The Bruin Collection
Merch designed for the UCLA Regents Scholars Society, spanning a hoodie, tote bag, and cap across three separate drops.
Overview
A merch line for the Regents Scholars Society
The Bruin Collection is a three-piece merch line designed for the UCLA Regents Scholars Society, released across separate drops. The collection includes a hoodie, tote bag, and cap. Each piece was designed to stand on its own while reading as a cohesive unit when seen together.
Design Direction
UCLA student life, drawn cute
The direction for this line was rooted in UCLA student life and rendered in a simple, cartoon-like style centered around a cast of recurring motifs: a bruin as the main character, stars as a nod to academic achievement, a hamburger and drink pulled from everyday campus life, and a paw print as a callback to the bruin. The goal was to give each piece enough individuality to feel distinct, while keeping the line cohesive enough to work together as a set.
The Designs
The full line
Three pieces, each distinct in format and layout, but unified by the same cast of motifs and a consistent cartoon-inspired visual language.
The Hoodie
The centerpiece of the line and the only piece with designs on both sides.
The Tote
A looser, type-forward layout designed to be readable from a distance.
The Cap
The full cast of motifs condensed into one tight, small-scale composition.
The Photoshoot
See it styled
Shot by a friend and co-directed by both of us, the photoshoot brought the pieces to life outside of a flat mockup. We pulled reference photos ahead of time and used those as a loose starting point for styling and composition.
📸 Photos by An Tran
Reflection
Notes & Takeaways
This project taught me how to design across a set of items rather than a single piece, which came with its own set of challenges.
Designing
across a set
I learned how to design across a set of items with different dimensions and functions while keeping one consistent visual language. Figuring out how to make each piece feel distinct while still belonging to the same collection was a rewarding balance to find.
Learning the
production side
I also picked up a lot about the production side of making merch, including how valuable it is to order sample pieces early. Seeing designs printed before committing to a full run gave me a much better sense of how to design with production in mind from the start.
