Sketching Exercise

Side project sketching exercise-

Revival Converse style, based on the Pro Team, Pro Star, Pro Leather, Weapon. Overall design focused on ankle support and use of large, high quality leather panels in reference to the original leather styles.

No overcomplicated technical story here, just exploration of pattern and minimal overlays with links to the original forms. Some patterns are flipped (ie. overlay becomes an underlay) and others are exaggerated in size/proportion.

clicl image for larger version.

3D sketch exercise

Another good excercise for those not so comfortable drawing footwear in 3D. Sketch a range of upper and outsole 3D views, without worrying about the design. Repeat, daily!

an quick example of a 3d sketch session.

R

design by category

Some good discussions going on now on the core77 footwear forums at http://boards.core77.com/viewforum.php?f=24

Once discussion is about designing a shoe for a specific category, and how to express a product DNA through proportion, pattern and form to fit.

I've suggested the following tip-

One trick I find in designing any type of shoes for a particular category is first finding out what "defines" shoes in that category. Already lots of the things have been mentioned (proportion, pattern, materials, colors, collar height, toe cap shapes, etc.). Once you learn the often repeated shapes, forms, etc. then it is that much easier to use these in new ways, redefine common elements and mix new with old.

One "rule" i usually guide new designers with, I call "3 new, 3 familiar". I suggest that if you use 3 common things in a shoe tied to that category (such as proportion, construction, color, a toe cap, materials, etc.), and mix it with 3 "new" things, then the shoe will be balanced between understandable/commercial and different/innovative. Too much familiar and the design is boring and doesnt stand out, and too much new and the design is too challenging and doesnt relate to the consumer or product category.

As a start, I find this is a good way to get a feeling for the "rules" and mix creativity with reality.

Too often, I find younger footwear designers have this balance off, and go either too far out (anit-gravity, magic fastener, space boot looking designs,) or too safe (looks like everything already out there). Finding this balance is important I believe to channel your creativity into useable, fresh, portfolio work.

Here's a challenge -

1. take an existing design from any type of shoe.

2. redraw this shoe to fit in different categories (ie. running, basketball, trail, court, etc.) changing the pattern as little as possible but still making the new design fit to the category.

start this exercise with just linework. Its more difficult if you dont use color.

Doing this, you will quickly find out the things that can make any design "feel" right to the product category. A good way to decode a product category and product DNA.

R

above is an example of this exercise based on a design by ak47celtics from the footwear forum.

hummel Character, DNA

The concept of character is very important in all hummel products. Character since 1923 is now the company tagline (our "Just Do It"), and this concept evolved and was first developed in footwear.

I first created the "Jeg har Karakter" concept ("I have Character", in Danish) for my first new football collection with hummel, the 2006 Collection. (see post here about the concept and design brief in the 6.2 Concept FG Case Study).

Click the Read More link below for the full story of the development of hummel Footwear Character, product DNA.



As the time, the idea was to frame the collection and provide a matrix concept and reasoning for the all new models to be designed as well as a marketing strategy.

The first step, was looking at the football market and competitors. I felt it was important to attach a concept and theme to hummel football footwear products that hummel could "own". Seeing as how Adidas represented (for the most part) heritage (even though the hummel brand is older), Nike represented Technology, and Puma represented Lifestyle.

As well, given the nature of our small brand compared to the Big 3, and lack of high profile players and teams under sponsorship, combined with our strategy of "non-marketing" and alternative sponsorship (ie. The Tibet National Team) a different competitve strategy was needed.

The "Jeg har Karakter" concept embraced these issues. Character was something unique that hummel could bring (a alternative approach to different aspects of performance, lifestyle, and design) to the market and targeted and celebrated the individual player not the $100 Million dollar athlete.

The idea was solidified with the definition of 3 different Character types that defined the product mix.



The 4 Series Character is traditional, professional, respectful of the heritage of the game.



The 6 Series Character is the "Rock Star", technical, but unique in personality, not afraid to be different, and connected to fashion.



The 8 Series Character is highly refined, technical, focused on performance and efficiency in skill and control.

Most importantly, the Character concept was broad enough yet specific to provide an open umbrella for a multi-target product approach and fit well with the storytelling approach to marketing hummel has championed for a long time.

Text I wrote from the first Football 2006 Catalog-

Imagine life without stories. Events only existing in the present. No recollection of our history, or dreams for the future. From generation to generation we have passed down stories since man has existed in tribes. These tribes/groups are defined by the stories they tell.

Imagine stories without characters. Tales only of inanimate places, things, stuff. It is in fact the characters of our stories, and by our own character in life that we define ourselves within the groups and teams we live and play. We are all characters. We are all individuals. Characters are integral to creating excitement.

In developing the hummel Football 2006 Collection, we have considered the individual characteristics of the characters present in any team. Exploring each product as a character we have combined technology, design and style to engineer a cast of unique personalities.

We are all Characters. We all have Character.

Jeg har Karakter.

