LOgo
One of the most important distinctions for a shoe is the logo that comes with it. In today's world in which being "on brand' is everything for companies, this is even more so true for sneakers. This is because your logo could be a factor in how aesthetically pleasing customers find your product. In shoes, the logo is often times on the products themselves. The most prominent example of this would the nike swoosh, or the adidas three stripes, and now a days every major sports player attempts to replicate what Jordan did with his brand. So I knew as soon as I started this project that his would be a very crucial aspect. Bellow if a picture of just one of the many different ideas I tried to go through. As you can see not all looked good in any way shape or form, but I am showing this page because the logo that I did pick is on this page.
My Initial Designs
In the process of making my shoe, after I had selected my logo it was time to start designing the rest of the shoe. Although as I explained earlier the logo was very important, putting a good logo on a bad sneaker does not do you any good either. I wanted to create different prototypes to see which one I liked the best ,and I would continue to work on as my final design. The first model you see is resembling what I called the medium shoe. This is because it is not a high top nor a low top, thus giving it its name. I took inspiration from the Yeezy wave runners, as well as nikes Air Max 95, in addition to a variety of different places. The next model is designed I would consider a true high top model. I have always liked the idea of a gum sole and that is kind of how this model came about. Although I like it a lot in my opinion it looked way to similar to Chuck taylors, and so I did not pick this option. The third and final design was a low top, and for this one I just wanted it to be plain and simple. Nothing crazy about it, just a solid shoe. Although I realized this would be the easiest to make, it was also the most plane. Again I think it turned out well, but it just did not do it for me. So I went with my "medium" shoe, just flashy enough while not trying to do too much like a lot of clothing and shoes in today's market.
Next Steps
After choosing which model I would use it was time to create a more professional looking design. Not only to make the shoe look much much better, but additionally so that it would be easier when I went to create my physical product. I looked through hundreds of design sheets and tried to see what should be included in my own. To say the least, I am by no means an artist. A major component in this project was the fact that I had never done anything like this before. So the templates that I found, and the template that I produced are very different. I spent hours drawing, redrawing, and erasing trying to come up with a design that looked similar to the original but could actually be created. Their were compromises made, but the beginning of the final design of which I am proud of is bellow.
Color & Final Product
Color is another key element in creating my final design, in any design really. Color is what will set the tone for where, when, and who will wear the shoe. I wanted it to have nice feel to it, the design was not exactly the typical way that shoes look, so I wanted the colors to highlight that in a way. To do this I made the majority of the shoe bage, which was definitely more of a laid back color, while choosing bright blue and pink for the rest of it so that this would stand out. This contrast allowed me to highlight the parts that I wanted to, specifically my logo and the patters on the shoe. This was so that the shoe would not be similar to most other products, while still having the look that I wanted. Bellow is the colored version which would be my final product, and was ready to move to production in addition to the shoe box that could have been used for it.
Estimated Final Cost
Once all the designs were completed the next step was production, but as I found out production is not free or cheap. Part of my problem was I was only making one shoe, so I could not buy in bulk. Most major shoe companies are able to make their shoes for around $15, because everything from the molds they use, the boxes they are packed in, to the ships and airplanes they are sent on is all done in bulk. Additionally these materials are typically bought in foreign countries where they are sold for a lot cheaper than they are here, that is just an unfortunate fact. So since I was neither buying in bulk or my materials overseas, I new that this project of mine would be very expensive. Although I never actually made a physical product, I still did create a rough estimate for how much this would cost. I found hundreds of things that could be included in making a shoe, but I created a simplified version, one based on what I thought I would have used.
Capstone Project