Case Study: Commissioned T-shirt design

Recently I was contacted by a friend at my college Alma Mater, Hannibal LaGrange College, about designing a t-shirt for the theatrical ministry group "New Edition". I had done some work for them previously (flyer design for a children's show for the theater department), but this would be my first paid gig.

Understanding that a number of the art departments at most schools tend to get the shaft on funding, I planned on cutting them a substancial discount - 75% off my normal rate for this type of job - with the hope of repeat business later on, as well as building contacts back up in the college. I don't normally do this, but I've been itching for something new to do, so this fit in nicely, and I wasn't going to have to spend much time on the design. 2 hours, total, is what I've spent thus far.

Requirements from the customer? Forest green background, one or two colors. Printer requirements? Not a clue. I'm used to dealing with this sort of scenario though.

I approached the first design with something akin to the Pepsi branding redesign; clean, minimalistic, and subtle. This is what I came up with. It's clean, and will be noticable at a glance (they do guerilla-style theater, including street performances, and travel somewhat frequently). It's something that people will be able to recognize and read quickly without having to stare too long. The symbolic detail becomes evident with a little creative observation; I'll leave that to you (it's a 3 step close proximity expression, see if you can catch it).

I went ahead and contacted the person in charge, letting her know that the first concept was ready for her eyes. She liked it, but was looking for something different. No problem, I planned on having to do 2, but would have preferred that the first one be accepted, for the obvious reasons.

She expressed an interest in the shirt I was wearing - A Manchester LTD shirt from The Buckle featuring a heavily distressed flourish design.

Not knowing what the printers could handle, I was a little strained as to what I could design. I allowed myself to mull it over during work, and came up with a couple ideas. Eventually, I figured out 2 concepts which could work, in theory; one featuring a heavily embellished Celtic cross and latin text with the New Edition name, and another one themed off of American Eagle/Aeropostale style distressed designs (older; early 00's).

The first idea proved to be too time consuming to implement, and I felt that utilizing stock art for it would be a poor move given that it would practically be the focus of the design. The second design was what I went with, and this was the result.

I'm now waiting to hear back from the client; with any luck, this will be closer to her desired end. While I prefer the first design, one has to remember that it's the client that makes those decisions. You just have to take your own initiative in order to ensure that you satisfy both their wants, and their actual needs.