Footwear Design 101

OK, so it's starts off with a brief that may contain information but not limited to the user, gender, age group, interest, occupation, etc. Then some info in what the function of the footwear would be, such as casual or athletic or fashion etc. What kind of materials and the type of technology it should include. Leather, synthetics, air outsoles......Then you have to look at the price it's going to be sold at. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

The project below is for a slip-on type of footwear. The process I am showing is from concept sketches to material specs and a color option.

I do a consumer profile.

What it will be competing with.

The inspiration I used.

I do initial thumbnail sketches.

Then I choose three to five designs and do a full scale version.

I choose one out of the five and do callouts for materials and their functions.

Then I do a rendering. More color options should be done to see if the shapes flow together. If everything seems to be fine, then the next step is creating technical drawings for the outsole. Prototypes for both the upper and the outsole would be created next.