How a Winning T-Shirt Design Was Born in a Moment of Crisis

Real art comes from real people in real places

A few months ago, you probably saw one of these posts on the Stars’ social media pages:

That sort of call for creativity has become common when it comes to themed nights in Dallas and other NHL cities. For example, you can find a short video about the design of the Stars’ Black History Night poster here.

But for the final home game of the regular season, the Stars host Fan Appreciation Night, complete with extra giveaways and, at the end, a T-shirt toss with players on the ice throwing (and sometimes shooting) shirts into the crowd.

If you don’t believe me, here’s some evidence from seasons past:

This year, those t-shirts included a design by the winner of the Stars’ aforementioned contest: Kelsie Patterson. The Stars sent Kelsie and her family some of the shirts featuring her design ahead of the game, during which she not only got to be recognized for her design, but she also got to see current players launching more such shirts into the crowd.

We had a chance to chat with Kelsie, who is finishing up her freshman year as a graphic design major at a university in Southern California. When learning about how the inspiration for Kelsie’s design was born in a moment of crisis, and how it ended up leading her to discover a new pathway in college, we decided to share that exchange with y’all here at Stars Thoughts.

(Full disclosure here: Kelsie’s father is also a subscriber, and we thank him very much for highlighting a pretty neat story.)

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Where did the idea for the design come from?

Kelsie Patterson: I had always wanted to go for a vintage-y feel with the design; I started off with a much more college/varsity sort of feeling but just let it evolve naturally as I worked on it! Since the contest was so centered around fans, I wanted it to have sort of a hand-drawn/human feel to it so it felt personal in a way.

When did you became a Stars fan?

KP: I’ve been exposed to the Stars through my dad for most of my life but finally caved and started watching with him during the bubble playoffs in 2020! Since then we’ve watched every season together and over the years I’ve gradually become a much less casual fan.

Do you have a favorite player?

KP: My favorite player on the Stars is Jason Robertson. :)

How long have you been passionate about graphic design?

KP: I did design-related work throughout all of high school, but this design was actually what made me realize how passionate I truly am about it! I started school this past fall as a journalism major, and the making of this design was what prompted me to consider switching to graphic design. (I ended up making the switch and am now a graphic design/advertising major and LOVE it!!)

What else should readers know about you and this design?

KP: In the fall semester I was going to school out in LA prior to the crazy bout of wildfires in January. There was a fire that threatened our campus during finals week. We had to shelter in place in the library overnight and I actually ended up drawing this design on my phone that night because I figured making art would be an effective way to distract myself from the situation at hand. I cleaned it up a bit on my laptop later but I would say probably 90% of the overall work was drawn with my thumb while I was lying on the library floor!

Image courtesy of Kelsie Patterson