The 6 Best Designs of 2021

We’ve seen thousands of designs come through our printers over the past year, all of them incredible in their own unique way. Our community never ceases to amaze us with their creative expression, but we’d be lying if we said some didn’t catch our eye.

We’ve selected a few designs that are our picks for the best of 2021. Some of them have a fantastic story behind them, some of them have a great cause, but all of them look incredible. We must point out that these are absolutely in no order – we think they all take the cake, and we’re sure you will too. Check out the incredible work below to discover what our community has been creating.

Mutual Intent T-Shirt

Earlier this year, Yeti (@yetibne) and The Third Quarter Gallery (@the.third.quarter) teamed up to present a giant collaborative exhibition at the Brisbane Powerhouse (@bris_powerhouse) to coincide with The Design Conference (@the.design.conference). The exhibition featured new pairings of 58 artists and makers coming together from backgrounds in design, photography, illustration, sculpture, multimedia, installation, painting, dance, ceramics, jewellery, furniture, textiles and more.

It was such a gorgeous and diverse offering, spread out across various spaces within the Powerhouse. A huge undertaking, complemented with so many beautifully designed elements from Afterhours (@weare.afterhours), whose work translated so well into screen printed tees and totes.

What we love about the design

These days, so many logo’s are just the same old thing. This is why we love the mutual intent logo, its design features clearly articulate that it’s all about creativity which was perfect for its use. Don’t just tuck your logo away in the top left corner of a shirt, if you’ve got an incredible design – put it front and centre!

Dots + Loops Tote Bag

Dots+Loops is an Australian post-genre music and art series. They create accessible experiences that are inspired by the spaces between traditional classical concerts and underground gigs. These genre-defying art shows have created a strong community between their creators and audience. The tote that they created was designed by Chris Wardle (@_chris_wardle_).

What we love about the design

It’s a dot, and a loop – what’s not to love? We love the pattern in this design, the interchanging of the dots and loops make this design interesting to look at. It’s specifically a fantastic design for a tote as well, there’s a great use of space and the simplicity of the design means that it’s not too busy for its size. Truly a fantastic job!

CHABOO – Heal. Country T-Shirt

Casey is a Quandamooka, Nunukul woman of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island, Qld) and Roy is a Wakka Wakka man from Cherbourg, Qld. Together they founded CHABOO to tell stories through their brilliant artworks. Inspiration for their creations is found in the land, water and skies from where they belong.

What we love about the design

We love this tee for its message and its design. The strong symbolism of nature and the use of colours really accentuate the message of nature needing to heal. The text in the design also works to compliment the overall design rather than outshine it. The closer you look at this design the more the message sings, it’s a fantastic design both at a glance and when considered for a while.

Support Your Girls Tote Bag

Support your girls was founded by Shonel Bryant who wanted to create a community around the life, suffering and healing of those with breast cancer. 50% of the funds gathered by merch sales goes back into youth education around self-checks and information around cancer prevention.

The beautiful tote design was created by Brittany Ferns with the intention to encourage those to get their breasts checked.

What we love about the design

We love tote designs that make great use of the space, and this beautiful piece is centered perfectly. The way that the artist has used colour and shape to create an elegant and thoughtful image is truly inspiring. We could stare at this wonderful tote all day!

Little Acre – More Forrest More Fungi Tote Bag

Little Acre is passionate about sustainable farming and local produce, and they’re here to help you get fungi and funky with this tote! They recruited Brisbane/Meanjin designer Moonshine Madness to create this tote that features a gorgeous Australian forest with native flora, fauna and a lovely range of colourful endemic mushrooms.

What we love about the design

We may have mentioned this a few times in this article, but we really love designs that have good use of space on the tote bag, and this one nails it! We’re also suckers for some adorable native wildlife and showcasing the natural beauty that we’re surrounded with. Promoting conservation and awareness of endemic species is a fantastic cause and the illustration advocates this message beautifully.

Shandy Party – Disco Tote Bag

A Shandy party is a good time. It’s also a community sanctuary that champions safe spaces for the queer community. Thankfully the Shandy team put together some merch so that the party never has to end. The disco tote was designed by Alec Palmer [@louispamah].

What we love about the design

This four colour screen print nails the energy of a Shandy Party, and we wouldn’t expect anything less. We love a tote design that takes up space, and this placement stands proud. Much like the disco ball has a grip on the hand, we too are gripped by our love of this design.