Playful, stylish, and wholesomely relatable: This personified family of sneakers showcases a range of unique personalities. I pulled inspiration for this comic by reflecting on the qualities and mannerisms of my closest friends. To visualize each personality I curated a collection of popular sneaker brands. Ubiquitous brands like Nike and Converse are easy to recognize by their familiar color palettes and iconic design.

I once read somewhere that you can tell a lot about someone by looking at their shoes. Consequently, as a kid, I was convinced I had to wear fun-looking shoes to let people know that I, too, was “fun.” Looking back at this childhood fantasy, I recall the fascination I held for evolving shoe trends. As a middle schooler, it seemed Adidas and New Balance were all the rage—until they weren’t. Beyond the confines of middle school, a shoe-brand status is an outdated form of social currency. Naturally, my freshman year of college propelled me into an environment where no one cares what kind of shoes someone is wearing. Now, as I run from lecture to lecture, the last thing I’m thinking about is my shoes.

By definition, shoes are simply modern contraptions which humans wiggle their feet into every morning for protection and support. Yet I think the beauty of a shoe lies in its ability to cater to a certain user: the athlete, the art student, the skater kid, the bookworm. This comic explores the sneaker's unforetold beauty of human connection.