Whether created by yourself, or forced upon you by others, the personal brands we carry and put out into the world tend to say a lot about us before we say anything at all. Given the chance to engage with artistic mentors toward actively creating the personal image they want to project in the next chapter of life, students at The GROW Academy went big and they went deep on a journey of self-discovery and creation.
The REBRANDING SELF project used printmaking, hip-hop and fashion design to guide participants through the creation of their own unique brand that reflects their inner brilliance. This project required great attention to detail and attunement to the student’s ideas so that each brand came together with coherence and consistency.
Bubbler mentors Rob Franklin, Maria Schirmer Devitt, Tyler Brunsell, ShaH Evans, Nia Jackson and Carlos Gacharna all played different roles as we worked with GROW Academy staff to co-build and co-facilitate a curriculum that expects the unexpected, is ready to shift gears as dictated by student goals, and builds up the sense of community and personal well-being within the space.
Personal Brands
BABY DRACO
With a plan to bring their brand into physical reality, this student wants to create his own autoshop. The imagery for the brand is based on showcasing his hometown with the Madison skyline prominently displayed. Having a brand was a first step to bringing this dream to life.
WATCH: commercial for Baby Draco Auto Repair and Detailing
MUD MONEY
This brand is about making money from the ground up and not being afraid to get dirty - doing it the hard way and never taking nothing easy. The student designer chose the color gold to show the richness of his brand.
WATCH: commercial for Mud Money
LEATHER BELT
This brand is about having confidence to be the best. The slogan, Belt 2 Ass is a reference to what you say when you beat someone on the basketball court; the illustrations are cheeky and playful, adding levity to the brand’s powerful black and purple color scheme.
WATCH: commercial for Leather Belt
RESPECT
Eager to retell and reframe the story of how people see him, this student wants people to know that he is respectful and created a brand for what exactly this mean to him. The brand’s slogan, “look up, not down” is a message to the wearer to keep focused on what is in front of him - the image is a person and their reflection - signaling that your own view of who you are is what is most important. The student wanted to have a gradient in the image, and explored dying with chemical and natural indigo dye to create an entire outfit for him and his girlfriend.
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BTR
Focused on a simple and bold color scheme - black and white - the student wanted the design to stand out and provide contrast.
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Made possible by our generous sponsors:
Screen Printing Sessions
After a week of building out their individual brands with the mentors, our partners at Madison College were eager to share their resources and expertise while hosting our screen printing sessions in the Center for Printing Arts.
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Hydro-Dipping Sessions
The timing for this project was perfect because Carlos Gacharna just happened to be back in town to accept the Forward Award from UW-Madison, and he was able to join us for a few days to give everyone a lesson on hydro-dipping that we can continue to utilize in future projects.
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