Just thought I would post a small snapshot into the process behind this product. This project was a hurry up offensive, designed in a few weeks vs the usual few months, but the result was clean and functional.
Brief: To create a versatile playing shoe with great transition, ride and support at an entry price point. To visibly show influence, insights, and learnings from past game shoes (numbered AJ’s) to show that our entry level product shares the same unique DNA as our elite level product. To gear the product toward the serious high school athlete working toward a college career. Address past breathability concerns.
Solution: Clean and simple. Money spent on a full length dot weld internal airbag for ride. Oversized shank plate for arch support. Variable lacing option at the top of the eyerow for lockdown. Smooth oustole inspired by the AJ11 with a good heel to toe transition. Quilted interior and exterior inspired by interior of Bentley Continental GT, primary inspiration behind the current game shoe (AJxx1) linking them together. Metal mesh vent in quarter panel backed with a perforated heel counter, and breathable mesh lining insert. Graphic of MJ on shank, the photograph the jumpman was traced from, evidence of MJ’s presence. Subtle perf pattern on toe, 2 big perfs, 3 small, making a super subtle “23”. Many small details integrated from past game shoes.
Bellow is a small snapshot into the process. There where many revision rounds and busted looking samples to get to the final, but with all of the questions coming in lately, I thought this might be helpful?
Thanks for the additional sketches. It’s really fun to see the process behind making a shoe.
I just bought the white and green B’2rue as a B-day present for my dad. He hasn’t played in them yet, but he liked them very much. I also relly liked them and was about to buy a pair myself, but then they didn’t have my size so I ended up getting a pair of vc 5s. Anyways I really like the shoe.
Oh, I never realized the perfs simbolized the “23”. That was a really cool idea
sweet! i dig the midsole and outsole, though i wish the inset portion was some material treatment other than a picture.
are these?:
question: so how soon into the process (usually) do you start doing samples? like how much time is spent before wanting to take it from the page to making the 1st sample?
you owe us some renderings of those jeters though!
great insight into the process. Very inspiring! Im working on a similar design/development process study now too, in the hopes it can also help inspire and educate.
Mike, thank you very much for sharing the process.
It is very nice to see selected parts of the whole process.
Beside the usual renderings, you also posted some tech drawings that are really interesting.
I heard a few times about the “tech packs”, and thanks to you and Richard I learned a bit more about them.
I see that the midsole/outsole was developed in two stages, and the second stage seems a lot like a 3d model (…or is it a rendered 2d drawing?).
For each stage you presented 4 cross sections (3 trasversal, 1 longitudinal), is it a common practice or do the manufacturers ask for more designs that you didn’t show here?
I’ve also noted you changed a bit the toe to heel ride heigth gap (…what is the technical name of this feature?) from the initial cross-section…so it seems like your shoe would better match my feet needings, so I might consider these B2rue as a next season balling choice!
The one thing I’ve never seen around is the upper drawing. If you have a design you don’t mind to post here, could you make a little explaination, please?
question: What are those drawings? The top one shows cross sections through the midsole, outsole and shank. These are the minimum sections, often I will 3 or 4 more depending on if the design calls for them. I usually color them graphically so the development center in Asia can understand what parts are what materials. The second drawing is a corrected pattern shell. After we do the 2d design drawings, a pattern engineer interprets what that design looks like as flat pieces of material to be sewn up. It’s amazing how they do this and it is based off of years of practice, it’s an art, not a science. There are always some things that don’t look or work the way you thought they would, so the red lines are my revisions to an early pattern, this will happen 5 or 6 times before it is really right.
question: so how soon into the process (usually) do you start doing samples? like how much time is spent before wanting to take it from the page to making the 1st sample? We usually sketch for 3-4 weeks. Then we do a final rendering and a tech pack (2 weeks) and sometimes we will have a rough sample made here in beaverton. From there we go to sampling in Asia and the revisions begin!
Jeter’s: I know, I’m behind on that one. Maybe Jay will post some stuff up on it too. His mid is awesome and he designed the tooling (midsole/outsole/shank) for both and it has some really cool cushioning, traction, and flex design details.
