How to make a band T-shirt

Ever wondered what goes into a T-shirt shot like this? You might be surprised how many people are involved in the creative process, from initial idea through to photoshoot with Dani Divine. Let’s start at the beginning:

Chris Brookes (imagery)

The Kill or Cure name lent itself to medical imagery, so Chris researched related imagery, including the ancient medical symbols like the rod of Asclepius and the caduceus.

Dani Brookes (hand crafting)

Settling on the winged snake and dagger motif of the caduceus, we wanted to make the symbol our own, so swapped the rod for a syringe, which could either be delivering a cure or something more deadly. Dani designed and mocked up the first version of the symbol, creating a collage of cut-outs, using her talents in crafting hand made cards and gifts. The draft design was then mocked up on a prototype T-shirt.

Elena de Jesus (test subject)

Elena modelled the first draft of the T-shirt and we got feedback from our fans on the design.

Dan Hepner (digital draft design)

Dan took a scan of the mock-up and digitised it so it could be edited in design software. To make it suitable for T shirt screen printing, the design was modified to work well in fewer colours, eventually settling on a black and white version.

Martin Hamilton (final design)

The black and white digitised draft was handed over to an experienced graphic designer who Dan had worked with before. Martin rebuilt the motif from scratch, based on Dan’s design, but in a much cleaner style.

Funeral Moon Merchandise (printer)

Richard Freeman from Funeral Moon Merchandise screen printed the final design onto the T-shirts and hoodies.

Dani Divine (model)

Dani Divine, international alternative model was chosen to be the face of our band merch clothes.

Newkid Camden (photographer)

Newkid set up the shoot, directed Dani Divine, took the photographs, and edited the final images for the website.

…and that’s how we got our band T-shirt! If you like the design, check out our store for hoodies, men’s & women’s T-shirts & more.