Design Work for Local Schools
Over the last couple of years I have worked with local schools and universities through teachers, coaches and other clients. I create or adapt requested designs for T-shirts and hoodies. Sometimes producing the items for the schools myself. Typically these orders come in the form of T-shirts but I’ve given talks about design and produced other school promotional gear as well.
Some designs are original, others are edits or student artwork adapted for print. Each order is unique and requires flexibility. Either way I built every design from scratch as vector art. This is to keep the design and colors completely within my control to bring down the costs of production.
Favorite School Project
My favorite design I did was for the Lansing Middle School. They run a T-shirt design contest each year, the winning design gets printed on shirts that the whole graduating class receives. In 2024 a student won with the design shown on the left. The middle school was unsure how to have the design printed and they gave me total freedom with the project to create something original or completely different. I decided it was better to adapt the winning students' artwork. So using my design skillset I adapted the students' design, and worked with the school to affordably produce the shirts. At the 8th grade graduation party all the students were able to wear that design.
We’ll never fully understand how the little things we do affect each other, and maybe this project didn’t mean anything. But I hope that the student who won that contest, and had their design printed, will be inspired to continue to create and design for years to come. Emboldened by seeing their artwork worn by their friends and teachers, that one time, at the end of 8th grade.