Illinois SWAG
I never cared for the shape of Illinois as it's drawn on a map. I'll always resent the French for being lazy about our state’s borders and defaulting our states western edge to the randomness of the Mississippi River when it could have been some much cooler.
Admittedly, I've always been envious of Nevada's striking geometric angles, and the sleekness of Tennessee's horizontal profile. Illinois deserves better. I decided to take matters into my own hands by redrawing the state border and giving it the shape it deserves. The bold, streamlined contours brings an understated confidence to the citizenry of Illinois and almost makes you forget the four Governors we sent to prison.
The original design did not include the red Chicago star. I know many downstaters will resent the focus on Chicago, but hey, they can rebrand the state anyway they’d like. I’m trying to move some merchandise here people.
I did create actual merchandise of this design. Hey, I Thought Of You is an art and gift shop in Albany Park where you can buy these buttons hot off the press. Or get in touch with me and I can send you a couple.
What would Nike be without “Just Do It”, or United Airlines without "Fly the friendly skies"? Like those iconic brands I developed a series of catchy taglines that help position Illinois to category dominance.
In the spirit of being a uniter rather than a divider, I created Chicago-free version of the logo for the downstaters. Now everyone in Illinois can display this new swag with pride.
I specialize in design and creative marketing campaigns for brands at all stages of their lifecycle. On many projects I work solo, but I also have a network of very talented people I partner with when the need arises. We work with clients around the US and often abroad. For client inquiries or anything else, email me.