HAWAIIAN SHIRT PROJECT - Digital Media
INTRODUCTION
This assignment was aimed to help develop and apply our skills with digital design through a button-up shirt silhouette, a pattern to accompany it, buttons, and a tag. Research on classic Hawaiian shirts plus symbols of their culture contributed to the process as well. The design was to be effective and cohesive, but creative freedom was allotted and imagery could stray from traditional motifs.
MATERIALS
For this project I utilized a sketchbook with markers and ink pens to brainstorm potential design inspiration, followed by Adobe Illustrator and Behance on my Macbook.
CREATIVE PROCESS
I began by committing time weekly to this project; since I’m working a fulltime job weekdays, I was unable to attend a few of the lectures synchronously. I dedicated at least a few hours over each week to reviewing recordings, reading project information on Blackboard, and connecting with my peers. My intuition was immediately to come up with something both abstract and botanical for this shirt design. I researched various native Hawaiian flowers, symbols, and their meanings. From this I created sketches on paper until I arrived at something I wished to recreate digitally for my pattern. My personal favourite ended up being one with a dominant element in the middle, complete with expressive lines that create movement. Experimenting with different stylistic brush strokes and tools in Illustrator really allowed the design to come to life from a rather basic mockup. The colour guide tool also encouraged me to refine my colour palette into something more flattering, while still sticking with my original theme of earthy jewel tones. The tag was inspired by traditional tiki heads of course, as I still wanted to honour native Hawaiian culture through the design. The specific head I landed on is of the Maori people; commonly known as a good luck charm. From there the idea to integrate Hawaiian language blossomed, and after some further investigation I decided on “Pōmaikaʻi” which means “Good Luck”.
PRODUCTION METHODS/WORKFLOW
I followed along with the video tutorials while creating the drawing of the sections of the shirt- this was challenging yet very teaching, especially in regards to layers! I used the pencil tool to draw my pattern, then experimented with the stylization through brush strokes, colour, and opacity levels. From there I applied the pattern to the shirt outline, and worked with different shades of green until I was satisfied with the background colour showing through.
FINAL PRODUCTION
I believe my overall design is fun and aesthetically pleasing. The pattern is intriguing from far away and carries interesting details throughout it at a closer look, such as the faded yellow calligraphic markings. I could definitely picture it on a rainforest beach. The tag pays homage to traditional Hawaiian culture and the beautiful teachings it carries. I’m happy with the way the colours compliment each other, especially the orange adding great contrast and dimension.
TAKEAWAYS
I’m not totally satisfied with my design, as I was hoping to create something I would be excited about wearing personally and I do not feel successful in that. However, I believe I gained valuable experience and insight into what it takes to produce a design such as this one. My skills with various tools and effects in illustrator have improved vastly, and I feel far more confident going into upcoming projects. I also noticed my eye becoming more familiar with the effect of shadows and layered strokes while working with the buttons and thread.
