Big Idea Energy Tee
Merch Design
THE BRIEF
Sometimes the best way to show what you can do - is to do it for yourself! With a ticket to Ideas Fest booked (the festival known as Glastonbury for Business) and a field full of founders to meet, I decided to show up as a walking portfolio. The brief I set myself: design a t-shirt that would resonate with a room full of big-idea people, spark conversations, and showcase exactly what I can create for merch design clients.
THE WORK
I started the same way as all my client merch design projects: by thinking about the audience. A festival full of entrepreneurs and founders with incredible ideas they're bringing to life - what would speak to them? The answer came quickly: Big Idea Energy. It tied directly into my own brand tagline and felt empowering in exactly the right way.
The graphic needed to match that energy. I considered a lightbulb surrounded by planets, but decided on something more impactful: a pencil breaking through a lightbulb, representing the creativity that turns ideas into something real. Bold black and orange, punchy typography, and of course a few stars and sparkles surrounding the pencil - because it still needed to feel like me, not just a statement.
The front leads with the slogan and graphic. The back carries the same graphics, along with my brand tagline, "your ideas deserve to live in the real world", and my logo, so the whole thing works as a cohesive piece of brand communication, not just a cool t-shirt.
THE OUTCOME
The t-shirt is printed, it looks brilliant, and Ideas Fest is just around the corner. Several people have already expressed interest in buying one… which, before it's even been worn in public, feels like a pretty good sign. Watch this space!
