here are some initial sketches for a trail runner. Id love to hear feed back as I go through the design process.
hey man good start, the sketches are looking tight, if i could offer some advice though;
1 - Try to loosen up a little, th sketches are looking a little too tight, don t be scared about throwing down lines and experimenting, don t worry if they re looking good or not, Try out doing a sketch in 10 mins, then try the same skecth in 5 mins then 2 then 30 secs , pick a random object say a cell phoen or for this case a sneaker that you have infrnt of you. This is what I was taugh tback in the day and it really helped.
2. Try to perceive in your minds eye what you re looking for before your start - have some image/ inspiration baords etc infront of you for details and influences.
3. Think more outside the box, I dont know your background nut I guess you re at college …? Sorry if im wrong , my bad. Go wild dood, try to explore new oppurtunities and silhoettes, concepts and solutions, believe me dood you ll have plenty of time to tame it down once you re working, believe me.
- Enjoy it! Dont worry what anyone else thinks… It should be enjoyable.
keep up the good work, hope this helps
TOMfoolery
hi
well in my opinion proportions are nice,but seems a bit lineal,you need to smooth the lines.
i agree with the previous callers 
but also you dont show any lugs…trail runners should have prominent lugs with biting edges for traction. yours are completely flat on the bottom. Think about whats important in a trail runner. backwards and forward motion with traction, lateral cuts, breathable water draining and open or armored and waterproof? you need a reason for the lines you put down even if its just i liked the salomon shoe so i copied some lines from it and expanded ont hat theme of…?
good luck and loosen the fuck up to start with! then tighten when you have a good concept
nice sketches and the look is very NB trail running (geometric, whacky angles, random pieces, etc.). not knocking NB, but just saying you have the brand visual sematics well understood.
I’d agree that showing some lugs would help. a key feature of trail running shoes no doubt.
In terms of the “flare” of the sketches, I can understand the comment to loosen up, but I also think that you style and multitude of sketches shows a good compromise of looseness and thinking. I dont have any problems with the style, and assuming each sketch didnt take you hours (id guess about 5-10min per), Id say it would be perfectly in line with what I would like from a designer working for me that shows exploration and reality.
For me, the question is your purpose in these sketches. if you work for NB, and are actually exploring a real product due for next season, fantastic job consider the manufacturing and brand elements.
In could all too easliy picture one of these as a current NB product. Im not 100% famliar with the product line, so…
if you are new to shoe design and showing off your conceptual skills, I think you can stray more from traditional design and throw down some more conceptual/different ideas. Not talking space boots with anti-gravity shock-absorption, but something pushign the current product in your own idealized direction. these just seem to “no” to me.
otherwise, great work. although you may also want to consider the K-Swiss logo stripe thing.
keep up the goodness.
R
Nice sketches. But if you are going to do that many, you might as well make each one in a different direction than the last. You can go back and do the type of refinement you have been doing now once you have chosen the idea that you like.
Also, if you decide to be a little bit more experimental, it may help to start doing 3/4 views. They usually look pretty dynamic, which is good, and they help you more easily explore asymmetry or details that you couldn’t normally get to with a side view.
Really pushing the different line qualities of your sketches will help you loosen up and make your sketches look more interesting as well.
Thanks everyone for the comments ill post more as I draw more. (Each sketch took between 10-15 min depending on how quick the idea came. I have drawn a few ¾ views but the proportions where off so I neglected to post them)
I have approached this project like I am designing a shoe that fits into the New balance line of trail running shoes. I picked New Balance because I am a huge fan and also because I interned there so I feel that I have a better understanding of their branding and the look of a shoe they would actually produce. I am out of school so my primary goal is to expand my portfolio and find a job in the footwear industry. I have posted on core77 because I respect the expertise that views this site and I want to continue learning and getting better from the critiques.
the sketches are good but as has been said they look quite similar (both to what nb does and to each other)
I have approached this project like I am designing a shoe that fits into the New balance line of trail running shoes. I picked New Balance because I am a huge fan and also because I interned there so I feel that I have a better understanding of their branding and the look of a shoe they would actually produce.
if your:
primary goal is to expand my portfolio
it might b e a good look for you to try to show that understanding of what NB does into something different that shows that understanding. or you could expand on something they currently do, or maybe do a shoe for a company you know nothing about altogether?