Stretch Arm Strong is a world-renowned hardcore band that formed in South Carolina in 1992. Having been a fan since 1999—after the release of their album 'Rituals of Life'—it was a privilege to be asked to design a limited edition t-shirt for their reunion show at Furnace Fest in 2021.
When the band asked me to design the shirt, we quickly landed on a concept to pay homage to the 1985 'Walk Together, Rock Together' design from the seminal hardcore band, 7 Seconds.
the process
I used a combination of ProCreate (for illustration) and Adobe Photoshop (for type and file prep) to create the design. Starting with reference images of the band members, I worked them all into a composition that captured both the spirit of the 1985 7 Seconds design and—hopefully—the energy of a 2021 Stretch Arm Strong show.
the result
The good people at Image Ink SC did an incredible job on the final printing. Discharge printed in yellow on a soft vintage black tee to stay on theme with the design's roots.
the response
At the 2021 Furnace Fest in Birmingham, AL, people waited on an hour-long line for merch — it seems they were pretty stoked about a Stretch Arm Strong reunion. My design turned out to be the band's second-best seller and sold out before the day's end.
