Poppa Bill's 80th Birthday Merch
Graphic Design to Celebrate
When my Poppa Bill turned 80-years-old, we held a family reunion celebration at my Uncle's house in North Carolina with all 22 members of the Cullen extended family. My grandmother tasked me, her youngest grandchild, with the design of T-shirts we could all wear on Pop's big day.
You got to know Pop!
My Pop is an incredible man with love for all and an endless repertoire of talents, but if you boil him down for what he is known for best, its his infectious smile and his love of wine. I decided to come up with two designs to show Grandma, and have her pick her favorite.
I wanted my first design to be a caricature of Pop, accentuating his big, gorgeous smile. My Pop has a sense of humor, so I knew he wouldn't be offended, and I knew all my relatives would all have a warm laugh of love at this design of our Pop.
I went with an illustration of wine bottles with little easter eggs hidden in the details of the labels for design number 2. This design is more subtle, but still captures the spirit of Pop.
In the end, Grandma picked design #2 and we had 26 shirts printed for the big party. Pop absolutely loved it, and it has been one of my most meaningful projects to date!
