HHN T-shirt design

I love Universal Studios Hollywood. Imagine my elation when I was commissioned to design a T-shirt featuring the lower lot characters from Universal’s seasonal event, Halloween Horror Night ins 2022. My original pitch for the design necessitated palm trees (as a pop of life and a visual cue to distinguish the event location) and the multi-tiered levels of stairs guests would have to climb up and down to reach the lower lot. AKA the true horror of the event. After creating initial sketches in Procreate for the overall composition of the piece, I used photo references from the press releases for each attraction to base my drawings. However, for Killer Klowns I faced a glaring issue. I had no personal reference point (I have yet to see Killer Klowns from Outer Space, a well-beloved cult classic film) and the promo pictures for the event weren’t as precise as I would have hoped. The solution? Research. With a bit of research, I was able to find a better photo reference from the film for Shorty, who despite being labeled as a Killer-Klown is pretty cute. My choices in the color palette, typography, and design elements (such as the dripping ooze and gritty characters) were inspired by 70s band shirts. By capturing a sense of neo-nostalgia in the T-shirt design, I hoped to capture the same joy as walking through the Old Hollywood-inspired entrance of the park.