South African Spoofs // T-Shirt Graphics

•

- South African Tattoo Spoofs -

These four t-shirt designs are done for a South African brand that sells 'tongue-in-cheek' clothing with a big tourist market.

My thinking was that not every tourist wants to leave the city with an "I Love Cape Town" t-shirt, and that some people like something

a little more intricate and alternative.

The shirt graphics were planned around tattoo-esque themes, mixed up with South African sterotypes and cultural aspects to give them an ironic, unexpected twist, and then illustrated a graphic style that compliments to convey the idea visually.

"Live Fast, Braai Young"

South African people love to braai (SA term for barbecue), so I wrapped up some of the utensils (braai fork and spatula) with a banner and added an adapted version of the cliche tattoo "Live Fast, Die Young".

"Live Fast, Braai Young"

Mock-Up

"Play Hard"

Rugby is a huge part of the country's culture, so I replaced the expected heart and dagger tattoo with a rugby ball and dagger and used our National flower (the Protea) as decoration.

"Play Hard"

Mock-Up

"No Escape"

Shark cage diving is a favourite activity and attraction for tourists that visit South Africa, so I decided to darken it up by adding a half-chewed surfboard to make a bit more of an impact. I also added some subtle Zulu elements to make it slightly more 'African'.

"No Escape"

Mock-Up

"Good Hope"

Cape Town has many fisherman who make a living off of fishing. Hinting at the City of Good Hope (Cape Town),
this shirt shows our national fish (the Galjoen) as a giant fish, much like Moby Dick. I added a fishing boat, and replaced
a nautical anchor with a fishing hook and bobber.