James Kelley Design
An Apparel Artwork & Freelance Design Studio
- I can still remember Eric Church bringing Lzzy out on stage at CMA Fest in 2014 while living in Nashville...so fast forward a decade later and I was able to work on a few pieces for Halestorm and their upcoming tour. Another moment of serendipity π€
- Honored to be able to help Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music with the logo for their 60th Anniversary. I thought it would be cool to use some musical symbolism, with a flipped bass clef portion and a semibreve to create the 60 in the logo lockup. Full and simple versions that work on dark and light backgrounds πΌ
You can read more about Blair Academy here http://vu.edu/080724
- Poster and event logo design for The Big Baldridge & Bonfire featuring the man himself Drew Baldridge taking the radio by storm with She's Somebody's Daughter, being joined by Dylan Wolfe and Brandon Davis at Nauvoo State Park in September π₯
- Tenor Madness coming soon, was fun to do a little hatch-style graphic for this cover...thanks Ryan for the opportunity to help!
- Dylan Marlowe is playing up here in the lakes region of New Hampshire on the Dan + Shay tour, so felt fitting to share this one. Got to use my grandfather's bass and my wife's aunt's vintage tackle box for reference in this fun illustrated tee. Sometimes a project is right up my alley π£
- Fun one for Lainey's latest single up in her store...it was neat incorporating lots of little vehicle related elements within the composition on this piece. Not to mention what a great song it is, that girl does not miss π₯
Thankful for these opportunities.
- Merch design still kicking over in the store of the incredible Stephen Wilson Jr. If you are a Nirvana fan, check out his latest take on Something In The Way π₯
- Merch design for that kid Dylan Marlowe π£
- Recent apparel and decal project for the Grand Ole Opry. In Tennessee it's not more cowbell, it's more tristar.
- Patterns on patterns on patterns...the process of building a seamless pattern is a funky but sometimes challenging one, but over the years I have developed my own method of creating these gems. Not something I do every day, as the merch monster is always alive, but these have shown up on apparel to swim trunks and everything in between. Go where the waters take you π
- Some recent work for Cody Hibbard and his first full length album, dropping August 2nd. Got to use some awesome images from Brooke Stevens Photography which made the process so much easier πΈ Been working with Cody a while now and super excited for this collection of songs π₯
- Sometimes the most simple solution is the best solution. When rebranding my friends over at Heath Building Materials, their past logo had always utilized one of the most important pieces of any building, the truss.
The framework for the support of the roof, the truss is indeed the backbone and core of the building itself. Which resembles this company and what they stand for. Core values, supporting the community, and being a backbone of reliability in a world where that is hard to come by.
So when reimagining their logo, the simple idea of placing the H in the center of the truss just felt right, and paired with some strong type we were able to create a stable brand for the future.
Check them out online over at http://www.heathbuildings.com/ and thanks to Ashley Renee Heath and Josh Heath for keeping it in the family and bringing me on to help!
- Scenes...
- Camaro illustration used on a youth tee for the 30th Anniversary Hot Rod Power Tour last week. 5 cities in 5 days featuring over 6,000 cars and trucks, and a lot of burnt rubber π₯
- 18X βοΈ New England is gonna be rocking this weekend.
- CMA Fest going strong this week...always love to see my old city and all the people there experiencing something like this together, miss it!
- New work for the boyz at SAYiWON'T clothing π₯
- Super pumped to share a little of the work I helped with for Nashville Dance Fest featuring an illustrated rider rising above the Nashville skyline β‘οΈ ALL BOOGIE, NO DRAMA, YβALL
- Some illustration work for my buddy Ty Gregory Putting out some great music, excited to see where he's headin' π΅
- Waiting on football season π Past illustration used on some merch for Touchdowns & Tunes.
- When working on any fishing projects, I am transported back to my childhood and Kentucky Lake, fishing below the dam or Devil's Elbow. While I may not have been the best fisherman compared to my dad, the sandwiches in the cooler for lunch still tasted awesome being out on the water. Some recent headwear designs developed for Berkley and Abu Garcia, currently up in their selected online stores π£
- I think if younger James could tell current James anything, it would indeed be to hang tight. Extremely humbled to finally have one for Lainey and her newest single, currently available for preorder in her online store.
- Excited to help out GREG RIDER with his collab with Baredown Brand and his new album project...these are available in the limited edition collection online now π¦¬
- Stay comfortable in the blind. New one for Old South currently up in their online store π¦
- When I first went out on my own in 2014 I had no idea the crazy and wild journey I was heading into, but am thankful each day to be able to do what I love. Had the best time back home celebrating 10 years of being in business with a few of my best friends β€οΈ
- Most times when doing cover art I ask the artist to send over the song, and then I give it a listen and play it on repeat during the process. To fully immerse yourself in a song while creating is one of the coolest moments. Here's a few recent ones I had the opportunity to help with π
- Some illustrated work for Thomas Drugs, in Cross Plains, TN. Love how these came out!
- No drama in the no wake zone π These illustrations really allow me to create a little world of my own, where everyone actually gets along. My first one for the Zac Brown Band, and their single Tie Up.
- The lakes region in New Hampshire is a beautiful place. Another vintage sweatshirt illustration featuring a loon on Lake Winnipesaukee for Granite State Apparel
Southern Raised. New England Based.
Originally from Kentucky, James began his career in Nashville where he spent over 10 years as an art director and designer in the screen printing and merchandise industry. With print shop experience and hands-on knowledge of the entire screen printing process, James went full-time freelance and they opened up shop. His better half, Heather, completes the team with a background in accounting, business management and merchandising. They met and lived together in Music City before eventually moving back to Heatherβs home state of New Hampshire, where they work out of their home studio focusing on apparel artwork, brand and logo development, and pretty much anything design related.