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April 21, 2008
Salt Lake City design firm's T-shirt enjoying national media attention
By Frances Johnson
The Enterprise
A T-shirt created by Salt Lake City design firm Hint Creative for American Eagle Outfitters and the Declare Yourself youth voting campaign is gaining national attention, appearing on the cover of Seventeen magazine as well as on MTV's "Total Request Live" and the "Access Hollywood" television program.
A long-time agency partner of American Eagle, Hint Creative was working on a redesign of the company's new credit card and related promotional materials when a then-member of the American Eagle creative team, Nate Morley, pitched the T-shirt idea.
"We were working on another project and he liked what we had been showing him and gave us the opportunity to contribute some ideas," said Christian Hansen, principal and art director at Hint. "Now it's getting some great visibility and we're really stoked."
The T-shirt represents a partnership between American Eagle and Declare Yourself, a nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign that encourages every eligible 18-year-old in the country to register and vote. American Eagle asked Hint Creative to come up with a simple, clean T-shirt concept that included the words "vote" and "declare yourself."
"There wasn't a lot of direction, but we're kind of tapped in with the demographic American Eagle shoots for," Hansen said.
Hansen and another Hint designer, Brad Dowdle, spent a week last November putting together several design options, with input and suggestions from the American Eagle creative team.
"They were gravitating toward a very simple execution. Very iconic, very graphic," Hansen said.
The shirt doesn't hit American Eagle stores until May 23, but it appeared on the April 8 cover of Seventeen magazine, worn by the stars of the popular reality TVseries "The Hills." A behind-the-scenes segment about the cover shoot on "Access Hollywood" also spotlighted the T-shirt. Hansen and his team are surprised -- and pleased -- by all the positive attention.
"As a designer it's such an unusual feeling," Hansen said. "Eight months ago we were designing it here on our computers and then, in the push of a button, really, it's mass-produced and it's out there and celebrities are wearing it. It's thrilling."
Also thrilling was the opportunity to do something a little different from Hint's usual work. Though the firm, which opened in December 2006, has designed T-shirts before and works with several prominent national clients, no previous project has supported a cause in the way this T-shirt does, and no project has brought so much visibility.
"It's more than our normal projects, which are just trying to promote something for someone," Hansen said. "This is a cause-oriented thing. Everyone is paying attention to politics right now and who knows what the youth vote is going to do? It could swing the next four years."
A frequent collaborator with American Eagle, Hansen said he would welcome the opportunity to partner with the firm on other, similar projects. Additional Hint clients include Depuy: A Johnson & Johnson Co., kayak paddle manufacturer Seven2 and Shade Clothing. Located in the Crandall Building in downtown Salt Lake City, Hint Creative currently employs four designers, up from two when the firm opened, and more growth could be on the horizon with the success of the "Vote" T-shirt.
"It's very fun for a young company. I don't have a lot of experience with that," Hansen said. "I think definitely having projects that are this visible should, in theory, lead to more exposure and more work. That's the hope."
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