Stepping from campus into the workplace: Footwear design for graduates to adapt to the office life

Zhang, Hengbo

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115825 Copy

Description

Title

Stepping from campus into the workplace: Footwear design for graduates to adapt to the office life

Author(s)

Zhang, Hengbo

Issue Date

2022-04-28

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Sethi, Suresh

Committee Member(s)

Raheel, Salman

Department of Study

Art & Design

Discipline

Art and Design

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.F.A.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• footwear design
• industrial design
• dress code
• workplace
• formal shoes
• sneakers

Abstract

The choice of shoes to wear will change according to the different stages of life. In today's sneaker culture, the choice of shoes for students is often a variety of sneakers. Students choose different sneakers to express their personalities and highlight their understanding of aesthetics. There comes a time when students are ready to graduate and enter the workforce. The change in environment can bring about a drastic change in their lifestyle. It is often difficult and slow to adapt to such changes. This change is like a high school girl stealing her mom's long skirt. Although she tries her best to look mature and professional, no matter what, it doesn't fit her temperament, but instead makes her lose some of her qualities. With the transition in their identity, mindset, living style, and working environment, recent graduates who are experiencing an office life need to face a lot of rapid changes and challenges to the habits they have been holding on to. Again, choosing to wear a pair of shoes, students have become accustomed to wearing their personality on campus. But graduates are not comfortable with the same choice of wearing style in the work environment. The goal of this design is to provide graduates at this stage in their workplace shoe selection with a more reasonable choice to help them adapt to a new work environment that reflects their individuality and fit into the group lifestyle.

Graduation Semester

2022-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2022 Hengbo Zhang

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