Core77

Industrial designers will be dancing in the streets after they download and read the new Coroflot PDF magazine. Issue #3 focuses on Shoe Design, and it's full of incredible work from Coroflot members, a provocative essay by Molly Purnell, and a killer, KILLER! interview with Michael DiTullo and Richard Kuchinsky--two leaders in the field, moderated by Jesse Huffman. Beautifully art directed by Andrea Paustenbaugh, download it free-and-easy right here right now. A taste from the interview, from Mike D:

At Converse, we are starting to use 3d more and more, especially to develop forms in the midsole and outsole, explore new traction and cushioning systems, and better refine designs for production. Still, it is my personal feeling that a large portion of the exploratory process will still be 2d. I think this is important with any product type that is emotionally expressive--such as automotive design or fashion. A few years ago I had the pleasure of spending an hour with Chuck Pelly at an IDSA conference. The founder of Design Works, BMW's California studio, Pelly explained to me how his team pioneered working straight in 3d and within 5 years he had a team of designers that had lost sense of scale and expression, that created designs they new how to model instead of designs that challenged the industry. After making a sizable investment, they reversed course, and switched the studio back to 2d exploration and hand-cut models for design studies. I think staying in touch with the art of design is very important. Great design is about balance, from inspiration to implementation.