CLIENT: Hmong Museum (St. Paul, MN)
This design was created as a submission for a t-shirt design contest hosted by the Hmong Museum in 2020 to celebrate 5 years since their establishment in 2015.
Among many applicants, my design was selected and voted by the public to be screen-printed into t-shirts.
“Each submission was anonymously scored based on the follow criteria: 1) Design’s reflection on Hmong culture, heritage or history, 2) Originality and 3) Printability” – Hmong Museum.
PROCESS
The initial process started out with several design ideas and sketches. I wanted to incorporate symbols or visual objects from the Hmong culture into my design.
After reviewing the initial ideas, I decided to go with the design that spoke most to the theme and one that will work best on a unisex t-shirt. When I brought the design into Adobe Illustrator, I continued creating variations, playing around with areas where the ink will be applied and how it would look against the garment color.
Finally, I chose the design that will look best against a t-shirt, since the design was only be printed in one color.
“My design was inspired by Hmong motifs found on our traditional fabrics. I feel those symbols serve as a universal language and art form in the Hmong culture. The design consists of two rings encircling a circle The outermost ring with the triangles represent the grandparents/older generation. The triangles symbolize mountains and serve as a form of protection and guidance to the younger generations. The ring with the snail symbols represent the parents/middle-aged generation. The snail symbolizes “family,” which is an important aspect in the Hmong culture. Parents are essential to the family and is the glue that binds the young and old generation. The innermost circle represents the children/younger generation. As the youngest generation we take everything that has been bestowed upon us and plant the seeds for the future. My hope is that the future of the Hmong will continue to blossom into something beautiful.“
The final t-shirt design was chosen with Hmong Museum adding their name and establishment date alongside the logo.
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DUACHAKA HER 