Apart from being an artistic way of drawing and illustration, foot sketches are a start to understanding the gist of shoe design. The human foot, the foundation for bipedal locomotion, is a complex adaptation that has evolved through the extensive remodeling of the hind appendage of our arboreal primate forebears. For nearly a century, scholars have examined the anthropometry of the foot and its relationship with other parts of the body. The knowledge has received particular attention in the fields of ergonomics and forensic science, the former to serve in footwear design improvements and the latter to guide reconstructions derived from either footprints or limb fragments. This chapter outlines foot sketches that have been elaborated on the basic idea of foot drawing and practical drawing skills. The chapter is divided into different sections to describe the foot anatomy, tools and media of sketching, along with some sketches and drawings by artists, illustrators, and fashion designers. All the sketches are used to illustrate a diversity of sketching approaches; a collection of ideas that will inspire and propel shoe design forward.

Custom-made orthopedic footwear is typically prescribed as a treatment for various foot deformities with the aim of relieving pain, and improving balance and function during standing and locomotion. The footwear is directly molded over a plaster reproduction of the foot rather than a standard last. Corrections are applied to further protect areas at risk, such as grinding out plaster to offer better cushioning on the heel or filling in with plaster to provide extra support on the arch. In considering the costly and complex processes of making orthopedic shoes, normal shoes that have sufficient depth incorporated with an appropriate insole system that can be removed and replaced with the prescribed orthosis are regularly adopted in clinical practice. In this chapter, the key requirements and the objectives of orthopedic footwear insoles are discussed. The types of insole materials most commonly used in current practice include leather, foam rubbers, cellular polymers, etc., which are available in a wide range of hardness, densities, thicknesses, and thermal, physical, and mechanical properties. More rigid materials result in better splinting qualities, but lower tolerance in wear. The choice of fabrication materials with suitable structural and cushioning properties is therefore closely associated with the use and efficacy of orthopedic footwear insoles. Important characteristics and properties of fabrication materials and their related test methods are reported in this chapter. In view of the tremendous technological advancements in the material sciences, the potential use of new fabrics and composite materials that possess properties suitable for use in the construction of orthopedic insoles is also examined in this chapter.

Footwear drawing is not an easy task for the inexperienced designer. It is an essential part of fashion design and requires careful attention to sizes, dimensions and details. Poorly designed footwear will result in unnecessary pressure on the foot which may cause problems and injuries. There is a wide range of footwear which often incorporates minor design variations. In order to assist new footwear designers, this chapter provides design templates that facilitate the correct proportions to produce a professional footwear illustration. Once a designer has gained sufficient experience, they will be enabled to explore design ideas and concepts of their own.

In order to have a perfect fit, it is important to make individual shoes. However, this is expensive and unaffordable for most people. On the other hand, it would be ideal for companies to only make one pair of shoes for each style to fit everyone, however, most people will not have a good fit in this case. Therefore, in order to create shoes for a given population, we need to make several sizes of shoes to satisfy the consumer fit requirement and the business profit needs. The exact number of sizes is decided based on production cost, fitting requirements, and inventory costs. Grading is a technique to modify from one size to another. Since footwear sizes are mainly decided based on the size of shoe last, this chapter introduces the sizing and grading of shoe last and obviously footwear. There are various standard sizing and grading systems for different countries or regions, thus this chapter also compares the differences among the systems and discusses new research on sizing and grading.

In cold climates all user requirements for footwear (insulation, waterproof, vapor permeability, drying, etc.) cannot be met easily due to their conflicting nature. Defining user conditions is important. Cold may be roughly divided into the three ranges (>+5; +5 to −10; <−10°C). The choice of proper footwear may be based on this approach. It also reduces some of the conflicting user requirements. Under any defined user condition it is important to take proper care of the feet and the footwear. The best performance can be achieved when considering at the design stage that not only the materials in footwear but also the whole foot-sock-footwear system should work together.

People have realized that traditional mass produced and disposable products, although low in cost and convenient, are harmful to our environment. These days there is more emphasis on green design for environmental conservation and sustainability. Green design is a term used to describe goods, services, guidelines, policies, and laws that have little or no adverse impact on the environment or ecosystems. Green design and Eco-friendly are generally used interchangeably. For a product to be described as eco-friendly, it is expected that stringent requirements about raw materials, manufacturing process, packaging, and the whole supply chain are met. In the past, eco-friendly footwear was synonymous with dull. Nowadays, a great pair of eco-friendly shoes can be fashionable and functional and look no different from a regular pair of shoes. The market for eco-friendly footwear is growing continuously with many choices on styles, such as sandals, wedges, pumps, boots, and running shoes. Although everything seems to be moving in the right direction in terms of eco-friendly products, most major footwear companies produce only a few styles of environmentally friendly shoes per season. Most of the footwear are not environmentally friendly and thus leave a huge carbon footprint. Footwear companies should do more to address the environmental impact in every aspect of the footwear production, including raw materials. In addition, there is a need for better research, education, and programs to encourage the use of eco-friendly products, recycling, and reuse to protect our environment and ensure a healthy future for everyone.

Shoe last is an aided model for shoemaking. In modern footwear industry, shoe technology consists of three parts: the design and manufacture of shoe last, the design and manufacture of upper pattern, and the design and manufacture of sole and other accessories. The design and manufacture of shoe last is the core of shoe technology. First, the design of a shoe last decides the styles of the upper and other accessories. For example, the shape of an outsole is determined by the shoe last bottom pattern, the pitch of a heel must match a shank curve of the last, the design of the toe shape of a last will influence the design of the upper, etc. In manufacturing process, shoe last is the mold and support for uniting the upper, soles, and other accessories. Therefore, the shoe last can influence not only the styles and aesthetics but also the fit and comfort of the shoes.

This chapter describes the anatomy of the human foot. First the bones and joints, followed by muscles and tendons. The arches of the human foot are then described. Finally, the chapter describes the neurovasculature and surface anatomy of the human foot.

The importance of footwear fit and comfort motivates researchers and practitioners to attempt various approaches to achieve good foot-shoe compatibility. To improve foot-shoe compatibility, the fundamental understanding of foot dimensions and important shape features is needed. This study systematically describes and discusses previous approaches on measuring foot dimensions and modeling foot shape so that the characteristics of foot anthropometry and foot shape can be understood and further be built into shoes that are comfortable to wear.

Footwear design, manufacturing, and production is entering a new phase of revolution with shorter design and manufacturing cycles. Although consumers expect shorter lead time, they are also becoming more and more demanding in terms of style, comfort, and fit. Consumers are very aware of 3D technologies and hence they expect the use of 3D technologies. Therefore, companies are starting to adopt 3D technologies in the design and development of footwear throughout the product life cycle. Nowadays, capturing the 3D shape is cheap and easy, and any products can be converted into 3D using low-cost and widely available 3D scanners. The scanned data, if required, can be modified using 3D design software. 3D design software is popular because of their ease of design, design modification, visualization, and rendering. Furthermore, footwear design developed based on 3D shoe last, enables changes of the 3D shoe last to automatically update the 3D upper design, outsole, and insole design. Functional properties of footwear such as thermal comfort, moisture management, and fit are also being considered during the design phase. In addition to footwear functional properties, creative design based on 3D enables quick design modification and visualization. The final design can then be manufactured using traditional manufacturing techniques or using a 3D printing technique. Currently, 3D printing is still evolving, and it is not the main footwear manufacturing method. 3D printing technologies have huge potential, hence more development in this area will make traditional manufacturing probably less important and, in some cases, obsolete.