Graphic Designer Needed – Vintage Sports Apparel Graphics

I’m looking for a creative graphic designer/illustrator to create original graphics for caps, T-shirts, sweaters, hats, and other apparel.

The overall brand direction is vintage, bold, athletic, and lifestyle-focused, inspired by classic sports graphics, racing merchandise, old-school gym apparel, and retro team designs.

Design Themes

I’m interested in exploring graphics around:

* Wrestling
* Boxing
* MMA
* Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)
* Judo
* Sambo
* Sumo
* Muay Thai
* Kickboxing
* Rugby
* Baseball
* Racing / F1-inspired graphics
* General athletic / gym culture
* Lifestyle & athletic leisure

Slogan / Typography Direction

Some slogan ideas include:

* Wrestle & Flow
* Fight & Flow
* Built to Grapple
* Born to Wrestle
* Grapple Club
* Old School Combat
* Fight Culture
* Mat & Mindset
* Train Hard, Live Easy
* Built Different
* Combat & Leisure
* Roll. Fight. Repeat.

I’m also open to your own creative slogan ideas that fit the vintage sports/lifestyle aesthetic.

Visual Style

Think:

* Vintage / retro
* 70s–90s sports merchandise
* Distressed prints
* Old-school athletic typography
* College/team-inspired graphics
* Racing graphics similar to classic motorsport apparel
* Bold illustrations
* Sport-specific symbols and illustrations
* Strong compositions that work well on apparel
* Designs that can work on both light and dark garments

The designs should feel like real premium apparel graphics, not generic stock designs.

Important – NO AI

AI-generated artwork is NOT acceptable for this project.

I want the graphics to be created manually by a professional graphic designer/illustrator using tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Procreate, or similar professional software.

I need original artwork, not AI-generated images, AI vector traces, or copied designs.

Sample Required Before Awarding

I would like to see 2–3 initial design samples before awarding the project.

For the sample, please create a few different directions, for example:

1. Wrestling / Jiu-Jitsu vintage design – e.g. “Wrestle & Flow”
2. Boxing / MMA vintage design
3. Race-car / motorsport-inspired athletic design

The samples should demonstrate your own design style, typography, illustration ability, and understanding of vintage apparel graphics.

I need the initial sample designs TODAY, so please only apply if you can provide the sample within the required timeframe.

If the Initial Samples Are Good

This can become an ongoing project with multiple designs for:

* T-shirts
* Oversized T-shirts
* Sweatshirts
* Hoodies
* Caps
* Hats
* Other apparel

There will likely be multiple sports/design collections, so I’m looking for someone interested in a longer-term working relationship rather than just one design.

Please Include With Your Proposal

* Your portfolio
* Examples of vintage/retro apparel designs
* Examples of sports graphics
* Your experience with apparel/merchandise design
* How quickly you can provide the 2–3 initial samples
* Your price per design after the sample stage

Please do not submit AI-generated portfolio work. I’m specifically looking for a designer with strong original illustration and graphic design skills.

I’m looking for someone who can bring their own creative ideas while following the overall brand direction.