Research : DR. MARTENS x The Story of An Icon

//Cover of the book//

As the content of the whole topic for the first project is rather broad, I try to associate my researches based on my personal style, as I believe its important for someone as a designer to come up with something that has a distinctive, trait of yourself behind your artwork.

So I've started off my research by sticking to the Fashion category, and I thought it would be great to read up on the famous Dr. Martens boots as its the kind of style that I personally really really like. I got the book from the library, in case any of you would be interested and read up a little on it too. I have a short attention span when it comes to reading so the book had graphics and photographs which helped A LOT.

The first pair of Dr Martens boots was in the production line in the 1960's. And as you can see in the attached photo, Dr Martens boots are in leather and chunky. The cherry red are the simply the classic piece.

I was introduced to this brand of boots when I was in my early teen years, when I started to like a particular style of dressing from the subcultures of Mods, Rockers and Grunge (Of course I didn't know the "terms" to the subcultures back then till I recently had to come up with a poster of a subculture in Visual Culture). The boots are the staple piece in their dressing and seeing something so bold and statement making I couldn't help but fall in love with the beauty of the boots.

And it made me wonder, that why out of everything, the youth subcultures chose the DM boots?

Here are some 4 steps to iconography I have discovered through the whole design of the DM boots.

To design an icon :

1. Have a Classic

If you want to come up with something in hopes that people would recognize the brand of it, then come up with a variety of designs in the same pattern. Just like the DMs. It has the same shape but each design has different types of quality. Like the types of leather, the colour of the leather, the prints on the leather, and whatnot.

2. Durability

Everyone goes for quality at one point or another. It was the quality that comes along with a pair of DMs that made it a craze in the battle grounds for soldiers and youngsters. The soles of the boots are resistant to Oil, Fat, Acid, Petrol, Alkali. So I think its better to come up with something that could be in the target of most of the audiences.

3. Music

Design something that would be of a good companion to music. That way it could be reached by more people.

4. Being an icon yourself

Parade yourself in your own artwork! Get it out there as a brand of you. Young designers need to get known too.