Supernaut: its unfortunate about the He cushioning. i thought it was so outrageously unworkable that no one woulda done it before. hmmm. one question though, the technologies you described seem to be a full layer of cushioning system that extend completely under the foot you know?
the cushioning i’m trying to bring into my project is localised- only above the spikey bits of the sole (note to self: find out what they are called)
as i said, coconut coir and wool (merino of course) will be throughout the shoe. natural materials= breathability +exclusivity.
yes the logo looks dirty i know, but dont worry- that was just to get the shape. . right now it seems to be at a nice point where the shape represents the beckham curve and his agility, besides reinforcing the metrosexual look. will just have to do it on the comp (freehand or fireworks) for a cleaner look.
ufo: thank you very much for that post. gave me a better idea bout soccer.
arent your fields made of astro turf or some fabulously expensive fake grass? i cant really imagine DAVID BECKHAM sliding in the mud. so no question of mud getting in the shoe. one more thing though. you might have answered it in your post, but to keep it simple, would you as a soccer player prefer
a) a well padded inner for a cushioned and alienated feel.
b) an ultra thin interior for a on court feel (kinda like AIR ZOOM over SHOX)
c) a blend of both.
not all fields are fake grass or turf. there are still a lot of games played on regular grass with mud underneath. if you have watched football continuously you would notice the dirt on players outfits. sometimes it gets so muddy they change their shirts or shorts specially if the number can’t be read! (but it doesn’t happen on a nice day. usually in rainy condition).
it’s hard to say how the padding would be because it depends on the structural design. it’s definitely not like tennis or basketball. it’s not even like american football or rugby because they don’t play with their feet.
padded shoes make the control of the ball very difficult and add to weight.
also things like decorative padded stiching, ptches, etc is not at all good for shooting or passing either.
it takes a lot of research to come up with an ideal shoe for football, so i’m afraid i can’t really recommend anything more than what i have described because unless i do some research i won’t be able to comment on it.
Aerosole shoes have an inverted diamond design which many people (females mostly) swear are the most comfortable shoes on the market.
You could use a series of inverted domes as cushing. Aerosoles have the inverted diamond pattern patented due to its functionality aspect, not sure if anyone has the inverted dome… you could use an inverted dome waffle type layer sandwiched between the internal sole of the shoe, and the tred on the bottom…just an idea… anyways heres what the soles of aerosoles look like…
- DanCheet
Sorry Dan, As someone who has worked closely with Aerosoles in the past I can let you know that their patent on the functional shape has absolutely noithing to do with cushioning and everything to do with a combination of: Venturi effect, osmosis, 1 millimeter die cut “holrs” and a Gore Tex like textile. Also the fact that WL Gore gets a decent protion of the royalties forn the “inverted domes” should say something about their functionality…
good idea vis a vis the dome cusioning,…
wow, you learn somethin new everyday. thanks. i’ll do a little more research, sounds like a very complex patent. I was just throwin some ideas out there. i thought that it eas due to the diamond design due to the salesmen at the store when i got my mom a pair… haha oh well. thanks agian.
supernaut- you feel the proportions are off? thats wierd, cos the last shoe images i posted were drawn OVER A FOOT, so i felt they were pretty accurate. i was going to fine draw the lines, but now i dunno…
…really??
find it hard to believe.
please let me know where exactly you think they are going off.
^Maybe you have really odd looking feet. Im just kidding. To me the proportions look pretty good and its probably your best sketch. I think since you posted an unfinished sketch, you left out some details that might make the proportions more forgiving. Like a line that separates the sole from the upper would help people understand the proportions a little better. I don’t know really, but I hope this helps.
I like the proportions. The heavier toe looks muscular, plus its something different and new. the shoe has a really solid look to it, and the toe part of the sole seems as if it would provide a solid base for sprinting or jumping, and since it is a little thicker, it could workout as a B-Ball shoe, as most soccer-shoes have thinner toes for “scooping” the ball. But since it would be a soccer shoe, i would say to maybe cut-down the sole on the shoe all around so that there is maybe 2cm of base, then throw on the cleats. Or maybe even have the whole shoe tapered towards the toe, while still maintaining the foot level inside the shoe…
Here’s a picture of a popular indoor soccer shoe…
Notice how the toe is low and flat. See if you can incorporate that feature into your design.