Montecunsa’s questions:
question: I see that the midsole/outsole was developed in two stages, and the second stage seems a lot like a 3d model (…or is it a rendered 2d drawing?). It is a 3d drawing that the factory prepared. I skipped a stage in there actually. After I prepare my 2d tech drawings, the factory does a more technical version of my 2d that is much more accurate and has manufacturing tolerances accounted for. I will revise that if need be and then confirm it to go to 3d. Asia then makes the 3d model you see and emails it over. We print it on one of our 3d printers and then I can correct that.
question: For each stage you presented 4 cross sections (3 trasversal, 1 longitudinal), is it a common practice or do the manufacturers ask for more designs that you didn’t show here? It depends on the design but the minimum is usually a section lengthwise a section through the toe, one through the arch and one through the heel.
A couple question more, which is the content of a “tech pack”? which kind of different drawings are included?
Which software do you use to make these midsole/outsole drawings (is it illustrator or do you use a CAD software?)? Are these design made in a size 9 scale?
Fantastic work as usual, I wasjust wondering - what media are you using for the coloured renderings? Is it marker/pencil etc. or is the original design scanned into photoshop?
Thanks for giving inspiration to those of us that need it!!
Glad you guys are getting some good stuff out of this
Montenusca’s questions:
Questions: What drawings are included in a tech pack? It varies and each designer has his or her own way, but I always include:
a color rendering of at least the lateral side and the bottom,
-technical drawings of the the Lateral, medial, heel, bottom, and top with collar measurements and other critical call outs.
Details drawings of any molded upper components with cross sections and call outs (like molded heel counters, or lace locks, if any),
any internal construction detail drawings.
colorways (usually 5 to start with)
clean line art of all views for reference
drawing of the midsole/outsole unit with cross sections and critical measurements
Question: What software do I use to draw these? Illustrator
Question: Are these drawn to scale in men’s size 9? Yes if it is a mens shoe, I draw it one to one scale. For women’s its a women’s size 7
Stewie:
Question: What materials am I using for the color renderings? For the sketches I use prismacolor pencil (black) and markers on bond or graphics 360 paper witha little white pencils, and white and black chalk on top (sometimes) For the final rendering it is drawn in illustrator and rendered in photoshop.
Just wondering: since hearing that you use Prismacolor pencils, I’ve been trying to find them here in the UK. Having exhausted all avenues I can think of, I’ve tried some pencils from a local art shop which are Derwent Studio pencils. I’m using them on marker paper as lightly as I can, but they seem so soft that I’m forever sharpening them(?) and couldn’t get a crisp outline if my life depended on it. Is this normal, or are the Prismacolor’s harder?
is any of the manufacturing details made/modeled in house and then sent to asia for manufactiring?
how do you decide on what last to use? and what effect does it have on the design?
in the uk, i believe they are sold under the karismacolor brand…i think? but yeah, prismacolors are a pain because you have to constantly try to keep them sharp, the verithin type of prismacolors are better for sketching because they are a lil’ more robust
I use Prisma Pencils because they are SO soft. I sketch very lightly so it helps me, and I like to have dark blacks, though these sketches are a bit week I must confess IMO.
Sometimes parts are modeled here with our in house 3d guys and sometimes we make samples here, especially if it is a trick pattern, but the work will be redone in Asia as the factory will want to do it their way. I prefer to get it to Asia ASAP so they can make their mistakes and we can work through them.
In athletic footwear the last selection is often functional. We have our own Jordan Basketball last that we evolve based on continuous testing (and market demands as well), our training product uses a sleeker, tighter fitting last that works well for light runs and gym work outs. For our lifestyle product (boots, lifestyle sneakers) the lasts are often developed or evolved off of fashion, or sometimes athletic lasts to reach a certain look. The last is pretty much everything, it completely changes the shoe.
Added a couple of shots of the Jeter that never was until I get some time to put together more. Check them out (along with some other updates) at my site::
those are hot!!! i really like the vent detail at the forefoot in the sketch, was it going to be the same material as what was on the low? why not on the sample?
It was going to be more of a lateral support element in the low, it was never fully detailed the way I wanted with slight raised “pinstripe” reinforcers.
Hey fellas…I apologize fo joining the party late in the game…I have been under the weather for a while…MD can vouch for me…As far as the Jeter stuff I will try to post some stuff in the next few weeks as things begin to slow down…I have several projects Im thinking about posting…MD…Great Job on that shoe by the way…That was his first Jordan! He has some more heat coming real soon!
