As part of a very special project, I created a faux brand in which I designed socks with designs that were inspired by 1950’s American graphic styles. It has been, hands down, one of my favorite projects to date. It was so much fun to come up with these socks, but it was especially special as I dedicated the business to my late grandmother, Dorothy, who was affectionately called Dot by her loved ones. Although I never had the chance to meet her, I wanted to name this business after her as she has been a very big inspiration in my life.
I was also very drawn to creating a sock business as from the beginning of my journey into graphic design, I had always dreamt of designing socks. Since high school, I have grown my collection of fun and colorful socks with wacky and silly designs (the seagulls and fries socks being my absolute favorite pair!). I could just see myself wearing a pair of my very own that I made and just being so giddy all over the place.
And thus, Dot’s Socks was born.
A Very Good Place to Start
As I began the process of making this company, I began with a broad basis of what the company would be if it were real. Due to the premise of the project, I didn’t want to focus too much on this, but wanted to give myself enough information about the company to get myself started with the designs. As I was not creating any kind of promotional material or branding other than the logo, I did not create a tone or voice, text boundaries, or more detailed personas for the company. Instead, I established some logos and a sense of style for the brand (1950’s American Retro).
I think it should also be said that in memory of my grandmother, I created the font of the logo itself using inspiration from her own handwriting. Her handwriting was absolutely flawless and looked as thought it was made from a computer program. I wanted the logo to truly pay homage to her and I felt that was one of the best ways to do that.
Which Ones, Which Ones?
After coming up with the logo and a general direction of where I was going, I began the sketching for the the designs that I wanted. I struggled with how many I wanted to produce for this project and after asking a trusted friend, I ended up concluding that 3 themes with 3 designs each would be appropriate for this project, given how much time I had given myself to finish it. The three main themes grew into citrus, cats, and the beach. From there, the sketching began.
One of my main goals was to create these packs of three pairs with a good sense of continuity to them. To do this, I decided that each pack would contain a sock with a pattern, one with some kind of typography, and lastly, a pair with a simple, main graphic. This ended up making the process really enjoyable as I had to think within those boundaries to come up with unique designs for each.
It’s Going to be A Bumpy Ride
Once the execution phase began, that little voice – the one we all know, the one who tells us we can’t do it – began to creep into my mind again. I really struggled with gaining motivation to work on this project due to that little voice, however, just thinking about how much of a dream this had been since I began graphic design pushed me through those harder days. Getting the sketches done was one of the biggest obstacles I faced. I wanted to make sure I flushed out each design as much as I could with the energy and drive that I had.
Once the sketches were made up, I went onto the execution and really felt that I thrived in this part of the project. Although I don’t enjoy the sketching part of a project, I am always pleasantly surprised on how easy it makes the execution, to the point where it becomes fun and a great way to get into a flow state. The next few weeks were spent on designing and refining my work, making sure to seek out good council and critique. My dream was emerging and I began to find more motivation to keep working.
It’s Time!
At last I felt that my work paid off and I was able to show my work off to those who had been waiting, friends, family, and colleagues. I especially felt proud to show my work to my dad as he was the one who had painted this wonderful picture of who my grandmother was and who ultimately led me to base this project on her. I loved the interest people showed in what I had done and their inquires as to where/how they might be able to get a pair!
One of the other great parts about finishing this project was also the opportunity to share the designs with another graphic designer in the field, who gave me advice that I would like to act upon on a later date (future post coming soon!). This project was a long time coming, almost failing at a few points, but it taught me that I can make it through as I find the joy in what I do.
Overall, I loved giving life to Dot’s Socks and I feel that this will be a project that will never leave, whether that mean I eventually create more socks, or if I get to the point where it simply becomes a piece in a metaphorical trophy case that I get to flaunt along with all my other past and future accomplishments.
