The smug hypocrisy of Wilson's ''Uncontaminated Design'' philosophy

[MAXXply]

I noticed in the TW product descriptions for Wilson’s Ultra series that Wilson gives the term ‘’Uncontaminated Design’’ for the paintjob philosophy behind the Ultra, Blade and Pro Staff lines. You know, the plain, simple two-colour (or mono-colour in the RF97A’s case) cosmetics. It has been met with generally favourable reactions from those like me who always complain about ugly looking rackets and paintjobs on new rackets.

How can Wilson look us customers in the eye with a straight face and tout Uncontaminated Design as something new, exciting and salesworthy? It’s what their rackets should have looked like all along. It's not something you can say ''yeah, we've been believers and adherents of this design principle for a loooong time, since the first PS85''.

In post-Apartheid South Africa the government established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a way of moving on from the heinous period in that country’s strife-torn history. Wilson should establish a Racket Cosmetics Truth and Reconciliation Commission to atone for their past cosmetic design sins. A forum for all those designers who ever took a buck from Wilson to design their fugliest rackets over the past 20 years. You know what I mean: the graphic designers responsible for the King Tut-inspired red, black and gold swirly BLX range, the albino white Pro Staffs, and the general pestilence of swirly graphics and uncoordinated, asymmetrical patterns that have made Wilson one of the least successful racket companies in terms of attractive designs.

If Wilson thinks they can get away with saying Uncontaminated Design without irony and charge customers a premium for these cleaner designs then they should first put their collective hand up and offer a big mea culpa before we can give them proper credit for returning to the cleaner, attractive designs they've suddenly started offering us. No racket as stylish as the Ultra Tour will ever make up for the cosmetic catastrophes of the BLX range and I'd just like Wilson to say ''yeah sorry, we got it wrong on those, we didn't have a clue''. Maybe then I'll believe Wilson has had their Road to Damascus moment.

Rant over

 

[Moveforwardalways]

In post-Apartheid South Africa the government established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a way of moving on from the heinous period in that country’s strife-torn history. Wilson should establish a Racket Cosmetics Truth and Reconciliation Commission to atone for their past cosmetic design sins.

 

[esgee48]

They have very short term memories so they don't remember designing those classic color abominations. Maybe those designers are gone now from Wilson. We will never know.

Anyway, when a manufacturer says words like this, it means that they implicitly knew they screwed up. You don't say Uncontaminated unless you Contaminated your designs in the past. It's like a car manufacturer saying 'Classic Designs have returned' because their new designs sucked so bad the trade magazines poked fun at them. Sort of silly to say that they screwed up.

 

[ollinger]

philosophy

oh, it's a philosophy

 

[Zoolander]

wow....... somebody got out of the wrong side of bed today, didnt they?!

but you are right sir........... some of those BLX graphics the last few years have been hideous, and thats being kind.

I blame Peter Fig!

 

[CopolyX]

Yep, is a stupid description. Marketing with too much coffee.. Word Hype...They need revenue...
But hey, it could be a nice stick in the right hands, out of the box just way to light for me. Plus I a good...
And at 249...hmm..no..I don't think so...
Plus I prefer to support the strong connected smaller customer driven underdogs and a better bang for the buck.
For me, it has been angell (p.a.).
We should are lucky we have so many great choices here. And we still *****.
I have some great friends/players from all around the world. In some areas, countries they can have very very limited choices.

We have too many players that buy sticks with fall into the piped piper line...They are prey for them..creators of the uncontainated design, the designed for you (RFA), best in class(PD), ....

I could can less about any manufactures dumb ass paint cosmetics and their wacky hype descriptions.
For me, on my keepers ...I will eventfully strip and paint them & end just up plain old flat black..
Make our consumer dollars speak...
Other stuff, the big 3 or 4 will not listen..

 

[MAXXply]

@PeterFig is blameless here; my take from following TT Rackets sub-forum the past few years is that his designs are partly responsible for ushering in Wilson's new found philosphy. The evolution of the original RF97 to the current one seems to follow the path of stripped down, less is more etc. I think it took an outsider in the person of PeterFig's relatively clean designs to make Wilson think such designs could be a sales winner. Wilson's in-house designers seemed oblivious to the abominations they were tossing up season after season.

