METU Graduation Sweats
As a part of the 2023 METU Psychology Dept batch, I was enthused to create yet another long-lasting memory to honor, cherish, and give closure to the beautiful chapter I had during my undergrad journey. Wanting to make a unique design that would, in a collective manner, capture the soul of department along with some light-hearted humor, I ended up making "METU PSYCHOLOGY: Can't Read Minds."
Customization & Quality
What was initially meant to be a unicolor sweatshirt turned into many other options: Sweatshirt or hoodie, black or green, from XS to 3XL in an attempt to be taste-inclusive as well as size-inclusive!
We also refrained from writing the year of graduation to allow upper and lower years to order their own sweatshirts.
In terms of quality, the cloth was top-quality 100% cotton, and the prints were all embroidered.
"Can't Read Minds"
After much brainstorming, I chose the phrase "Can't Read Minds," as it beautifully and humorously encapsulated the universal experience of being a psychologist, representing and at the same time debunking the misconception that psychologists can read people's minds.
While many may criticize the placement of the phrase under the hood, it holds a deeper psychological purpose: To arouse curiosity! There's nothing more interesting or mysterious than a nice design that you can't seem to make up. Additionally, it's a fun conversation starter! This in itself is a monument to the amount of thought I put into fulfilling the needs and wants of the user, to further maximize the quality of their experience.
Design Variations
During the brainstorming part of the design sprint, I came up with a few phrases and designs to represent what it meant to be a psychology student. However, the simplest and most humorous one was "Can't Read Minds."
Conclusion
The design, which was a voluntary passion project dedicated to my department, was a success! Many students ordered the sweatshirts/hoodies, and they came out very nicely. After getting pictures from the students wearing them, I will post them below so you can take a look at how close they look.
