Bike Florida, Bike Share Branded Apparel Design

Design Background

Over the years, I’ve designed a number of apparel items, including t-shirts, hats, and polos. Considerable thought went into the design of the Coast “Florida” t-shirt. The most significant design challenge I had to overcome was that most brand t-shirts tend to be logo-heavy and made of poor-quality cotton. These design choices quickly result in a shirt becoming a “lawnmower” or “pajama” shirt.

Design Goal

The goal for these shirts was twofold; to be an added gift to the Founding Membership in St. Petersburg’s pre-launch sale as well as a supplemental revenue source, available for purchase at local bike shops, visitor centers, and local apparel vendors.

Design Process

With these design considerations, the brand had to be minimized as a tertiary item to ensure the success of the t-shirt, becoming a regular-wear item in constant wardrobe rotation. With the pride that is taken from being a Florida resident and for those visiting Florida, I determined the primary visual would be some representation of the state. Second, cyclists love to cycle and love to wear shirts related to cycling. With that, I utilized the icon for Coast vendor’s bicycle to fill the state at three different scales with the coast outlined. Finally, to give the design some hometown love, and not represent the entire state, I placed the Coast Icon over Tampa Bay, tying together the three programs there in St. Petersburg, Tampa, and green design at the University of South Florida. Additionally, the design was created in such a way that it could be utilized for the Juice program in Orlando with a simple logo and icon swap, meeting the same goals.