How to Design Men's Shoes

Men's shoes come in a variety of styles including Oxford, brogue, loafer, derby, sneaker, and boat. Oxfords are any lace-up formal shoe that doesn't rise above the ankle. A brogue is a low-heeled, leather shoe with a toe-cap that resembles the letter W. Loafers are among the most popular office casual shoes thanks to their versatility. A derby shoe is also a leather shoe with open lacing. Sneakers and boat shoes are sportier styles also identified by their laces.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Sketchpad
• Pencil

1. Choose what type of men's shoe you'd like to design. Men's shoes are pretty basic when it comes to style. You can choose to design sporty shoes like sneakers, formal shoes like loafers, casual shoes like sandals or flip flops and outdoorsy shoes like hiking boots. Sneakers are divided into three levels: the upper, the midsole and the outsole. The upper is the part of the sneaker that holds the logo, laces or velcro and colors. The midsole provides cushioning and support while the outsole provides durability and is the part that directly touches the ground. Begin sketching your design on a sketchpad.

2. 

   Choose the color for the shoe. Most men's shoes come in neutral colors like white, black, brown, beige and gray so that they'll match with a variety of different outfits. Sneakers are usually the one type of shoe that come in bolder and brighter colors like deep blue, green, red and yellow. Use colored pencils to fill in the color on your sketch.

3. 

   Choose materials for the shoes. Loafers and other formal dress shoes are usually made of leather or suede. Sneakers are a combination of leather, rubber and artificial materials like synthetic leather, polyurethane and mesh. Canvas is another popular option for light sneakers and casual sandals.

4. Design a heel for the shoe. Many loafers, brogues and oxford style shoes have a half-inch to one-inch heel that makes a "click-clack" noise when it touches the ground. Sneakers and sandals are typically flat though sneakers have a slight dip in the middle of the outsole to provide more cushioning for the foot.

5. Add embellishments, logos and other distinguishing features. For men's shoes, you can add embellishments like laces, metallic buckles, and buttons. Sneakers lend themselves to even more elaborate details like colored logos, horizontal or vertical lines running along the sides, etc. If you design men's sneakers, make sure to come up with a personal logo, which can be simply your initials or a small icon like an arrow, star, number, musical note, etc.

Tips & Warnings

• Start with a simple loafer or boot design before moving on to more detailed men's shoes like sneakers, which often have lots of fancy designs.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish