Innovation That Matters

Ping-pong paddles given a designer touch

Sport & Fitness

A designer line of ping-pong paddles that has just reached its target amount on Kickstarter is intended to improve the sports’ image.

While the world recovers from the excitement of the recent Olympic Games, and the highlights are still fresh in our memories, it seems a good time for sports-minded entrepreneurs to lay out their wares. This is exactly what David Lowe has done, launching his own line of designer ping-pong bats – Uberpong– on Kickstarter. His timeliness has paid off with his 10,000 USD target reached and surpassed. Ping-pong is a popular pastime, particularly after its recent high profile during the Olympics, but it is not considered to be the most stylish of sports with its bland white kits and uniformly colored paddles. David aims to change this with his Uberpong paddles by combining art and design in the sports’ equipment. In his words: ‘Andre Agassi changed the way tennis was perceived when he wore crazy outfits on his way to winning Grand Slam tournaments. We want to do a similar thing with ping-pong. The Uberpong ping-pong paddle designs are an extension of your personality. We want you to play with style.’ The designs are printed on the paddles using UV digital flatbed printing, which gives a photographic quality to the image and, crucially, doesn’t change the surface of the paddle so a player’s game is not impeded. The designs have been sourced from graphic designers and artists all over the world. At this stage there are a limited number of designs available, but David hopes to allow customers in the future to customize their own paddles. Who says that sport and style can’t go hand in hand? Perhaps a combination that more lifestyle and leisure entrepreneurs should explore?

Website: www.weheartpong.com

Contact: www.twitter.com/uberpong