As a denizen of the branding and design industry for more than 30 years, I am driven by how powerful a thoughtful, considered aesthetic can be.

Time and time again, I've winced at the sight of a melodramatic t-shirt, bumper sticker, hat – whatever – that features some sort of faith declaration turned up to 11. It always strikes me as corny, cheezy, cliché, or as my Gen Z kids would say: "cringe." Did I mention that I was a design snob?

Christianity boasts centuries of incredible art, across multiple cultures and contexts. It's a rich heritage – an uber "IP" – that has few parallels. Why do we abandon all that for airbrushed portraits of Jesus and bad typography?

In the midst of this curmudgeonly critique, I often imagined an alternative: strikingly visuals that invite engagement; design that trigger a "pause to wonder," as an old design professor used to say. What if there was an approach to Christian design that didn't smack you in the face with "JESUS!," but instead made you stop and wonder. Maybe such designs could invite second looks and even conversation. Am I naive? Perhaps. I've been accused of much worse.

Anyway, the collection you see here comes from finally chasing these random gripes from over the years down and asking, "Well, what are YOU going to do about it?" The answer is, design a collection of apparel that you would actually feel comfortable wearing. And so I did.

Each of these design concepts are intended to provoke interest and conversation, whether through mystery, beauty or winsome humor (or all of the above). I hope you enjoy them, and that they trigger something that helps you live out Matthew 28:19-20.