“Life Is About PerspectivE” T-Shirt Design
Client: [Fashion Has Heart]
[Fashion Has Heart] is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that utilizes the power of art, design, and fashion to benefit American Heroes. [FHH] brings the two worlds of Military and Creatives together with one mission: to create artistic designs that tell the powerful stories of our nation's wounded heroes. After partnering wounded Heroes with graphic artists, the final designs are produced by [FHH] partners into fashion products. A portion of the proceeds are given back to the Heroes and the remaining amount goes back into the organization, furthering the ability of the non-profit to impact additional men and women who have sacrificed everything for their country.
- (Fashion Has Heart, http://fhh.bitmanic.com/)
In 2014, I had the wonderful opportunity to pair with another fellow Kendall College graphic design student Lauren Berndt and work with Fashion Has Heart to create a t-shirt design for wounded veteran, Aaron Hale. Hale had served in the Amy on the EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) bomb squad in Iraq and Afghanistan before an explosion had robbed him of his eyesight. But being blind didn't mean that his life was over; Hale climbs mountains, runs marathons, is a motivational speaker, and is a loving father of four kids. For him, the difference between just being alive versus truly living is just a matter of perspective.
It was with this idea of perspective that Lauren and I found our inspiration and ultimately lead to the final look that we created. The design is a customized emblem, created to emulate the style of the E.O.D. badge present on the challenge coin that Hale proudly kept with him at all times. The original words on the coin, “initial success or total failure”, have been replaced with Aaron’s new life motto, “life is about perspective”. The olive branches in the original insignia have been replaced with a stylized version that are sharp and jagged, signifying the pieces of the blast that took his eyesight and changed his life. The E.O.D. type in the middle indicates what his position was in the army, and the double lines surrounding the badge imitate the coin that is so important to him, a symbol of his rank in the E.O.D. department and his graduated status of the E.O.D. academy. The sunglasses replace where a star would sit on top of the bomb to show that his rank as master E.O.D. was taken from him when he lost his sight. Utilizing a bold red, the color coding in the army indicating that something was incendiary, helped tie everything together and pop the design out proudly against the gray background of the shirt.
“Practice Like You've Never Won” T-Shirt Design
Client: St. Charles Junior and Senior Equestrian Teams
Being an equestrian is not for the faint of heart; early mornings, late nights, hours of practice, bathing, banding, clipping, cleaning stalls, hauling hay. They're hardworking, athletic, and gutsy. Unlike most sports, their "equipment" is over a thousand pounds, and has a mind of its own. And like humans, horses had good days and bad ones. With this design, I wanted to bring the team together with the St. Charles school colors (black and red), and showcase their dedication to their sport and the hard work that they put into their partnership with their horses. "Practice like you've never won, perform like you've never lost" is a concise way to remind the riders to enjoy their victories, but to stay humble and continue to work, as no one stays perfect without practice!
“BarBeQue and Beer For Our Horses” Promotional Pieces
Client: Grand Rapids Polo Club
Polo, the Sport of Kings. It's high-speed hockey on horseback, and a thrilling sport to watch. The Grand Rapids Polo Club out of Meadowview Farm in Lowell, MI, host various events throughout the summer. Although many of the events help promote the growth of the thrilling sport in Michigan, some of their events also hold significant meaning to the players. They host charity games where a portion of the proceeds will go back to the community. BarBeQue and Beer For Our Horses had their first annual event last year with proceeds going towards Vicky's Pet Connection, a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing and rehoming homeless or abandoned cats and dogs in the community of Ada, MI. The Grand Rapids Polo Club hosted the event, and paired with Gravel Bottom Brewery and Main Street BarBeQue offering dinner and beverages for spectators before and after the game.
Below is a poster and Facebook/Email advertisement that I constructed for the event to help raise awareness for the event. The posters were passed out and hung in businesses and shops all around Lowell, Ada, Grand Rapids, and Walker. The Facebook advertisement was circulated by all of the members of the club as well as their family and friends, bringing in a great turnout for the first ever BarBeQue and Beer For Our Horses Polo Event.
Michigan State 4-H Horse Show T-Shirt Design
2013 First Place T-Shirt Design, 4-H State Horse Show
To get to the state level while showing in 4-H is no easy task. You must attend all of the 4-H shows that year (4-5 shows), and place high amongst your competition. With every placing you receive at those shows, you build points towards the state show. The top 7 contenders in your county with the highest point scores are then reviewed by the 4-H Horse Council for your county before you're given the opportunity to represent your county in your age division at the State 4-H Show, held at The Pavilion at Michigan State.
Along with the showing classes that you participate in with your horse, there are a few symposium classes that a rider can enter. I chose to enter the T-Shirt design symposium class; what they do, is they take all of the first place t-shirt designs from across the age divisions and choose from those to use on the t-shirts that are sold at the State Show the following year. My design not only placed first out of my age division, but was also chosen for the t-shirt design for the following year!
