Drawing is an important skill for any graphic designer. It is important to have some sort of knowledge of drawing as a basis for any design. Sketching is usually the first step in designing. Although designers have varying degrees of drawing talent, even someone who may not be the best at drawing might be an excellent designer. Every design starts with an idea. You need to be able to put your ideas on paper as the first step in designing.
If I had to choose what sort of illustrator I would like to become, I would probably decide on sportswear fashion illustration. I have sort of been doing this since the year 2004 when I started my own designer brand of sports jerseys. My small internet business of designing custom sports jerseys was just an idea that I had after purchasing several custom jerseys for myself since 1999. My brand of custom sports jerseys is named “iKuka Sportswear”.
Besides the fact that Kuka is my long used nickname, I later found out that “iKuka” is a Japanese slang word for “Let’s Go”. I thought this would be an excellent name for a sportswear company. In the first stages of my business I relied on other designers to make prototypes of my jerseys. Initially I had about 6 different logo styles of “iKuka” and many color combinations. As I got better at designing sportswear, I started to come up with new designs and color combinations on my own and based on customer requirements. I personally helped design my own company logo which appear on my jerseys and jock tags sewn to the products.
As with most companies, I found my niche in both Big and Tall sizes and completely custom jerseys for special occasions. There are not many companies that provide the types of custom products as iKuka Sportswear. I have manufactured and sold hundreds of jerseys in the last 7 years.
Besides the fact that Kuka is my long used nickname, I later found out that “iKuka” is a Japanese slang word for “Let’s Go”. I thought this would be an excellent name for a sportswear company. In the first stages of my business I relied on other designers to make prototypes of my jerseys. Initially I had about 6 different logo styles of “iKuka” and many color combinations. As I got better at designing sportswear, I started to come up with new designs and color combinations on my own and based on customer requirements. I personally helped design my own company logo which appear on my jerseys and jock tags sewn to the products.
As with most companies, I found my niche in both Big and Tall sizes and completely custom jerseys for special occasions. There are not many companies that provide the types of custom products as iKuka Sportswear. I have manufactured and sold hundreds of jerseys in the last 7 years.
In the realm of professional illustration, I have to say that Fashion Illustration is probably what I am the most interested in becoming better at due to my sportswear business. Fashion illustration is defined as the communication of fashion that originates with illustration, drawing and painting. I have had to come up with designs for customers over the years based on some initial requirements from them. In one instance I had to design a Football jersey for a customer to be worn at his wedding reception.
After talking with a customer about what they are looking for, I sit down and plan out a jersey that hopefully looks good and fills their requirements.
The term sportswear (coined in the 1920’s) is a general term for relaxed, comfortable clothing that can be worn informally anytime but was popular for people who watched sporting events. The sportswear that I mainly work with is clothing made specifically for sport but has crossed over to mainstream fashion. I am talking about football, baseball, basketball, and hockey jerseys. Sports fans across the world have always chosen to wear sportswear that resembles their favorite team or player. One player in the industry stated that “it’s a fan business not a fashion business”. Additionally, the rise of Hip Hop music in the late 1980’s to present has created its own fashion trend, and the popularity of sports jerseys further exploded. The industry now not only encompassed “die-hard” sports fans but also Hip Hop fans. Sportswear (specifically sports jerseys) is a billion dollar industry and it is not slowing down.
In the 1970s Geoffrey Beene, became one of the first significant male sportswear designers. Although most of his designs were not directly sports related, I appreciated his innovation, illustration style and use of bright colors. In 1967, Beene designed a woman’s sequence long evening that looked like a football jersey. Back then, this was unheard of and gave him the reputation of being ground breaking. Beene’s early illustrations of sportswear for men (he mostly designed women’s clothing), were brightly colored sketches of various sportswear clothing items that included shirts, sweaters, jackets, and pants.
I am inspired by Geoffrey Beene since he took the concept of comfortable clothing for men and women and actually combined them with sports clothing over 35 years ago. He was a very talented designer and fashion illustrator who paved the way for those who arrived after him.
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