Fighting Kittens

Michaela “Makilla” Jones is a competitive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete and coach. She has competed and continues to compete in the biggest Jiu Jitsu tournaments across the country, winning several gold medals along the way, including the coveted IBJJF World Championship.

Create a logo and related graphic elements for merchandise to a) raise brand awareness and b) as an additional source of income to cover competition expenses.

- Reflect Makilla's "girl power" energy in a male-dominated sport

- Appeal to both men and women

- Stand out against other Jiu Jitsu themed designs

- Create a flexible design system for various merchandise types

- Balance cute, girly, and playful elements with violent, gritty, and epic qualities

While the project benefited from my in-depth understanding of the culture surrounding Jiu Jitsu, MMA and Combat Sports, some initial challenges included a) an overabundance of ideas to choose from at the start which led to b) difficulty in locking in a cohesive look.

The process started with several iterations, many of which involved large cats, badge layouts, and bright, playful colors. In fact, in the beginning, we had too many options and therefore a tough time narrowing it down to the right ideas.

This challenge was overcome once it occurred to me that kittens could achieve what lions, tigers and leopards could not. The idea occurred to me when Makilla mentioned that she was drawing inspiration from her kitten (now a full grown menace); said kitten had a knack for challenging and holding its own against their poor pitbull. At this point, I knew that the majestic big cats were no longer an option; for only the might of a kitten could capture the right combination of violence and playfulness her brand called for.

Once we decided on fighting kittens as the main design piece, she sent me pictures of her fluffy little murder machine. In fact, the top kitten in the design is based on Makilla’s cat. Other elements fell into place: she loves design elements from the 80s, stated her love of the colors cyan and magenta, and she had suggested lightning strikes in our initial consultation.

I added a little grit and texture to give it that extra edginess and chose some appropriate typefaces. As always, I also rendered it in black & white to make sure the composition is solid, and to provide the client with additional options in case the print budget became limited.

But what about the flexible branding system? I made sure to create several pop out elements, including multiple versions of the fighting kittens. There was also a rough draft design Makilla liked, the rainbow with the black heart, that was not part of the main design, but since it already existed in vector form as proof of concept, I decided to include this in the package as another printing option for the client, along with its own pop out elements.

- Final design: "Fighting Kittens” - A unique, attention grabbing design

- Merchandise: Primarily stickers, with plans for shirts, rashguards, gi patches, etc

- Key design decisions:

• Use of kittens to differentiate from other athletes' large cat emblems

• Bold design elements such as cyan-to-magenta gradient and dramatic lightning strikes

• Grittiness added through font selection and texture

• Contrasting a playful, feminine vibe with a violent, gritty look

• Pop out elements and alternate design for a flexible branding system

- Client feedback: Extremely positive. Makilla praised the design's alignment with her vision and its versatility.

- Target audience response: The sticker sells well, and is beloved by both male and female customers alike, which was one of our goals.

- Impact:

• Stickers have become a popular item, seen on water bottles at gyms and Jiu Jitsu tournaments

• Helped raise Makilla's profile locally

• Provided opportunities for fundraising

• Multiple designs allowed for repeat purchases and appealed to different people

- Ongoing success:

• The design system's flexibility allows for consistent yet fresh merchandise

• No need for design evolution due to the comprehensive initial package

"Hans took my idea for a fighting cats logo with a fun-and-girly meets mean-and-violent theme and ran with it. He provided a fighting kittens image that exactly met my specs, and fleshed out the package with black/rainbow hearts, different text styles and variations on my name and tagline, and bonus word art... Thanks so much for getting my brand off the ground!"

- Michaela “Makilla” Jones, Jiu Jitsu coach and athlete, IBJJF world champion

- Designs with strategically juxtaposed elements are memorable and stand out more

- Deep understanding of the client's field can significantly enhance the design process

- Offering multiple design variations can lead to repeat purchases and broader appeal

- Paying attention to client input will help create impactful visual elements that resonate with their true brand identity