How to Make a Shoe Design

Making a shoe design is both an aesthetic and technical challenge. Designing an appealing shoe will be important from a marketing standpoint. You want to be able to design a shoe that other people will want to buy. Before you can get an actual shoe made by a factory manufacturer, it is important for all design aspects to be presented in a technical manner that will allow for the shoe to actually get made. Combining design and technical considerations will be key in making a shoe design that will actually produce a real shoe.

Instructions

1. Determine the components of the shoe that you want to design. A basic shoe design will have an outsole (the bottom of the shoe) and an upper (the part that keeps the shoe attached to your foot). For more complex, functional shoes like athletic shoes, other components you need to consider are the midsole (the cushioning part above the outsole) and the insert (the thin component between the foot and the midsole).

2. Sketch the basic look of the shoe design that you are planning. Include all the design details on your sketch, including colors and materials to be used.

3. Sketch your shoe design broken down into its components. This will help you figure out how the different components will actually be attached to each other during manufacturing.

4. Create technical drawings of your shoe design components, including all the measurements you can think of. Be as detailed as possible with all the components, as your technical drawings will then lead to the production of computer-aided design drawings that will be the blueprints of your shoe design.

5. Put together all your shoe design details into a technical pack. This should include all the materials that will be used for each part of the shoe, the colors of your design and all your measurements for each shoe component. Your technical pack is what the factory will require before they produce a prototype or "pullover" based on your shoe design.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider durability of materials and function when making a shoe design. There's no point in designing a shoe that can't be made, won't be bought or won't last. If you are more a kinesthetic than a visual person, making a mock-up of your shoe made of putty, clay or other materials can help you during your design process. Get inspiration from other items or themes. Incorporate design elements from other articles of clothing or draw from color themes from sporting events or sports teams. Some factories can provide you with ready-made components so that you don't have to design them yourselves. An example would be ready-made outsoles for athletic shoes. If you know how to use CAD, you can work on the blueprints yourself to speed up the manufacturing process with the factory you are working with.

Resources

• Components of athletic shoes