See You on the Dock
Background
The Iron City Fishing Club put out a request for a new design for a T-Shirt for 2023, with the possibility for expansion to other applications. I used the design thinking method to imagine a fresh approach to the subject matter.
The Fishing Club is a vacation spot that specializes in freshwater summertime activities. The main stated purpose of the Club is for fishing, but the clientele has expanded to be interested in things like waterskiing, kayaking, and swimming, among other things. Navigating the waters with a small motorized pleasure craft has become a well-known activity for members of the club.
For most of its history, the imagery used for branding at ICFC (and other similar outdoor resorts) has been very limited. Iconic windswept tree silhouettes tend to dominate the signage and business cards of Canada’s Great Lake vacation spots. Other classic over-represented images of the area are Muskoka Chairs, Inukshuk rock cairns, and canoe paddles. My primary goal in this project was to avoid these standard symbols and explore something new that is also very familiar.
Development
I began making lists of common sights around summer lake resorts, and settled on the image of a dock as my focus. While not especially beautiful, docks are fundamental to boating and offer many enticing metaphors. It is permanent and yet also temporary. It is a transition zone between land and water. It could be a meeting spot or a landmark. You can sunbathe or stargaze on a dock.
I then began thinking about how deceptively tricky it is to ‘dock’ a boat. When conditions are calm, you could just pull in straight like you would with a car. When conditions are even slightly breezy, you must make several compensations. I thought I could summarize the basics in a didactic illustration.
In an effort to create a metaphorical connection, I had planned to draw inspiration from the old-fashioned "Learn to Dance” illustrations showing diagrams of footprints and arrows. The overhead outline of a boat is similar to a footprint. The twists and rotations with regard to the bow and stern also have a resemblance.
While I attempted to escape the repeated imagery of cottage country, I also wanted to utilize a design style that is currently trendy and familiar. The “monoline” illustration style uses a single-weight line throughout. A few implied layers can create a surprising amount of depth. Water can be represented with some wavy parallel lines. This style is very present in modern outdoors companies.
My vision was to have a small illustration of a shoreline on the front and use the three panel docking instructions on the back. For a time I had planned to place the three panels on top of the image. In the end, I made two separate designs for the front and back.
Outcome
While I had planned to incorporate the concept of ‘dancing’ into the design, it became clear that the message had to be much more explicit. “Learn to Dock” was too aggressive. “Dance with a Dock” was a bit strange to my test audience. I elected to say “See you on the Dock” as a way to reinforce the sense of fellowship and community inherent to a private club. This shirt design will be easily understood by anyone who has spent time navigating a small motorboat.