Yonder Aerial Studio Merchandise Design

I created this merchandise design for Yonder Aerial Studio in Reno, Nevada, to be sold during a community aerial performance. The goal was to create an eye-catching design that celebrated the strength, artistry, and personality of the aerial community while appealing to both performers and audience members.

The Design

The illustration features an aerialist performing on silks in an advanced backbend pose. I chose one of the discipline's most technically demanding movements to showcase the athleticism and artistry that aerial acrobatics requires. The phrase "I don't sweat, I sparkle" adds a playful personality while reflecting the confidence and joy often found within the circus community.

The limited color palette and clean vector style were designed to translate well onto merchandise while maintaining strong visual impact from a distance.

Process

Having trained in the Reno aerial and circus community for the past three years, I drew inspiration from firsthand experience and an understanding of the movement vocabulary unique to aerial arts. I created the illustration in Adobe Illustrator as scalable vector artwork, ensuring it could be reproduced across multiple products without losing quality.

To complete the project, I sourced and ordered custom heat transfers and applied them to merchandise, giving me experience with both the design and production sides of creating branded apparel.

Tools

Adobe Illustrator · Vector Illustration · Apparel and Merchandise Design · Print Production · Heat Transfer Application