What types of materials were you looking at for the “skin” of the shoe? Instead of a tacky material such as leather, rubber, or silicone. Maybe a really fine grit sandpaper type material would work? It might be illegal because I could see it tearing up the skin of the soccer ball. I’m just thinking out loud, maybe it helped, if not, simply ignore… Take it easy, - Dan
this link will give you insight on what I’m spaeking to… Yo is knowledgeable on this and goews into detail to describe how proportions are used help get your ideas across. Proportions are key–even oif they have to be fudged a bit.
No Two feet are the same–not even your own…Draw from an ideal proportion and then take it down to the “real”
you can check out: http://pullover.blogspot.com/
Rich has a lot of insight on football boots and their design.
you would be suprised at the amout of BS shoe salesmen make up to sell shoes,…in fact you’d be suprised at the amount of stuff Footwear Marketing guys make up to market a shoe to those salesmen…even worse: you’d be suprised at the amount of stuff Footwear Designers make up to justify a design to sales and marketing…
if you notice i’ve now introduced a moon> cloud> night> passion> mystery element into the logo
Yenomoris,
How are you? I have been following the progress of your project…Great work…I have two questions and two suggestion…
Questions first:
What is the connection to Beckhams style of play and his heritage as an intense athlete that strikes fear into the heart of his competitors?
Did you look at samples of his current footwear and see whats working and whats not working? Physical research always works best.
Suggestion
Post an image of Beckham next to the logo and see if they fit. It seems like his logo would be more streamlines and sleek. He is very suave and sophisticated so his logo should reflect that. Take a look at super expensive cologne bottles and wines. They sometimes have very simple but iconic graphic solutions that reflect the intent and heritage of the brand…Also check out the site Linkdup.com
great site for graphics from around the world…
Try reposting the entire project on the same post. This will help us to see you progressive. It is always good to see where you started and use that as a checkpoint to make sure that you have accomplished your initial goals.
Finally, design with words first. This is a simple method to set up “accountabilities” for your. What you create the list of what this product should do and have you can use it as a “measuring point” to make sure that you have not wander away from the
core of the project…Below is a sample list.
David Beckam ( The Man)
-Sleek
-Suave
-Quiet Confidence
-Global Appeal ( Son is named Brooklyn)
-Handsome
-Athletics meets Seville Row
-Hip Hop ( Loves Jay-Z)
-Michael Jordan of Soccer ( Futbol, Football)
David Beckham (The Athlete) I am not a huge fan of Soccer but here is what I know:
-Fearless
-Fast
-Strategic
-Outspoken
-Allegiance to the sport not a country ( Real Madrid from Man U)
-Explosive
Now after creating your list your project could possible take on the following characteristics:
-Fast
-Sleek
-Strategic innovations ( Emphasis on the Forefoot, think sprinting spike in track and field)
-Minimal foam and lining
-Iconic color blocking and materials
-Cleat to Street. Has to live off the field as well
-Sport Couture ( Fashion details with a sports twist)
-Light weight ( No more that 8oz think track and field…light equals speed!)
Thats my “Two Cents” I hoped some of this made sense 
Great start and good luck!
jay wow that was really a good post thanks man.
sorry i have not been working on this project too much. my public examinations are going on, so my few break minutes are spent relaxing on the internet… surfing core! will do more this weekend and post it up
Not to give feedback on feedback, but that was some great feedback. There was some debate in here awhile back about what is constructive criticism. For those in question, I think this Jay’s post is pretty much it.
Yenomoris…
Have fun with this project…and good luck on your exams!
lateral
medial
hope i can explain all the things i’ve tried to put into the shoe.
i also hope it has not become to cluttered with detailing.
a lot of things were put down based on “feel” , and based on the few things i know about beckham that most of the world know.
the position and shape of the window on the lateral side, i tried to tie it in with the “tongue area” so that a subtle mental image of beckham as a player after a long pass, the sweep of the leg, so raw and yet so slick.
so if you notice, the whole front tongue + window when exist together and support each other visually trying for the effect, kinda like a lock of hair sweeping across the head, i’m having difficulty explaining it. i did not want to actually put the shape in, for subtlety i made sure it was in two parts, so you can miss it if you look closely, yet get it on an overall picture. boy that was a long sentence.
the window: i wanted a window to show the coir cushioning, like the tmacs have wooden panels in them no? sort of the same effect.
