I'm stuck! How would you get over this?

kikixmomo

New Member
Hello all!

A bit of background - I'm just out of uni and I've done around 10+ freelance graphic design jobs until now. My most loyal client has given me another job recently but I'm stuck... She doesn't really have any ideas herself so I have to kind of think of everything from scratch for her.

My job is to make a t-shirt design and a poster for a company who deals in firefighting equipment. She wants the t-shirt to be 'female', for the females of the company. She said I don't necessarily have to include the equipment in the design, but definitely have to have the company name. She did have some sort of idea first to create something which was based on the Charlie's Angels silhouette logo, with the ladies holding firefighting equipment, but then someone gave her a criticism that this might be too 'old'. Now she wants the design to be modern, female, and beautiful, and at least to relate to the firefighting equipment, or play on the company's name. She wants it to be something that people say "Wow!" and want to take it home with them (it will be offered as a gift). I've done a couple of rough sketches but I'm really unsure about them.

I'm saying all this because I'm really stuck. Everything she gives me is just so vague. I would just love to know what you would do in this situation? I want to know how to move forward, as I'm not that experienced. This seems like my hardest job yet!

Thanks for reading!
 
Haha thanks for your reply! Already thought of that but she doesn't want men to appear on the design. :) This is the problem, it's so vague. I've put women in the design before and she liked it but now she's not sure about it. I'm trying to create something but I don't know where it's going. Just thinking of more ideas at the moment.
 
What's the point of the t-shirts? I'm guessing they're to be given away for promotion, but to whom specifically?
 
What's the point of the t-shirts? I'm guessing they're to be given away for promotion, but to whom specifically?

Hi Paul, sorry maybe I wasn't specific enough. For the tshirt: The t-shirt is made for the female employees to wear at the company. Something feminine and strong which older people also understand. Something universal.

The poster: "The poster is more to show to the sales/marketing manager. I want employees to say, "wow" when they see it, or "I want to take this at home". And maybe it can become a gift for shows/fairs. If it's so lovely that people keep this at home, they will remember the brand more easily." She did mention that the potential takers of this posters would be male.

With the poster it should be easier, but the tshirt design seems a bit difficult.
 
All I can think of is some kind of stylised graphic or illustration depicting the firefighting equipment.

Otherwise, maybe a slogan or play on words, using the company name, whatever that is? Have you had a look through some t-shirt websites, to see what is out there?
 
All I can think of is some kind of stylised graphic or illustration depicting the firefighting equipment.

Otherwise, maybe a slogan or play on words, using the company name, whatever that is? Have you had a look through some t-shirt websites, to see what is out there?

Yes, I was thinking that too, even though I asked and it doesn't necessarily need the fire equipment shown, but I can't see any way at the moment. I've looked on a couple of tshirt sites, expecially at the ones already created with firefighting in mind, and I can say that most we not great. So the search continues!
 
... She did have some sort of idea first to create something which was based on the Charlie's Angels silhouette logo, with the ladies holding firefighting equipment, but then someone gave her a criticism that this might be too 'old'. Now she wants the design to be modern, female, and beautiful...


Retro is modern.

There's nothing wrong with rejecting criticism and this sounds to me like a pretty smart solution.
 
Retro is modern.

There's nothing wrong with rejecting criticism and this sounds to me like a pretty smart solution.

Clever parody is modern no matter the age of the subject. The Charlie's Angels silhouette is iconic and timeless. I could see this being used with firefighting equipment and think it'd look pretty good if done right. It's actually a great idea to look at parodying something iconic. Look at the site threadless.com They have loads of iconic imagery juxtaposed with unusual and unexpected situations. There's nothing wrong with copying if done in an original way.
 
Firefighting equipment...how about looking at Greek Goddesses bearing urns/vessels of water? Water is used to put out fires...
Could make a great icon, be beautiful and depict women without falling into any kind of sexist or 'obvious' female imagery.
 
How about the slogan "I know how to handle a hose" with a simple vector of a hose & nozzle with a few drips of water flicking out?
 
How about the slogan "I know how to handle a hose" with a simple vector of a hose & nozzle with a few drips of water flicking out?

Mmm... classy...

How about a t-shirt with two holes in it for the hooters to poke through with the slogan: "If all else fails, I'll smother it with these babies"?
 
How about a modernised simplified line drawing of a fire hydrant with wings.
Wings with simplified lines similar to manga style or tattoo style.

Then the t-shirt has a miniature version of the logo on right side front with a larger motif filling the back,
Something swirly and pen drawn look.
This logo could be in white against a dark t-shirt background.

Angelic and feminine but related to fire fighting.
If it's refined well it could double up as a casual t-shirt to wear out and about too.
 
something simple, elegant and typographic? It would get you away from cheesy or obvious images and might convey the brand equally effectively.
 
Pun based innuendos and slogans relating to fire/firefighting and beautiful women I guess.

Crap off the top of my heads...

I'm hot,
smother me

You're flamin' hot.
Call me (999)

Is it me, or is it hot in here?

These are clearly useless, but you get the idea?

 
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