DESIGN PROCESS | Bluebird Running
A Design Deconstruction of Bluebird Running’s “Build Trails Not Walls”
What story are you telling through your t-shirts?
An Edison Chen quote on streetwear reminds us on how a t-shirt can impact everyone from the designer, to the audience, to a passerby walking on the street. “It’s a lifestyle. It’s not a clothing piece. It’s how we feel. It’s how we live. It’s what we listen to. It’s what we eat. It’s how we spend our money.”
We touched base with Bluebird Running’s Zach Gonzalez, asking him to break down the design of one of his most recent tees and what it meant to him as he was creating it. He delivered, breaking down a recent campaign he held for “Build Trails Not Walls El Paso Juarez”.
Well have him take it away…
Gonzalez | For a while I’ve been trying to come up with a Run Trails or Build Trails plus secondary message similar to Build Bikes Not Bombs or Jobs Not Jails (Homeboy Industries). The other night Build Trails Not Walls just came to me probably due to all the recent news about the President sending troops to the US/Mexican border.
I live in El Paso, Texas which shares a border with Juarez, Mexico.
I’m a local-born and raised. I left El Paso in my twenties, and have returned later in life. Coming back made me aware of the national presence living in a border with increased media coverage.
As soon as I had the ‘slogan’ concept down, I started creating the design — I always design by way of stream of consciousness. When I started looking for images to use, I came across the Statue of Liberty, which is perfect because not only is a symbol of the US — but also a symbol of immigration to the U.S. by people of other countries (mostly European).
I added the Statue of Liberty image to the design then started looking for an image of the wall, stumbling upon two images of Humpty Dumpty. I chose the one of him on top of the wall because he’s smiling with a flag in hand. He hasn’t yet fallen over and remains on one side of the wall. Which side he’s on depends upon the opinion of the viewer and their political or cultural stance.
I placed the two images together because I liked the way they played off each other. If Humpty is an immigrant, say standing on the wall in Mexico, is he happily being supported by the Statue of Liberty or is Liberty burning his flag of nationalism with her torch? The country is divided on the issue of US/Mexico relations — but I wanted to show that first it is an issue of humanity. I chose Border Angels as the charity because they are out on foot, similar to trails, helping people who may be suffering during their trip to seek a better life.
Of course, as a trail runner I’m a proponent of building more trails and keeping green areas green to include our national parks. I chose red for the shirts because to me it represents the color of revolution.
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Looking to craft your own campaign for a cause important to you? Visit www.inktothepeople.com to start telling your own story through t-shirts!