 

[MAXXply]

I forgot to mention the fugly K-Factor line. Are there any other Wilson lines I missed?

 

[nvr2old]

I care very little about my racquets cosmetics. I have racquets that I currently use from as old as 16 years cosmetically speaking and could care less as long as I hit it well.

 

[Bartelby]

A racquet's design is important to almost everyone and its paintwork is part of the design.

 

[Lucas2015]

I forgot to mention the fugly K-Factor line. Are there any other Wilson lines I missed?

Not that bad... But agree 100% with BLX , a huge mistake created by blind designers.
The whole line looked like Walmart racquets.
And for 2 seasons !

You can make an ugly racquet, but not fourty !

 

[Imago]

UT is an example of amateur design contaminated with bad taste.

 

[Zoolander]

@PeterFig is blameless here;

Oh I dont know, how bout we ask him..........

@PeterFig, is this your handiwork??

Its okay, nobodies angry, this is a safe place. Just own up to your sins!

 

[Lucas2015]

Dont forget Steam and Juice !
Even pro players refused to use those paintjobs
When BLX seasons ended, you could see W endorsed players using paintjobs again (black/red prostaffs, white/red six ones, ultras and burns)

 

[Shroud]

I care very little about my racquets cosmetics. I have racquets that I currently use from as old as 16 years cosmetically speaking and could care less as long as I hit it well.

Yeah i dont get this thread at all. Until recently i was rocking a profile with its all gold pj.

Tennis has way more important things to ***** about

 

[Simon_the_furry]

Dont forget Steam and Juice !
Even pro players refused to use those paintjobs
When BLX seasons ended, you could see W endorsed players using paintjobs again (black/red prostaffs, white/red six ones, ultras and burns)

I actually liked the Steam paintjob. Thought it was pretty good.
The Juice, on the other hand..... *shudders*

 

[PeterFig]

Oh I dont know, how bout we ask him..........

@PeterFig, is this your handiwork??

Its okay, nobodies angry, this is a safe place. Just own up to your sins!

I didn't start working with Wilson till after the BLX racquets. First racquet was the first gen RF97 and worked on most if not all since till just recently.

 

[moon shot]

Yeah i dont get this thread at all. Until recently i was rocking a profile with its all gold pj.

Tennis has way more important things to ***** about

My profile 2.7 is the hue of a prosthetic limb upon which has been liberally applied Lisa Frank glitter lotion. It is majestic. Most Wilson’s of that era share paint swatches with bass boats.

I think the specific choices of blue for the ultra tour set a very complimentary palette for most trending string and grip choices.

 

[Simon_the_furry]

I didn't start working with Wilson till after the BLX racquets. First racquet was the first gen RF97 and worked on most if not all since till just recently.

Excellent stuff. You've improved the Wilson cosmetics hugely.

 

[esgee48]

I think the specific choices of blue for the ultra tour set a very complimentary palette for most trending string and grip choices.

I am going to quote this since @ByeByePoly likes blue strings. He wants Velocity in blue.

 

[ByeByePoly]

I am going to quote this since @ByeByePoly likes blue strings. He wants Velocity in blue.

Don't judge.

Ironically, I like Blade green more than the blue Ultras.

Edit: Isn't matte the same as "not painting it"?

 

[esgee48]

I do not judge. Over half my repeat clients are female. Ever try to convince them that string color is absolutely irrelevant? "But (fill in color) looks so nice with this frame!" [That's why I carry Gamma SG. ]

Guys I string for don't care about color, only gauge and tension. [hint, hint] So will your campaign also ask for Velocity in Lime Green as well as blue? [Sorry for the hijack; returning to original topic.]

 

[moon shot]

Don't judge.

Ironically, I like Blade green more than the blue Ultras.

Edit: Isn't matte the same as "not painting it"?

The green would likely compliment your blue strings better. I think the Ultra looks good with green, yellow, and grey strings and overgrips.

