets released, helmet designers get a product brief. This basically lets them know the direction Easton is hoping to go with the model that year, using the information they’ve compiled over the year from their pros, customers, and engineers.

Maybe people want it to look simpler (or flashier), maybe they need it to meet new safety standards, maybe they’re aiming to wow new customers.

Whatever the case, the product brief lets the designers know what they’re hoping to achieve in the end.

2D SKETCHING

Talent: some people have it in the form of being able to saucer pass a puck and land it flat, some can play instruments beautifully, and some can grab a pencil and just … create.

The designers at Easton create boat loads of different looks and styles of helmets, some with pencil on paper, some on the computer, all pretty darn cool.

EGGS SCULPTING

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By Greg Wyshynski aka Puck Daddy – Yahoo Sports