Case Study
Bryan Cioffi
Co-Founder & Head of Design at Meg/Bryan Design Agency · LinkedIn
Creating a safe runway for new footwear brands to take off
With more than two decades of experience as VP/Creative Director at Converse and Reebok, Bryan Cioffi has helped shape some of the most iconic footwear of the past 20 years.
Today, as Co-Founder and Head of Design at Meg/Bryan Design Agency, he's applying that experience in a new way - helping challenger brands break into the footwear industry and design faster, smarter, and more sustainably with NewArc.
Bryan uses NewArc to share his vision with stakeholders and develop products faster
Breaking into footwear is a risky business. Production costs are high, supply chains are complex and one bad design could sink a company.
Bryan uses NewArc to help brands and investors clearly see what they're committing to before costly manufacturing decisions are made. Technical drawings can be difficult to interpret for anyone without a design background. NewArc bridges that gap, turning those drawings into accurate, photorealistic visuals that non-designers can clearly understand.
This shared visual language allows non-designers to confidently evaluate designs that balance creative ambition with commercial viability - removing uncertainty from the process and accelerating decision-making.
“I use AI to empower my thoughts. I could create a render, but it wouldn't be this realistic and I certainly couldn't do it in under a minute like NewArc could.”
Case Study
The Challenge
Help an apres-ski apparel company break into footwear for the first time
Bryan collaborated with Skea, a 40 year old apres-ski apparel brand creating their first footwear line.
Skea had never made footwear before and the investors weren't designers so wouldn't be able to visualize an end product from a line drawing alone.
What they needed was a clear, shared vision. Something that would align everyone early and significantly reduce the risk of getting it wrong.
The Solution
Use NewArc to get the design right before production
Bryan initially presented technical drawings of apres-ski boots and a running shoe to the team at Skea. They were happy in principle, but not entirely sure what to expect. Bryan knew he could take it a step further.
Using NewArc, he was able to generate some early AI images that were so realistic the team thought they were photos of products that have already been produced.
Technical Drawing
NewArc Render
Final Product
It allowed them to have deeper conversations about the design that wouldn't have otherwise been possible. The conversation flipped from “it looks alright, I guess” to “what if we change this material?” and “what would it look like if we changed this part?”
Being able to see the renders enabled immediate alignment on materials, proportion, and design intent.
Bryan then embedded the NewArc renders directly into the tech packs. For the factory, this was transformative - they weren't interpreting abstract drawings, they were building to a clear visual reference.
“Factories see the render and just say, ‘Thank you. We know exactly what you want.’”
See Bryan's Workflow
Watch how Bryan uses NewArc to go from rough idea to presentable concept in under 30 minutes
“Using AI is not a static skill set - it's a mindset. Every time I log in, the tool has evolved. That's what's exciting.”
Ready to Try NewArc?
Take your visuals to the next level: transform your sketches and flat drawings into original designs and visual concepts.