Araceli wanted a conference t-shirt highlighting optical pooled screening (OPS), an application enabled by our high-content cell imaging platform. We wanted something scientists would actually want to wear — a graphic that could live comfortably alongside the band tees and cultural references already in their closets.
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I developed the project from early concept exploration through production-ready artwork, combining AI-assisted ideation with analog illustration and digital finishing. Along the way, I worked through screen-printing constraints, built presentation mockups for stakeholder review, and sourced production quotes. The project was ultimately paused due to budget, but the process took the idea all the way from an open-ended brief to a fully considered, production-ready artwork.
Scope
- Concept development
- AI-assisted ideation
- Illustration
- Screen-print production planning
- Vendor sourcing
Team
- Don Weldon, VP of Marketing
- Matt Boisvert, Application Scientist
- Cristina Ortiz-Mateos, Marketing Communications
Phase 1:
Find the Cultural Hook
I reframed optical pooled screening through the visual language of rock-and-roll and graphic tee culture. AI helped me quickly pressure-test concepts and get stakeholder buy-in before investing in illustration. I treated the outputs as raw creative material, pulling apart what worked, discarding what didn’t, and using the strongest pieces to define the direction I wanted to draw.
Scroll left to view more AI concepts and inspiration.
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Phase 2:
Get It Off the Screen
I printed the strongest references, put them on a lightbox, and redrew the elements I wanted to keep. Working by hand let me simplify forms, resolve awkward details in the generated imagery, and give the illustration a more intentional human line. I added texture with an ink brush, then scanned everything back into Photoshop for cleanup, composition, and color.
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Phase 3:
Make It Work in the Real World
Once the illustration was back on screen, I refined the typography, layout, color, and messaging while designing within the constraints of screen printing. I tested variations, simplified details, built the artwork in spot colors, and worked through garment and print specifications before sourcing production quotes.
Scroll left to go back in time through the iterations.
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