Stockton T-Shirt

Transforming a historic acrostic by Thomas Lawson and Ralph O. Yardley into a T-shirt design that celebrates the city’s heritage and unique character.

An acrostic written by Thomas Lawson and illustrated by Ralph O. Yardley was brought to me by a client who wanted to showcase this piece on a T-shirt. The goal was to honor the city’s heritage, capturing its unique character and reflecting the client’s passion for its history. I began with an image trace in Illustrator, but none of the settings preserved the full quality of the original artwork. To resolve this, I manually added the intricate details that were lost during the trace. This process not only enhanced the final design but also allowed me to refine my polishing skills, encouraging a deeper focus on details from both close-up and distant perspectives. The colors were intentionally kept monochromatic, per the client’s request, which worked well to maintain visual simplicity and avoid overwhelming the viewer while also keeping printing costs manageable.