SlumTag Case Study — Brand Identity, Product Concept, & Visual World Building
Case Study Overview
SlumTag is built around humility, sustainability, and the beauty of imperfection. My role was to create the brand’s entire visual and conceptual foundation—from product philosophy to identity design, from CAD translation for manufacturing to atmospheric campaign imagery.
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Where traditional fashion leans on polish, status, and surface-level luxury, SlumTag celebrates the opposite: worn textures, exposed construction, recycled materials, and an emotional connection to grit, resilience, and lived experience. The brand’s visual language is built on subtlety, cultural references, and intentional imperfection—expressed across garments, packaging, posters, and logo design.
My goal was to craft a world that feels discovered, not marketed, grounded in earth tones, story, and a quiet, timeless rebellion against fast-fashion gloss.
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Creative Director / Art Director Relevance
This work reflects my approach as a Creative Director and Visual Designer:
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Concept-first thinking grounded in cultural insight
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Narrative design that transforms construction techniques into storytelling
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Worldbuilding through color, texture, and emotional tone
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System-level identity work across product, packaging, and campaign visuals
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Production-accurate CADs that streamline manufacturer communication
SlumTag is a study in how emotional resonance, philosophical clarity, and thoughtful material design can shape a brand far beyond its garments.
Product Overview
I designed SlumTag’s identity around a single question: How do you visually communicate humility and inner value without traditional polish?
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This led to a design system centered on:
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Raw-cut edges
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Inside-out construction
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Exposed stitchwork
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Muted earth tones
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Recycled fabrics
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Minimal branding
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A narrative-driven logo and campaign visual style
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​The collection and its collateral were developed to feel handmade, human, and quietly rebellious—rejecting the hierarchy of “luxury” for something more real, universal, and emotional.
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Design Rationale
By flipping the garment inside out, the design reframes “flaws” as features. What’s normally hidden—stitching, seams, panels—becomes visual storytelling.
This approach is meant to:
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Highlight transparency over polish
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Celebrate resourcefulness
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Embrace the beauty of lived wear
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Allow each wash to naturally distress the garment, making it more appreciated over time
It becomes a garment that evolves with the wearer—gaining personality, softness, and character instead of losing value.​
Serge Lbaka wearing
"Brain Patch hat".
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Production-Ready CADs
To support real-world manufacturing, I created CAD files using industry-standard formatting. This ensures:
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Clear communication with factories
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Reduced language barriers
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Consistent pattern translation
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Scalability for future collections
The CAD became a blueprint for translating the conceptual philosophy into physical production.
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Labels, Tags & Collectible Collateral
Labels and hang tags serve as miniature storytelling pieces.
They’re made from:
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100% Organic Material
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Recycled Fabrics
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Simple stamped typography
Each tag includes a scannable element that unlocks narrative pieces, rewards, or digital moments—turning packaging into emotional memorabilia.
The washing instructions even reflect a resourceful approach to garment care, reinforcing the brand’s emphasis on longevity.
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Campaign & Poster System
The poster series mimics wheat-pasted flyers and red, weathered brick walls—textured, imperfect, discovered rather than advertised.
Key visual elements:
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Vintage brick wall pattern
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Earth-toned color palette
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Dusty film-like grading
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Soft mystery over direct messaging
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Only a small SlumTag icon & QR Code—no brand name
This anonymity creates emotional weight. When viewers later encounter the name SlumTag, they recall the imagery and form a narrative connection. Emphasizing the brick wall texture transforms any environment involving red bricks into a reminder of SlumTag's values and lifestyle.​
This juxtaposition of a smooth surface such as cardboard or concrete merging into bricks with a chipped layer sparks curiosity and reinforces the brand’s message of inner value.
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Packaging Concept
The SlumTag box is shaped like a brick.
Half is printed with distressed masonry texture; the other half is raw cardboard.
Symbolism:
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Strength + Fragility
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Construction + Erosion
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Foundation + Imperfection
With no logos, the box’s meaning unfolds only when paired with the garment and collateral—making discovery part of the experience.
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Brand Identity Development
SlumTag’s color palette—warm dust tones, washed greens, muted browns—reflects an eco-conscious world rooted in simplicity and sustainability.
Textures repeat across the brand:
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This led to a design system centered on:​
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Raw-cut hems
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Worn canvas
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Exposed seams
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Natural fading
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Stamped typography
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​It positions SlumTag at the emerging intersection of eco-grunge fashion, cultural storytelling, and community-centered values.
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Human-Centered Brand Philosophy
The brand is designed so even someone wearing secondhand or worn-out clothing can feel:
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Seen
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Stylish
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Respected
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Connected
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Appreciated for their resilience
Rather than selling a lifestyle of excess, SlumTag champions humility as a strength and celebrates the resourcefulness found in daily life.​
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Logo Concept - The Child Fishing
The SlumTag logo depicts a child fishing with a simple stick-and-string pole.
Symbolism embedded in the mark:
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Resilience through resourcefulness
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Ingenuity over excess
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Making something meaningful from very little
The “S”-shaped water ties the scene directly to the brand.
This identity avoids loudness—it's emotional, poetic, and quietly iconic.
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Logo Usage Strategy
The logo never appears on garments.
It only appears on:
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Posters
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Packaging
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Website
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Collateral
This reinforces SlumTag’s anti-status philosophy: the clothes remain honest and unbranded, letting the wearer embody the message naturally.
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Worldbuilding Strategy
Across product, posters, logo, and packaging, SlumTag expresses a unified philosophy:
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Humility over hype
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Subtlety over loud branding
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Story over status
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Raw materials over artificial luxury
The identity invites people to slow down, look closer, and find meaning in simplicity. It’s not about looking rich—it's about feeling real.
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Strategic Impact
SlumTag positions itself as a culturally resonant, emotionally driven fashion identity—one capable of connecting with people who value story, resilience, and lived honesty.
This case study demonstrates my ability to:
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Build a brand from conceptual core to final artifact
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Develop production-ready garment blueprints
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Art direct campaign imagery and worldbuilding
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Design subtle, meaning-rich identity systems
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Communicate philosophy through material and form
It is a Creative Director’s approach to fashion: immersive, intentional, and built to last.​