How I Entered the Art of the Game Sneaker Design Contest | Skinz Time

Johnny Skinz
Dec 7, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Art of the Game, by Canvvs and Rakuten, is the ultimate sneaker design contest that challenges artists to tell a story through footwear. In this post, I break down my creative process, inspiration, and lessons learned while designing a burnt-themed custom sneaker for the competition.

What is the Art of the Game Sneaker Design Contest?

Art of the Game, by Canvvs and Rakuten, is a sneaker design contest built around storytelling. Rather than focusing solely on clean execution or hype-driven aesthetics, the contest asks designers to use sneakers as a canvas to communicate a message, concept, or emotion.

The storytelling aspect of the contest is what stood out the most to me. Creating custom sneakers has always been about more than just painting the best characters or executing perfect color ways, it's about narrative, authenticity, and intention.

My Concept and the Creative Process

When I started brainstorming designs for the contest, I knew I didn't want to play it safe, but I also knew I was extremely limited by time. I wanted to create something that felt authentic, imperfect, and reflective of the highs and lows that come with creating art.

Finding the Right Story

Since I was limited by time, I started with the question:

What story do I want to tell?

That question lead me away from creating a perfect, polished design and pulled me toward something more raw. I wanted the sneaker to convey how I felt about creating a custom sneaker on such a tight timeline while other more important projects loomed in the background.

Why I Chose the Burnt Theme

The burnt concept isn't new, but it's one I've dabbled with before, especially when creating a pair a few years back for the New Jersey Devils. In the case of this contest, the burnt concept was more than just a design element, but became a metaphor instead.

To me, it represents:

Creative pressure
Failure and setbacks
Resilience after damage
Growth through discomfort

Rather than hiding the flaws, the design leans into them! The damage is the story.

Key Elements of the Design

To bring the burnt concept to life, I focused on specific details that supported the key narrative points:

A darkened grey/black color palette to symbolize smoke and ash
Burnt, distressed edges with the original suede color underneath
Hand-painted stylistic flames on the rear of the shoe to show a burning desire to create

These elements combined showcase the intent of the sneaker design.

What I Learned from the Art of the Game Contest

This project reinforced a few lessons that will stick with me moving forward:

While technical skill is important, storytelling matters just as much
Designs don't need to be 'perfect' to be powerful
Creative constraints can actually unlock better ideas
Growth happens when you take risks and sit with discomfort

Win or lose, the experience itself was valuable, and it pushed me to think differently about how I approach future custom sneakers.

Final Thoughts

Competing in the Art of the Game sneaker design contest pushed me creatively and helped to reinforce why storytelling is at the core of custom sneakers, and sneaker art in general. Whether I win or not, the process itself was worth it.

I plan to continue exploring projects that are emotionally driven, imperfect, and follow a storytelling narrative.

What do you think of the design? Which is your favorite design from the competition? You can find a full, comprehensive list of the Top 100 entries here.