An appropriate shoe design ensures comfortability, quality and perfection in shape. Every shoe that replicates a good design to complement the style statement of individual personalities and offers them comfort upon wearing them will always be in demand.
The different elements that go into designing a shoe include various styles, colours, materials, designs, construction, soles and others. All of it comes together to build a perfect pair of shoes for you to get a pair of shoes that’s ergonomically fit.
So, if you are interested in learning more about how the shoes are designed before they can be matched to the preference of the audience, here are the detailed steps for you to count on.
A] Step-By-Step Process For Shoe Designing
If you own a footwear business and are planning on expanding it by adding a plethora of designer collections to your store, ShopTribe India is the one-stop hub for you to source the best-trending collections since 2009. But, before you count on connecting with the top manufacturer and distributor of stylish footwear, it is important you know the process that goes into making them.
So, here are the steps on how to design shoes to help you understand the process in brief:
1. Research And Inspiration
The first and most important thing in the shoe-designing process is research and inspiration. Designers must run research across various sources to find options that can inspire them to create something unique.
Professional designers look to study fashion trends, market preferences and consumer demands to get an idea of the current landscape. Following that, professional designers also take some form of inspiration from culture, nature, art and historical insights to bring uniqueness to the design of shoes.
Proper research is what paves the path for designers to implement a creative process towards designing a shoe and ensuring that the final product goes well with the desire of the target audience.
2. Sketching And Designing
After the research phase is executed efficiently, the next step for the shoe designers is to take the creative journey forward by using sketching and ideation. Within this stage, the approach would be towards translating the existing ideas into different visual representations, such as mood boards, illustrations or sketches.
The designers will take their chance by experimenting with various silhouettes, embellishments and materials to create a unique design for implementation. The sketching and designing step is what helps the designers refine their concepts and bring them to practical understanding.
The shoe concept designs can be practically reviewed only when they are sketched and brought to support visual discussions. It will help designers explore the considerable proportions and then be assured that the shoe they planned on designing is being approached the correct way.
3. Select The Material
The next big step in designing a shoe is selecting the right material that can enhance the durability, breathability, comfort and style characteristics of the pair. The designers take part in precise analysis with the material experts or suppliers to pick the right available options.
Designers choose the best foams, leathers, fabrics, buckles, eyelets, laces and other such components that suit their shoe design concept. Following that, the material is also selected based on certain technical specifications of the shoe, such as outsole traction, cushioning and heel heights.
Choosing the right material to add these comfort characteristics to the shoe will be decided in this stage itself. It is to ensure the material choice is to derive good performance and functionality alongside comfort and durability.
4. Create The Pattern
There are various types of shoe styles, and all come with varying patterns that amaze the audience. Therefore, in the footwear design process, it becomes very important for the designers to create a pattern before proceeding any further with completing the design.
In this approach, the 2D designs of the shoe are converted into actual components. There are specific pattern makers for creating the respective aesthetic pattern for every part of the shoe, which includes the insole, outsole, upper and lining region.
Once the pattern is ready, it will act as the blueprint to support the manufacturers to proceed with the overall construction process. The job will then be handed over to skilled shoemakers to assemble all those components and proceed forward with the next step.
5. Create A Prototype
It is among the most important steps in the entire shoe design process, where the designers must ready a prototype of the new design before the production orders can be processed for it. The team will be transferring the design to the prototype experts and will let them deal with the involved sub-steps.
The process of prototyping consists of services such as creating custom moulds for heel, rubber or metal components. Following that, it also involves the need for creating all the hardware embellishments and elements as per necessity.
The initial idea of the shoe design will now be replicated in the form of a real replica. This will help you to check the fit of the shoe, its outlook and detailing. Thus, the designers will now have a live prototype of the new shoe style that they invented as a team.
6. Test The Design And Refine It
Once the prototypes are ready, they will undergo testing and refinement before they are called ready for mass production. Quality control and proper testing are highly crucial for validating that the new shoe design meets all standards as specified or not.
The prototypes will go through serious wear tests to determine the fit, performance and comfort of them. Wear testers will be assigned to put these prototypes on and run all the tests asked to identify any potential improvement or adjustment that’s essential for the shoe design.
The design will then be refined efficiently based on the collected insights upon successful testing. Thus, it would ensure that the final product meets all set standards and is good in both aesthetics as well as functionalities.
7. Begin Production
Once the shoe design has been tested and approved by the designer as well as the artisan, it will then be sent to the production. The shoe will then be manufactured as per the required quantities.
Under the production, the pattern maker will also be scaling the size pattern required for the shoe to fit different individuals without altering the look by any means.
B] Tips For Shoe Designers
Whether you are planning on stocking different types of shoes for men or designer sandals for women, remember the design is what would attract the flow of traffic to your store. You can’t just stock anything that you see is affordable on a bulk purchase, as the investment should convert into profits as well.
Beyond being a footwear business owner, if you are just an aspiring student who wants to be a shoe designer, there are a lot of things that you must keep in mind and be serious about to achieve the goal. As you are now aware of how to design a shoe, here are some additional tips for you to help you in your career:
- Study Designing: The first and most important thing in the quest to be a shoe designer is to have professional education and expertise in the field. Therefore, study a design course by specialising your skills in crafting shoes.
- Stay Updated with Trends: You must stay updated with the market trends to understand what designs are popular among footwear fanatics. Based on the trends, you can further craft your design.
- Create Prototypes: Start creating shoe design prototypes and scale your potential in the field over time. Look out for opportunities to sell your designs and get monetary returns for them.
- Encourage Creativity & Perseverance: You must be creative in your mind at all times! There shouldn’t be any hesitation in trying out unique design ideas, as that might just turn out to be a hit pair of shoes. If you feel that the design lacks something, attain perseverance to refine it and make it better.
Conclusion
This was a clear guide on how to design shoe styles by following the precise steps. The shoe designers, manufacturers and distributors are all inclined towards delivering the best quality shoes to the general public. But, as the footwear industry is receiving massive evolution in trends over time, the need for newer designs is also increasing immensely.
Therefore, there is a need for new designers in the industry who can craft the best shoes for men and women and help brands and stores fulfil their customers’ choices. If you are an aspirant, then get started with your shoe design journey by taking up courses and lessons from diverse resources online.
Following that, you can also connect with the top shoes manufacturer in India to look out for opportunities to begin your career. This way, you will have a better career in the field!