Collection: Designed by Israel Davis

When I was asked to design the next t-shirt for Artaxis my thoughts immediately went to a particular skateboard graphic form the late 80’s that I skated back then... The Jessie Martinez “Handshake” by Santa Monica Airlines. Initially it was the image of a black hand shaking a white hand that drew me to the graphic. Seeing Artaxis as an organization that champions inclusion and celebrates diversity I thought the black and white hands seemed appropriate. Yet still, I continued to consider the visuals of the graphic and how to “riff” off it.

Then with the style and symmetry of the line work and lettering in mind I began to think about classic rock album covers and what I listened to when I skated in the 80’s. Sure, I listened to hardcore and punk rock but I also related to the music of Jimi Hendrix and Santana. Thinking of Artaxis the image of the 1967 album Axis - Bold as Love by Jimi Hendrix came to mind with its black and white band mates posing with what appear to be Hindu gods in a kind of multiplied symmetrical fashion.

Then I thought of the self-titled album Santana, by Santana, released in ’69 with its drippy text and lion’s head (a drawing of multiple figures that combine to become the lions head). Again I began to think about the inclusivity of Artaxis and how those bands shepherded inclusion and diversity by being diverse and multicultural themselves. They often pulled from various musical genres and created music that spoke to and celebrated the movements of the 1960’s that heralded equality for all.

As I continued to consider these thoughts and images the Lion’s head stuck out to me. It is a symbol of strength and leadership, of generosity and loyalty, all characteristics that seem to align with the overarching mission of Artaxis. And so with those thoughts in mind I decided upon a badge style graphic for its symmetry and iconic impression, surrounding a lion’s head (taken from a photo I snapped at our local zoo) for its symbolism, with stylized text that hinted at the throwback era of the trippy album art of the 60’s.

Israel Davis
Artist Creative Director
Fundamental Formative Arts, www.funfalife.com
www.israeldavis.com

* Each design has multiple color options