From sketchbook to sweatshirt: how a design gets made

Every design we've ever released started as a bad drawing.

Step one: the ugly sketch

A shape, a phrase, a feeling. Usually in pencil, usually crooked, usually abandoned for a week before it makes sense.

Step two: the words

We write the line before we design it. If the phrase doesn't hold up in plain text, no amount of nice lettering will save it.

Step three: the type

This is the longest part. Letterforms get redrawn, spacing gets fussed over, and about half of what we make never leaves the folder.

Step four: the wear test

We print one. We wear it for two weeks — hikes, coffee runs, laundry cycles. If we're still reaching for it, it ships.

Why it matters

A design should feel like something you'd actually wear on a Tuesday, not something that only works in a photo.