EVen before this character concept, one of the very first (I think I created it for a presentation about my new footwear direction given 2 weeks after I started in June 2004) and most important things I established at hummel, was the footwear DNA concept.

This DNA concept describes the relationship of different products and different product categories as related with similar characteristics in design and concept.

This DNA was developed to bring all footwear products closer and define a strong brand identity.

Visually, you can see these in various details and patterns that are used across product categories including the rear mudgaurd pattern, rounded punched eyelets with embroidery (which has a shape similar to the shape of the "L" in hummel, rear heel window patterns.







This DNA concept has been in uses on all collections since the establishment of the new footwear dept. at hummel and is evident in the design of the new 8.4 PIO FGX.



This DNA concept has also been applied bringing the PIO (Per Invitation Only Concept) to sport. The 8.4 PIO FGX was the first technical teamsports product in hummel to be under the PIO label, and has now set the direction for the PIO label to be applied to all products across categories in both footwear and apparel.



Taking the root idea of PIO, exclusivity, luxury, uniqueness, lifestyle and storytelling, the 8.4 PIO FGX brings these elements to our top technical boot (remember 8 Series products are focused for the technical player). In this way, the 8.4 PIO FGX adopts some characteristics of the 6 series (Rock Star player), and links with the DNA established in other footwear categories.

Likewise the 4.2 PIO FGC in camo Pittards WR100X Analine leather adopts some feel of the 6 Series (Rock Star) and 8 Series (Technical) with a unique, high performance military spec material treatment.

hummel Technologies design

As mentioned in the 8.4 PIO FGX Unboxing post, I have been involved in more than just "footwear design" here at hummel. A large part of my work is the strategic design and creative direction of the hummel Footwear brand.

One of the very first things I did after starting at hummel 2.5 years ago was to build up a portfolio and create a brand package for technology and performance features that are used in our footwear.

Click the Read More link below for more information.



The purpose of this technology portfolio was to further communicate the unique performance aspects of our shoes and create a better understanding of performance and value in the mind of our customers.




The above Technology Matrix I designed to visually communicate the idea that different parts of the shoe (ie. upper, outsole, etc.) use and feature different type of technologies (ie. cushioning, breathability, etc.) Each technology is therefore tuned and focused depending on the location and application of the part/implementation.

Together with this matrix, I created a series of names and logos to be identified with each product benefit. We went through lots of different ideas for names, some really terrible (ie. matress for cushioning) and others just strange (ie. TSS, Thorax Support System, based on words from a bee's body, for support).



As well, the graphic icons went through several rounds of design iterations. Here's some early explorations.







The final logos and technology micro-brands are now used across all our technical footwear product, and some technical apparel as well. Every performance shoe includes a hangtag with the tech logos and matrix and tech logos are also incorporated into the product design of the footwear.









A small point that some may not notice, but something that help make the product and the details stand out for a consumer.

Styledepartment.com Interiew

UPDATE-

Styledepartment.com interview with me about hummel and First Pullover is now up.

here

as well, translated German version is available here

Indoor 2007 concept design

To share, some more content from the upcoming Indoor 2007 catalog. These sketches are from the concept design of the new indoor shoe, 11.1 that features an integrated design assembly for ultimate fit.

More to come soon on this new concept.

hummel Old School SS07 part 1 > vintage inspiration

New for SS07 (coming Jan/Feb 2007) are several styles inspired by actual vintage
products. Unfortunately, almost no samples were kept from our rich 83 year history, and little more than back catalogs from the 1980s and few earlier photos remain in our archive.

To bring back from our past key styles, equal parts of creativity and development were needed to recreate designs only using grainy catalog photos.

Clck the Read More link below for more info and pics.


One such style inspired by hummel handball history is the 'Stadil'.

Inspired by an original 1980's style called "Handball Ten" (also shown in some catalogs as the "Zurich"), the Stadil authentically recreates pattern and design language of he original model and adds new retro inspired details and contemporary appeal.

footwear concept design process

I get a lot of emails about interest in the footwear design process. Most commonly, it is requests to share the sketches, drawings and concept design process. Here are a few pages from my portfolio that cover this process. These sketches help illustrate the concept design process from inspiration to idea exploration to technical design and specification.

These examples are from my design of the hummel 9.1, from the 2005 Indoor Collection.

More pics after the Read More link below.


enjoy!

R





The first step of the concept design process is inspiration and general design direction. In this case, a lot of inspiration came from the unique Scandinavian aspect of the hummel brand. Looking at the combination of Scandinavian modernism, technology and design found in places like Volvo car design, Stelton tableware, and Arne Jacobsen furniture, a clean, refined aesthetic was developed with formal cues between organic and geometric.

Initially, concept design explored a wide variety of solutions, looking at branding, overall pattern resolution and functional characteristics and features.

Once a general aesthetic direction was developed, further exploration was done in functional and feature-based systems. Working with professional players and teams, areas of focus in cushioning, support and durability were identified.



Here, technical specifications, construction and details are worked out, as well as material and colorway options. These clearly labelled drawings help communicate design intent to the factory for development of samples.



Outsole technical design and the final product.