College shirt designers appeal to world market
Stephanie Hall
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: TruLife
Hummingbirds, a trio of robots and symmetrical elephants are appearing on T-shirts all over the world.
These fashions are produced by senior Andy Meyer, the owner, operator, marketing director and part-time model for his company Rethink Clothing.
The idea for this company came to Meyer during finals week fall 2007 while he was sitting in the library.
"[I] just [saw] people walking by wearing the same thing, and [I was] already mad because it's finals," Meyer said. "It just set [me] off further."
He said he decided to break the cycle by marketing his own design.
"I guess things really started getting rolling in January of this year," Meyer said. "I got one design out, and I needed more, so I put three more out."
Although Meyer designed the first shirt himself, he said he started searching for others with a similar creative vision.
"The catch of it is they are all [done by] college designers," Meyer said. "I have people from Utah, from Florida, designing for me."
Meyer said he doesn't consider himself an artist but that he will sketch ideas in class then give them to an artist to work on.
"At first, I was scared to tell designers what I really wanted," Meyer said. "The more you talk to them, the more it sparks their thinking, which gets you a better shirt. It's been a steep learning curve."
Anne Bakken, senior at Savannah College of Art and Design, designed the Creatividad shirt in Meyer's collection. She said she likes the freedom Meyer provides his artists.
Bakken said she found Meyer after he registered as an employer through Savannah College of Art and Design.
"I had never thought about it before, but it was something I have always wanted to do," Bakken said. "It's the fun part of graphic design."
Bakken's design depicts a purple mirrored elephant on a silver T-shirt. Bakken said she has lived in more than six different countries, including Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Columbia and South Africa, and that her experiences influenced her artwork.
These fashions are produced by senior Andy Meyer, the owner, operator, marketing director and part-time model for his company Rethink Clothing.
The idea for this company came to Meyer during finals week fall 2007 while he was sitting in the library.
"[I] just [saw] people walking by wearing the same thing, and [I was] already mad because it's finals," Meyer said. "It just set [me] off further."
He said he decided to break the cycle by marketing his own design.
"I guess things really started getting rolling in January of this year," Meyer said. "I got one design out, and I needed more, so I put three more out."
Although Meyer designed the first shirt himself, he said he started searching for others with a similar creative vision.
"The catch of it is they are all [done by] college designers," Meyer said. "I have people from Utah, from Florida, designing for me."
Meyer said he doesn't consider himself an artist but that he will sketch ideas in class then give them to an artist to work on.
"At first, I was scared to tell designers what I really wanted," Meyer said. "The more you talk to them, the more it sparks their thinking, which gets you a better shirt. It's been a steep learning curve."
Anne Bakken, senior at Savannah College of Art and Design, designed the Creatividad shirt in Meyer's collection. She said she likes the freedom Meyer provides his artists.
Bakken said she found Meyer after he registered as an employer through Savannah College of Art and Design.
"I had never thought about it before, but it was something I have always wanted to do," Bakken said. "It's the fun part of graphic design."
Bakken's design depicts a purple mirrored elephant on a silver T-shirt. Bakken said she has lived in more than six different countries, including Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Columbia and South Africa, and that her experiences influenced her artwork.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Andy Meyer
posted 5/01/08 @ 11:54 AM CST
Awesome story, thanks Stephanie. Also 2 new shirts are out as of now, so check them out.
Audrey Tabary
posted 5/02/08 @ 8:48 AM CST
Fantastic ! Congratulations Andy, you had a brilliant idea and had the courage and strength to work on it to make it become real !! I love your vision and the fact that there is a strong ideal behind the marketing side. (Continued…)
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