My concept was designed with the intent of evoking emotion and connecting with the audience for a screen-printed t-shirt. The design structure represents the state of North Carolina while adding a wow factor to create a design worth wearing. Limitations in the design included a multi-color job with the option of a 5th color being that of the t-shirt.

For this design, I sought to create a design that would celebrate North Carolina’s nautical history and stand out in a crowd. This design is an illustration of Blackbeard and incorporated tentacles from the legendary cephalopod sea monster, Kraken, into his beard. Blackbeard is a part of North Carolina history due to his reign as a pirate along our coast and is featured as the main focal point element within the design. The tentacles of the Kraken are in place to represent the Graveyard of the Atlantic. The Kraken provided movement and rhythm to the overall design. The helm featured in the design background provided emphasis and movement to the design but is also a nod to the legendary dominance that Blackbeard had while sailing along the Atlantic. The placement of the banner along the tentacles draws your eye towards the center of the composition and shows contrast with the rest of the design. This design was then taken into a 3-color rubylith for screen-printing.