The 2010 Future Sole design competition has officially kicked off and is taking registrations right now. This year’s event features eligibility for an expanded age range (14-25 years old) and an added competition to design a Jordan Brand t-shirt graphic. Footwear design participants in both Nike and Jordan categories will contend for $5,000 in computer equipment with high school student winners receiving a bonus $5,000 grant for their school and college students garnering an extra $500 Nike gift card. Official Future Sole registration and submission deadline is July 1st. Visit Future Sole for complete information and details.

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Matt DeAlmeida provides us with his first-hand narrative in our exclusive Nike Future Sole Experience series covering his Swoosh chartered plane trip up to Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, OR for the annual Nike-sponsored footwear design competition for high school students. Continue reading for DeAlmeida’s complete Future Sole recap, including exclusive concept sketches of his winning leaf-inspired Nike design.

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Next up in our exclusive Nike Future Sole Experience series is a first-hand account by finalist Ethan Dean on what it was like making the trip up to Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, OR for the annual Nike-sponsored footwear design competition run by D’Wayne Edwards, Design Director at Jordan Brand. Continue reading for Dean’s complete Future Sole recap, including exclusive concept sketches and renderings of his re-worked Nike Hyperflight design.

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In our latest “Design Theory” segment, we talk with Jason Mayden, Senior Footwear Designer at Jordan Brand and designer of the Air Jordan 2009 and Chris Paul lines. Jason tells us how he got hired at Jordan Brand, talks about one of the best selling Nike shoes to date which he designed, gives us a glimpse into his daily work schedule, and finally gives plenty of advice to aspiring designers looking to break into the industry and push it forward.

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A Project Bluefoot conversation with D’Wayne Edwards, Jordan Brand Footwear Design Director. Learn how D’Wayne got into the business, his tips for aspiring designers wanting to break into the footwear industry, what a typical work day looks like for a Footwear Design Director, his reflections on designing an Air Jordan shoe, and why design mentorship is so important.

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In Part 3 of our exclusive interview with Erin Patton, the original Director of Product and Marketing for Jordan Brand tells us what he thinks about the current Retro driven trend in the footwear industry, the internal discussions within the Nike organization on Retro product, whether Jordan Brand was setup as a lifestyle-centered or performance-oriented brand at the formation of the company, and the key element to the original Jordan Brand business plan.

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In Part 2 of our in-depth interview with Erin Patton, we launch into his journey at Nike, where Patton became the first Director of Product and Marketing for Jordan Brand. He discusses the footwear design process, working with Tinker Hatfield on the Air Jordan XIII, the concept of marrying footwear and apparel divisions, spending time with Michael Jordan, the initial marketing and seeding strategies for launching Air Jordan product to the consumer, and simply, why it’s important to have friends.

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Like the conductor of an orchestra, Erin Patton has been in charge of arranging the proper beat, dynamic, and tempo for numerous brands, most notably as Nike’s lead architect in the creation of the Jordan Brand, in 1997, and directing the launch of Stephon Marbury’s Starbury brand, in 2006. Patton currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Sports Marketing in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, is the Principal of his own brand management firm, and has written a just-released book, Under the Influence: Tracing the Hip-Hop Generation’s Impact on Brands, Sports, & Pop Culture, detailing by first-hand experience the workings of the athletic footwear industry and the inner workings of a marketing mastermind.

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