posted 12-25-2003 05:19 PM              

shoes have a basic function...to protect the feet. by first exploring and creating a visual database of different types of shoes you'll gain some insight into why shoes have become what they are. form follows function. unless you seek to "style" a shoe then the form will take lead and then hope it works.

what if?

i imagine you have an idea of what type of shoe you'd like to design

-orthopedic
-fashion
-sport
-whimsy
-combat
-etc.

but what if it did something different, or felt different, or looked different, or what if one shoe became two, or what if you couldn't even see the shoes?

what else?

i would also consider researching things that share some similar attributes that shoes have. i.e. things that protect the feet, things that you lace, things that come in pairs, things that make you taller, things that make your feet feel good, things that other people will rob you of (seriously). if you're looking to do some groundbreaking stuff, it wouldn't hurt to explore outside the realm of footwear for inspiration.

focus.

it's one thing to syle a shoe.

designing a shoe, or anything for that matter, should have the substance of research behind it. once you've gathered enough design inertia then converge your ideas into 3 directions.

then one direction.

then you should find what you're looking for. or maybe not. but at least you will have found something.