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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Tony Hardman was part of our original judging team for the Project Bluefoot x Air Jordan Design Competition. His unconventional route into the footwear industry took him from working retail to freelancing at Jordan Brand and eventually working at Skechers. And now? Say hello to your newest Nike Employee, Tony Hardman…

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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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Project Bluefoot has exclusively invited all four Nike Future Sole 2009 Finalists to share their first-hand experience on the annual Nike-sponsored design competition and trip up to Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, OR. Today, our series launches with 2009 Future Sole Finalist: Daniel Gold. Continue reading for Gold’s complete Future Sole recap, including exclusive rendering images of his Melo M6 re-design.

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WITNESS: The ultimate global footwear design competition to create a performance basketball shoe for LeBron James. Time is ticking. Do you have what it takes to go the distance? Submit your sneaker concept now into Project Bluefoot’s latest star-studded design challenge to be judged by Jason Petrie (Senior Footwear Designer at Nike Basketball) and Ken Link (Former Creative Director at Nike Basketball). You only have until Oct. 25th, Midnight (PST) to enter. WE ARE ALL WITNESSES…

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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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Visit the Project Bluefoot: Forums for more info on this design competition.

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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