CRUSOE MERCH

In my early teenage years, I already knew I wanted to be a graphic designer (see my About page for that story). I even started a clothing company called Ampcon Clothing. After finding a local screen-printing shop, I got to work designing my own t-shirts, having them printed locally, and selling them throughout my school. What started with friends quickly spread to friends of friends, then strangers, and eventually led to my designs being sold in a local skate, snow, and surf shop alongside some of the biggest brands at the time. From a very early age, I realized the most rewarding part of design was seeing something I created exist as a physical product.

Eventually I realized my passion wasn’t necessarily running a clothing brand itself, but about fifteen years ago, a few years after college, I decided I still wanted to create products for myself. Not just t-shirts, but pins, patches, mugs, block prints, stickers, and more.

Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with a Polish enamelware company called Emalco, which handcrafted metal camping mugs featuring my artwork, and with New Era on extremely high-quality hats. That collaboration was a major milestone, as New Era typically partners with large brands producing high-volume merchandise.

In another portfolio piece, The Great Black Bear, I showcase examples of that design applied across those mugs and other products. That particular design gained strong traction, but I’m proud of everything I’ve created and wanted to share a selection here. Some of these designs are nearly fifteen years old, others are recent, but each one was made for myself, to sell to anyone who connected with them. This process pushed my creativity, strengthened my personal style, and played a huge role in improving my illustration skills. Ironically, these self-initiated projects, created without client direction, are what ultimately led many clients to hire me. They saw work I was genuinely passionate about, and it resonated.

So without further ado, here is a collection of products I’ve designed and sold through my Etsy shop and at local events over the years.