PAWS T-Shirt
PAWS T-Shirt
Instructor: Katey Strafford
Introduction:
PAWS is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit dedicated to rescuing homeless and at-risk pets while providing affordable veterinary care. Their mission is to make the city a no-kill community where every savable animal has a chance at a loving home.
For this project, we partnered with PAWS to design a series of T-shirts for a Bonfire fundraising campaign. The scope included developing creative concepts, finalizing production-ready designs, and promoting the campaign through social media. The goal was to create visually engaging designs that raise awareness and generate funds to support PAWS’ mission.
This design was inspired by the idea of companionship and loyalty, using the phrase “Born to Ride By Your Side” to reflect the unbreakable bond between people and their pets. I chose a motorcycle as the central visual to symbolize freedom, movement, and partnership—reimagining the classic “ride or die” mentality in a softer, more heartfelt way that aligns with PAWS’ mission.
To support this concept, I incorporated a rough, textured type style that nods to traditional biker T-shirt graphics. The goal was to capture that bold, worn-in aesthetic without fully leaning into an aggressive or hyper-masculine biker identity. Instead, the texture adds character and edge while still keeping the design approachable and inclusive. This balance allows the piece to feel expressive and visually striking, while reinforcing the warmth and loyalty at the core of the message.
ROUGHS
SKETCHES
