How to Become a Nike Shoe Designer

Nike is the world's leading sneaker and sports clothing designer. To design shoes for Nike is often the goal of many designers, as it denotes a level of success few are able to achieve. Becoming a shoe designer for Nike requires years of hard work and effort but can be accomplished if you study and focus on being the best designer you can be.

Suggestions

1. Study fashion and shoe design. You'll need to acquire a degree from an accredited university to launch a career in shoe design and work for Nike. Many art and design colleges offer degrees in fashion design. Research the different programs offered by several schools and enroll in an academic program that focuses on shoe design.
2. Secure an internship. Nike, like all employers, appreciate a potential employee that has real-world experience in addition to an education. This can best be achieved through participation in an internship while you're in school. You can apply to intern for Nike at its world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, or through its website at Nikebiz.com. Discuss other internship opportunities with your school's career advisers.
3. Build a portfolio. Compile an array of original designs through your academic work and your internship experience. You will need a strong portfolio that displays the full range of your abilities and creativity to a potential employer like Nike.\
4. Work in the fashion design industry. A major company like Nike appreciates a consistent work history that displays growth. Spending several years regularly working in fashion design, especially shoe design, will develop the tools you need for success at a company like Nike.
5. Apply to Nike. Routinely check the careers listing at Nike's corporate site, Nikebiz.com, and apply to any applicable jobs. Contact company Nike representatives and determine who is in a position at the company to hire new designers. Send those people a copy of your portfolio along with a resume and smart cover letter detailing your desire to work for Nike.

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How to Make a Shoe Design

Making a shoe design is both an aesthetic and technical challenge. Designing an appealing shoe will be important from a marketing standpoint. You want to be able to design a shoe that other people will want to buy. Before you can get an actual shoe made by a factory manufacturer, it is important for all design aspects to be presented in a technical manner that will allow for the shoe to actually get made. Combining design and technical considerations will be key in making a shoe design that will actually produce a real shoe.

Suggestions

1. Determine the components of the shoe that you want to design. A basic shoe design will have an outsole (the bottom of the shoe) and an upper (the part that keeps the shoe attached to your foot). For more complex, functional shoes like athletic shoes, other components you need to consider are the midsole (the cushioning part above the outsole) and the insert (the thin component between the foot and the midsole).
2. Sketch the basic look of the shoe design that you are planning. Include all the design details on your sketch, including colors and materials to be used.
3.  Sketch your shoe design broken down into its components. This will help you figure out how the different components will actually be attached to each other during manufacturing.
4. Create technical drawings of your shoe design components, including all the measurements you can think of. Be as detailed as possible with all the components, as your technical drawings will then lead to the production of computer-aided design drawings that will be the blueprints of your shoe design.
5. Put together all your shoe design details into a technical pack. This should include all the materials that will be used for each part of the shoe, the colors of your design and all your measurements for each shoe component. Your technical pack is what the factory will require before they produce a prototype or "pullover" based on your shoe design.

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How to Submit Shoe Designs to Nike

Nike has long been known as the leader of the athletic footwear industry. The company produces shoes intended for a myriad of sports and physical activity. In addition, the company has made a name for itself in urban culture and footwear has truly become a form of expression. Many people have sneaker ideas that they would like to submit to Nike, but because of the company's popularity, there are strict rules and guidelines for the submission of ideas.

Suggestions

1. Draw up the design for your shoe. You may submit a drawing rather than a prototype for the shoe. Both are acceptable, however a drawing of the design with explanation is far cheaper than having a prototype built. If the design is accepted, the company that buys the shoe design will handle the prototype process.
2. Request a patent search for your idea and design. The patent office offers a comprehensive search that will establish whether or not a patent exists that is similar or the same as your design. If no patent exists, you can proceed.
3.  File a patent application. The application must include all the necessary forms for a design patent and must also include a complete drawing, or series of photographs of the design. The application can be filed electronically with the patent office via their website.
4. Wait for the patent office to approve your claim. This process can take several months. If you have filed electronically, you may check the status of the application at any time online.
5. Once the patent is approved contact Nike via their contact form. A representative will get back to you regarding the guidelines for submission.
6. Follow the guideline instructions and submit your design to the applicable mailing address. This address will be given to you within the Guidelines for Submission Packet. The guidelines for submission are strict and must be followed completely for Nike to consider your design.
7. If Nike is interested in using your design you will be contacted by a Nike representative to discuss the design, the patent and the legalities of selling the design.

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How to Start a Shoe Designing Business

If you’re not formally trained as a designer, you may think that shoe design is a fantasy. The truth is, starting a shoe design company isn’t as difficult as you might think. Luxury goods produced $532 billion in sales in 2007 in the United States. Starting any entrepreneurial business takes a lot of work, but if you have a solid, creative and new product, there is money to be made. Shoes are a girl's best friend, and there is no doubt that the fashion industry is a profitable business--this can be a winning combination.

Things You'll Need

• Business books
• Magazines
• Portfolio
• Sketching paper
• Pencils
• Colored pencils

Suggestions

1. Get some business skills. Buy a couple of “how to” business books that include mock business plans, or enroll in a fast-track business course at your local community college.
2. Decide which kind of shoe business you’d like to start. The type of shoe company you want to start will determine the initial capital and backing you will require.
3. Get familiar with the brands and styles in your shoe market. Read books on shoe design and start-up business plans, and get industry secrets and know-how from "WSA Today" and "Footwear News."
4. Create a storyboard, which is a visual representation of your designs that encompass a trend. This may be a trend you’re creating, or you may be following trends of designers that you like. A storyboard is typically made from magazine clips, notes, fabric swatches and initial sketches.
5. Design your product. There is plenty of footwear design software to fit every computer literacy level. Browse the online stores for product reviews, and pick the software that suits you best. If you’d rather sketch your designs by hand, these can be even more persuading to potential backers, because they show artistic creativity, which is key to design.
6. Create a business plan. To find a potential investor, you’ll need a solid five-year business plan, which includes market research, such as trends and competition, and ways in which an investor can invest.
7. Create your look book. Do some research on look books so you know how to present something professionally, but don’t be afraid to get creative; creativity, after all, is the key to design.
8. Look for investors who focus on new businesses.
9. Find a manufacturer to have a sample product made. Most shoes are made in China, Portugal and Italy. Email a couple of different manufacturers and start a conversation.
10. Get product samples made to help you show off your product and allow you to make final edits and changes to your shoe before manufacturing an entire line.
11. Do some research and find out which trade shows receive the highest traffic. Sign up for the ones that seem most appropriate for your shoes.

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