When the Branding Together podcast set out to launch a line of merch, I wanted the designs to reflect exactly what the show represents: collaboration, creativity and the energy that connects the print and promo worlds.

To kick things off, I dropped our full project scope into ChatGPT to help summarize the plan, and it broke it down into a creative road map, delivering three distinct concepts when I asked for design direction:

• Connected Threads: visualizing the strength of unity through intertwined elements.
• The Fusion Effect: the explosive merging of two creative worlds – print and promo.
• Sound Waves of Collaboration: translating the energy of the podcast into visible sound.

The third concept instantly stood out. It captured both the podcast’s essence and the print industry’s heartbeat, and the idea of CMYK sound waves felt like the perfect bridge between the two.

Bringing the Vision to Life

To develop the visual foundation, I turned to Midjourney. Using a detailed AI prompt I generated in ChatGPT (Prompt: glowing CMYK sound wave lines – cyan, magenta, yellow and black – flowing and overlapping on a pure black background, neon light effect, smooth energy waveform, subtle particle glow, modern digital style, perfect symmetry, high contrast, ultra-detailed, cinematic lighting, vector-inspired composition, --ar 16:9 --v 6 --style raw --chaos 25), I generated glowing CMYK sound wave patterns flowing over a dark background with a subtle neon glow. After several iterations, I found the perfect image: modern, balanced and full of energy.

Julia used Midjourney to create a glowing CMYK sound wave pattern.

I upscaled the image using Topaz Gigapixel AI to ensure it was production-ready, then brought it into Photoshop to remove the black background and halftone the image. This step lightened the print weight, keeping it soft and wearable on dark garments.

In Photoshop, Julia removed the black background and halftoned the image to lighten the print weight and keep it soft and wearable for dark garments.

Because I had flexibility with the logo colors, I inverted the Branding Together logo to mostly white, kept the “a” red to tie in the ASI logo and reworked the PRINTING United Alliance logo for contrast on black fabric. To tie everything together, I added a subtle glowing 3-D effect to the logo using The Neon Toolbox glow presets (https://creativemarket.com/MiksKS/4542717-The-Neon-Toolbox), giving it that final spark of visual cohesion.

Julia reworked the colors of the Branding Together logo to fit her design, without losing the essence of the ASI and PRINTING United Alliance logos.

Design 1: The Pulse of Collaboration

The first design became a dynamic expression of energy – neon CMYK sound waves moving in rhythm with the glowing logo. It felt like a visual heartbeat of the Branding Together message: creativity amplified through collaboration.

The first design Julia created for the Branding Together merch collection.

Design 2: A Fun, Energetic Remix

For the second design, I wanted to take those same core elements and remix them into something more playful. Drawing inspiration from this Kittl layout, I reimagined the graphics to feel bold, uplifting and energetic. A design that could stand alone yet still speak to the same brand story.

Julia created a fun remix for the second Branding Together design, which the BeeGraphix team printed onto hoodies.

Design 3: The Icon of Unity

The third design began with an idea to fuse both logos into a single iconic mark while keeping the CMYK theme alive. Using this Kittl reference as inspiration, I experimented with Google Gemini’s Nano Banana to generate concepts, but it struggled to match my vision. So, I moved into CorelDRAW, refining the form until it struck the right balance: two brands, one unified identity. Once finalized, I brought the logo back into Nano Banana to simulate a chenille patch. The first render hit perfectly.

Julia used CorelDRAW to create a fusion of the ASI and PRINTING United Alliance logos, then turned to Google Gemini’s Nano Banana to simulate the look of a chenille patch.

From there, I upscaled it in Topaz Gigapixel, cleaned it up in Photoshop and prepped it for print at 300 dpi, 11 inches wide.

Julia used Topaz Gigapixel to upscale the third Branding Together design she created.

The final result: a bold chenille-style icon that visually stitches the print and promo worlds together.

Julia’s third design was printed on tank tops by the BeeGraphix team.

From Concept to Creation

Seeing these designs move from digital artboards to actual garments was the best part. The textures, the glow and the color energy all came to life in production – a tangible reflection of collaboration made visible.