A shirt can just be a shirt, but as we know, it can also be a way to raise money, raise awareness and raise thought.

"Giving Knows No Boundaries" Haiti Relief T-shirt

The Giving Knows No Boundaries shirt is a simple design with a powerful message. The blue and green colors, taken directly from a map, should remind us that we all live on the same earth. And when our neighbor is in trouble, we should help.

This message also not only challenges us to give, but reminds us to give beyond our own backyard – maybe even beyond our own comfort level. And from what we’ve seen, a few dollars from a lot of people adds up to a tremendous amount.

For this shirt, we’ve chosen to donate to the American Red Cross. They have been providing volunteers, first aid and supplies such as drinking water, tents and tools. They are also comforting children and providing support to those who have suffered emotional trauma.

But although we’d love for you all to purchase one of OUR shirts, we just simply encourage you to give in any way, to any reputable charity, to help provide some sort of relief to our neighbors whose world has been turned upside down.

I love fishing. The floppy hats, nomenclature like doodlesock and hawg and its ability to serve a metaphor for self reliance and independence.

At some point everyone has come across the aphorism ‘Give a person a fish, they eat for a day. Teach a person to fish, they eat for a lifetime.’ Down in West Virginia’s Jefferson & Berkeley Counties, Friends in Action of the Eastern Panhandle is teaching people how to fish. The non-profit pairs low-income families with mentors who serve as role models and provide emotional support; help with budgeting and parenting skills; tutor a child or help a parent acquire a GED or obtain a job; celebrate the good times and help get past the rough spots.

My original thumbnail didn’t actually have the Give/Teach quote. Rather, it was a bunch of fish with a hook hanging there all cryptic. This would’ve pushed the boundaries of our screen printing department, requiring multiple screens and locations unlike any shirt we have produced yet. But it didn’t convey the Give/Teach message very well. Or at all.

Speaking of the Give/Teach quote, traditionally it has been known as “give a Man a fish/teach a man to fish” which left me to wonder about women…wouldn’t they like to learn how to fish? I changed my phrase so that everyone can enjoy fishing.

The next drawing tested the waters with integrating the text with the fish. I started working on refining the drawing with pencil. This helped flesh out the style of the letterforms and fish.

I’m a very raw designer, instead of tight and technical, so I wasn’t concerned with making everything perfect for the final product.  I traced over the pencil with a pen and scanned it. From there I worked on the computer, redrawing it yet again, refining the forms and tweaking the colors. And ta-da, the completed design!

You can land yourself one over here.