We're known for the designs we put on tees, but we also partner with other local businesses on designs that promote civic pride and celebrate Oakland spirit that is often imitated, but never replicated.
Over the years, we’ve worked on everything from logo design to art contests and campaigns — all sorts of projects that spread the East Bay’s renegade spirit, while supporting the people, places and hidden history that make it great. Some of our partners include Brown Sugar Kitchen, Chop Bar, Eat Real, the Oakland International Airport, the Oakland Underground Film Festival, and many more amazing East Bay institutions.
Here are some examples of our work. We’re always excited to work with other independent thinkers in Oakland — so if you’ve got an idea, get in touch!
TRIBUNE TAVERN
A century ago, the Oakland Tribune used the tower’s ground floor as its “local room” — a large, open space where the reporters from different departments worked side by side and shared tips on the news of the day. It was a gathering spot for the great minds of Oakland, and a place where headlines were made.
Starting in March 2013, Tribune Tavern will carry on that tradition — as a place for people to mingle over happy hour drinks, lunch meetings, or dinner. We helped them with the logo, branding and signage for the restaurant.
PANGAEA GLOBAL AIDS FOUNDATION
People think of AIDS as something that happens elsewhere, but it's having a comeback in Oakland. We worked with the Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation on designs that support their early testing and treatment programs here — and remind people that red ribbons still matter. Proceeds from the tees will fund early testing and treatment programs that help people get help earlier and live longer.
CHOP BAR
Chop Bar is one of Jack London Square’s best-loved restaurants. They keep the focus on simple, homestyle food with top-notch ingredients, and have a reputation for legendary pig roasts. For their staff shirts, we went with a simple outline of their favorite animal. The swine design harkens back to old-fashioned butcher drawings, and is done in a straight-up style, just like their food.
BROWN SUGAR KITCHEN
Tanya Holland is renowned for bringing, in her words, “new style down home” food to sweet West Oakland. And her waffles are what put her on the map. We made a waffle tee that shows off every golden nook and cranny, and a weathervane design that emphasizes the restaurant’s role as a local landmark.
SEVEN SALON
Seven Salon is the place to go if you want a haircut that’s stylish, but not fussy. They wanted a design that for their staff to wear under their aprons — something that embodied their modern, classic, unpretentious style. We chose a logo that calls back to the classic Chanel No. 5 label, and incorporated some tools of the trade.
INNER CITY ADVISORS
Inner City Advisors (ICA) is a nonprofit that creates quality inner-city jobs in the Bay Area. They believe that with the right tools and education, small business owners can lift up the entire city. They give local entrepreneurs quality advice, investment capital and resources to help their businesses grow, and wanted a design that reflected their motto (“All in for local entrepreneurs”) and their mission. We put together a shirt that shows a small group of people lighting up an entire cityscape.
MISSSEY (Motivating, Inspiring, Supporting and Serving Sexually Exploited Youth)
MiSSSey works tirelessly with sexually exploited youth in Oakland — getting them off the street, and into programs where they can heal and grow. They adopted a lotus flower as part of their logo, because a lotus can bloom despite hardship and harsh conditions — just as many of their clients learn to thrive in spite of their ordeals. We made a lotus shirt whose petals are spelled out using words that describe their goals for Oakland youth: empowerment, transformation, awareness and community.
PLUM
Plum gets credit for breaking California cuisine out of its rut, while still keeping the focus on fresh, local ingredients. Their emblem is a Santa Rosa plum — a fruit that sets the gold standard for flavor, but is often passed over for larger, prettier varieties. We made the plum a focus of a tattoo-style design that combines Plum’s high-end flavor with Oakland’s renegade perspective.