Sunday, August 12, 2012

New Orleans Mint Julep


Greetings folks! Welcome back to another edition of our Retro '55 apparel line.

This week’s concept is based on the fan favorite, the Mint Julep. The idea for a Mint Julep t-shirt has been in the works since I was designing the original Tiki Pineapple Whip tee here at Designerland. I hadn't tried this delicious drink until last year while at the Disneyland Resort and I instantly fell in love. I believe I had about 15 of them over the span of a week, and when I came home, I set to work trying to pinpoint the recipe. 

The Mint Julep Bar is located in New Orleans Square and is one offering that I feel helps sell the story of that particular land. I hear that Walt Disney World offers the same jaunty brew over at Port Orleans, but there's just something about New Orleans Square and the Mint Julep that go hand in hand.




Instead of designing some fun character holding the beverage or turning the plastic cup itself into a cute character, I decided to create a shirt that had more of a vintage label look to it, as if the Mint Julep was actually manufactured at a nearby plantation and exported as a fine southern beverage. The design itself has the New Orleans Square logo above the Blue Bayou, which was recreated by scanning one of the original New Orleans Square souvenir bags. Typeset below that is the beverage title set in the same font seen in the parks, along with some added storytelling copy that helps complete the look of the label. I also put the established date when New Orleans Square opened at Disneyland, flanked by an art nouveau whiplash curl.



Well that does it for this week’s concept—hope you all have a swell week. Thanks for stopping by.