 

[ByeByePoly]

I do not judge. Over half my repeat clients are female. Ever try to convince them that string color is absolutely irrelevant? "But (fill in color) looks so nice with this frame!" [That's why I carry Gamma SG. ]

Guys I string for don't care about color, only gauge and tension. [hint, hint] So will your campaign also ask for Velocity in Lime Green as well as blue? [Sorry for the hijack; returning to original topic.]

No OT ... was OR (Original Rant)

No ... just a blue campaign. This is going to make this worse ... but "Baby Blue" Maybe this is Mrs. BBP.

 

[every7]

The current Wilson cosmetics are "uncontaminated design"? How insulting.....

This is the opposite of uncontaminated design. Wilson's current design strategy is a very facile, corporate synergy-driven approach that treats its consumers with great cynicism. A garish colour system and a partially untested "novelty" surface coating with no performance benefit is blindly applied across the range completely failing to distinguish the unique racquets in any sort of meaningful visual way.

There are still a lot of great frames being designed elsewhere but distribution is letting a lot of companies down at the moment.

For what it's worth, I'm not seeing the results of Wilson's saturated marketing approach at ground level yet. No toy-like lime green Wilson Blades present in the club matches I have played, or the hits I have had, which gives me hope / faith in people's common sense and discernment.

 

[Bartelby]

I can't see that decluttering racquet design is a bad idea and the new Wilsons look vastly more attractive than their predecessors.

 

[ByeByePoly]

I am going to quote this since @ByeByePoly likes blue strings. He wants Velocity in blue.

Marketing works ... where do you think I got blue strings stuck in my head for my V1 Pro?

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/OV1PRO/OV1PROReview.html

 

[ThirdEye]

Current Wilson racquets are the best on the market, in terms of graphic design. This is what the market offers, today, for comparison's sake.

 

[Imago]

Disgusting. Must be reported!

 

[nvr2old]

Weel I understand the need to like your racquets cosmetics and I am not immune to that at all. Just think performance takes precedence over looks all else being equal.

 

[moon shot]

Weel I understand the need to like your racquets cosmetics and I am not immune to that at all. Just think performance takes precedence over looks all else being equal.

I second that. As a college educated graphic designer, a sometimes web designer, a drinker of beer picked on the merits of its label design — I have demoed and drank many pretty things which Gave me no pleasure but to look at. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by many ugly things as well.

Over time ugly but good is charming, pretty but terrible is deceitful, and the ugly + terrible is mostly forgotten.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Weel I understand the need to like your racquets cosmetics and I am not immune to that at all. Just think performance takes precedence over looks all else being equal.

Blasphemy

 

[ByeByePoly]

I second that. As a college educated graphic designer, a sometimes web designer, a drinker of beer picked on the merits of its label design — I have demoed and drank many pretty things which Gave me no pleasure but to look at. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by many ugly things as well.

Over time ugly but good is charming, pretty but terrible is deceitful, and the ugly + terrible is mostly forgotten.

So as long as your racquet has a "good personality"... outer beauty doesn't matter?

 

[mpournaras]

I didn't start working with Wilson till after the BLX racquets. First racquet was the first gen RF97 and worked on most if not all since till just recently.

What does until recently mean!? Don't let Wilson lose its way. PLEASE!

Unless youve passed your magic stuff on to an intern or something

 

[Simon_the_furry]

Current Wilson racquets are the best on the market, in terms of graphic design. This is what the market offers, today, for comparison's sake.

I actually like the Srixon and LOVE the Radical.....

 

[every7]

Current Wilson racquets are the best on the market, in terms of graphic design. This is what the market offers, today, for comparison's sake.

I'm sorry but your post is NOT a thorough canvassing of what the tennis market offers, today.

You posted just three racquets and they are all odd examples: A Srixon frame (which is quite new to the market), A new Radical cosmetic which is not even available yet, and an obscure model from Volkl.

 

[Bartelby]

The Radical design, if it's anything like the ig version, will be far more subtle than the photo suggests.

But the older 'busy' designs with multiple large decals would be considered ugly by modern design trends.

Some people won't stop liking them, as this thread demonstrates.

People even like expensive football jumpers, although all they look like now is mobile billboards for large companies.

 

[Kalin]

I actually like the Srixon and LOVE the Radical.....

+1000