Stay Happy Collective

Designing merch is the easy part

I co-founded Stay Happy Collective, a Seattle art collective, and ran its merchandise from the first sketch to the last box in the storage unit.

That meant designing the products, yes. It also meant sourcing blanks, negotiating with printers, deciding how many mediums to order versus larges, setting prices that actually cleared cost, staffing the table at events, and running the online store when the drop went live at midnight. 

Most graphic designers deliver a file. I've lived with the consequences of the file.

What that changes about how I work

I design for the print method, not around it. Screen printing, DTG, and embroidery each fail in different ways. Knowing which one a design is headed for before I draw it saves a round of revisions and a rejected proof. 

I know what a supplier will actually accept. Print-ready means their spec, not a generic export. Fewer emails, fewer delays, no surprise setup fees. 

I design for a size curve and a budget. A design that needs eight colors is a different business than one that needs two. That conversation belongs at the start, not after you've priced it. 

I've watched things not sell. That's the education you can't get from a design brief. Some ideas look great on a mockup and sit in a box for a year.

Beyond the products

I also managed the collective's brand across everything customers touched. The web presence, the social channels, the drop announcements, the event promotion. Merchandise doesn't sell on its own. The photo, the caption, the timing of the post, and the shirt are one product.

What I bring to your project

If you're a caterer, a shop, a band, or a studio putting your name on something people wear, you don't just need artwork. You need someone who'll ask what your budget per unit is, which printer you're using, and whether anyone actually wants the thing.

Putting your name on something people wear?

Tell me what you’re printing, how many, and who’s printing it. I design to that spec so your vendor accepts it first time. Apparel, packaging and promotional design for businesses around Tacoma and the Puget Sound.

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