As an animal and reptile lover naturally I was stoked when a local snake breeder hired me to design a graphic to accompany their branding on a line of promotional apparel.
Already setting themselves apart in their digital presentation, Elemental Herps (herpetology) adorns their social media with absolutely stunning photography of their snakes against stark black & white reflective backdrops that pop the vibrance of their animals. They wanted a graphic representation of their brand that similarly stood apart from the status quo for reptile breeders visualizations (kitschy, over the top, ill-conceived and poorly rendered).
The initial wishes of the client were to adapt one of their photos to be the basis of the design for the apparel, however, initial drafts and concept work felt limited. It lacked distinction and fell into the ranks of their of low-brow competitors. Pressing the client gently for a shift into another style, I asked them to think of a vibe or feeling that meant something to them. They landed on the bold, flaunting confidence of the 80's. The renewed energy was tangible from both sides, I got to work.
After pulling new reference material I settled on an illustration in low polygon style which would capture a juicy 80's retro vibe in a contemporary way. In the early stages I made the skeuomorphic decision to avoid triangles in the polygon array, opting for quadrangular and pentagonal forms instead to preserve some of the look of the snakes native scales and prevent the design from looking too abstract.
After building out the wireframe in vector paths I checked in with the client to ensure we were on track, they were ecstatic. I continued by selecting a limited 5-colour palette of teal, cyan, purples, and hot pink that filled the design with individually placed gradients within each shape. To set the whole thing off I built the design into a triangular base with a striated pattern for depth and motion.
The client was so happy with the design that they increased their initial order quantity of shirts and added a set of holographic stickers to their promo rollout. The design drew Elemental Herps additional attention from the local reptile community and even some new business from the US. They intend to release future limited edition versions in alternate colour schemes.
