If you can’t find the words, find the shirt. That's the idea behind Gabbyrags, a t-shirt whose motto is "Wear what you mean to say."
The Problem
The idea behind the company was full and exciting, but as a brand, it was formless. Once we worked out the core purpose and name, the visual identity had to be tackled.
The Thinking
Craft a brand identity in such a way that it visually celebrates self expression while feeling sort of heroic!
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b5e95afdca7c8c2a950f1b83a07c3861/25cd37b93cec7ddeba3dd4a8_rw_1920.jpg?h=fd8f5a56abf54f70705cc64d3e488db1)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b5e95afdca7c8c2a950f1b83a07c3861/3b459915169fd2aab53f97bc_rw_1920.jpg?h=06f9fcd6c9ea7d01b7ef935f39151249)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b5e95afdca7c8c2a950f1b83a07c3861/618db62880a469ebca2f36a5_rw_1920.jpg?h=2b924eab2aadb6f84151caf51738e7c4)
My sketches for the Gabbyrags brandmark quickly centered on a monogram, a t-shirt and some incorporation of a speech bubble. Initial ideas were, well, ugly. But persistence and creative curiosity began to make a good idea take shape.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b5e95afdca7c8c2a950f1b83a07c3861/6d93168249932c027eb5e02b_rw_1920.jpg?h=ee98465bbf62dea75d77a076bb34612d)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b5e95afdca7c8c2a950f1b83a07c3861/3de7dbee21e71a201fa4d894_rw_1920.jpg?h=a1159cd8ac025327bb678a53cdf27337)
I zeroed in on what I felt was the best of the sketch explorations. The "Gr" monogram and the "Tee-Bubble" evolved iteratively from pencil sketches through digital refinement.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b5e95afdca7c8c2a950f1b83a07c3861/f9bc53289c903244be82ac86_rw_1920.jpg?h=fa449e880a4782d0163f539359611803)
I love where I landed. Combining a hand-drawn shirt and speech bubble ("Tee-Bubble"), I had a memorable and versatile logo for Gabbyrags. The brandmark's angle and pitch are totally intended to give it that heroic poise. I mean, think about it, who is the extroverted life of the party if not the hero saving others from the dreads of another boring social gathering?
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b5e95afdca7c8c2a950f1b83a07c3861/536da7130024984d9aafe6ee_rw_1920.jpg?h=5f5ef3d43fc5ef9598549e239ef3ed16)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b5e95afdca7c8c2a950f1b83a07c3861/7f817fbaa2a2c4ce12aa4f9f_rw_1920.jpg?h=f40670f95bdee9e7637be21a39abd8bc)
The typeface of the Gabbyrags wordmark had to be chummy. Something you felt comfortable pulling up a stool next to for a random chat. Unable to find the perfect blend of attributes, I developed my own using a simple circle and rounded ends as the basis for the type design.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b5e95afdca7c8c2a950f1b83a07c3861/83d55dcf597940333b513738_rw_1920.jpg?h=577cb9789df4dfb62780194eb2b15812)
While blue is the center of the Gabbyrags superhero-inspired color palette, it made sense to me that the collection be varied. It is, after all, a brand that celebrates self expression.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b5e95afdca7c8c2a950f1b83a07c3861/9dff97a028d08285a9cb5dfb_rw_1920.jpg?h=e90a2eb7445b8f2868c5e678ccf9688a)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b5e95afdca7c8c2a950f1b83a07c3861/91752e84dc7a0db5c069ef60_rw_1920.jpg?h=5445a25ecfb9804fefcbd0d291b061f0)
The thing I love most about this identity is its how modular it is. The mark can be striped down to its "Gr" monogram and still work well for the brand.