two tongues: i decided that just as beckham respects his privacy, the laces would distract too much from the shoe as a exclusive “creature”. so i’ve decided, no laces, only an several bands of elastic whose tension can be adjusted in each of the deep cuts that the outer has on the lateral side. keeping with the hidden features, something to keep the appeal up, i covered even the bands with the leather “middle”. if you notice, the stitching will show where the velcro lies. the velcro is to prevent the flaps from, well, flapping.
the lateral: now here is the complicated bit. i did not want any layers, for a complete “ball” feel. i felt that just as many basketball players (myself included) prefer a court feel, that soccer players would not like ridges and material shifts on the medial where they kick the ball. those who play soccer, please do correct me if i’m wrong. as you may have seen, earlier versions of the shoe looked slab sided on the medial, so i had added a cross motiff. i’ve since decided that this might alienate the shoe from players of different cultures, and also the motiff was not “strongly” enough and not broadly enough tied to beckham as an inspiration. it was very literal, something as a designer i am trying to personally avoid. therefore i had to look at an alternate pattern for etching / engraving. i decided on the current pattern because it symbollically represents a lions mane, coming to beckhams ferocious …what do you call… tenacity? determination to win basically. also, mane leads to hair leads to beckhams hair styles leads to mass sex appeal!!! 
so it all fit in perfectlly. the running ants (lol) reminded me of stitching, which reminded me of the old school shoes with the stitching visible. somehow the newer gen of soccer kicks lacked that style (from what i’ve seen anyway) so it merged old and new too.
i felt stitching would improve grip on the ball, without removing the security that comes from knowing your in control.
the pattern can either be actual threads (i pity the guy who has to stitch so many lines lol) or a plain laser etching. actual threads would make me wanna buy the shoe even more, it makes me think- ah… somebody took time to make this shoe worth my cash.
i’ve also included the lines i will use for the hard reflections. sorry if it confuses your eye.
which brings me to the topic of materials.
beckham, as jay so kindly pointed out, wears hot shoes. off field, he’s like the king of styling, always suited ( ) for the occasion. as a tribute to his formal dressing SKILLS i wanted the shoe to be extra extra shiny black, like somebody’s been slogging to polish it.
such shiny black called for hard reflections.
i might do a white version as well, but i wont do a silver / grey version. i feel (from my very limited experience of watching matches on tv) that pro footballers are losing touch with their style roots. old shoes used to be nice black. now they all look grey and white. again, please feel free to correct me. i felt beckham’s feet deserved to stand out from a crowd of mediocrity.
so in conclusion, here are the inspirations:
beckhams aggressive play, gorgeous hair, tenacity, exclusivity and class.
these took the form from mt fuji, lions, shiny shoes, intricate detailing, and beautifull moves on field (his kick).
i hope i havent made any errors of commission or ommision lol.
i’ve tried to keep the number of things limited, but detail them.
please comment and let me know.
jay, i had spent some time thinking of the stuff you had brought up. here are some of the reasons i didnt use the suggestions i did not use.
emphasis on fore foot: football does not seem to be solely ( ) a running sport. a lot of the time they are kicking the ball, and when you kick the ball the non-kicking foot has to be “planted”, no? so the shoe had to reflect ALL aspects of the game, not just running. football is unlike basketball where some skills are honed only by some players of certain positions. kicking and running are skills that all the players in the team have. well, theoretically the goalie does not run, but i’ve heard there is a goalie who does just that (sorry dunno his name)
so the medial had to be designed for kicking, the forefoot had to have a speedy gonzalo edge, yet the entire sole had to be very planted, and dug into the grass.
cleat to street: i can visualise this shoe on the street, with a removal of the cleats. the offcenter tongues and highly unsymmetric body has appealed to some of my friends who dont play soccer.
colour blocking and fashion: as mentioned before, i took the shinyness of dress shoes. that will be only in black and white. the leather tongues and middle will come in different colours, i’ll work on that after i finish the rendering.
lightweight : that was the point of the helium cushioning, and the coir lining. i may not do the wool, i’ve not heard of a lightweight wool. to me it represents heavy blankets and sweaters. (i live in the tropics- so haven had much personal experience with wool lol)
sleek an fast: the shiny material should hopefully convey that very feel.
thanks man your post has been a lot of help, sorry if i couldn use it to the fullest.
oh and btw- i am fine, thank you.
Yenomoris…
Great notes…I will let the info “digest” in my brain and get back to you in the morning…Take care!
with all those notes- be nice to see some sketches also tell the story/ thought process
Mm