T-Shirt Designer (cultural) – Plana for Success

creative brand dedicated to uplifting, educating, and inspiring the African American community through culturally grounded products. Our designs celebrate heritage, honor legacy, and promote empowerment, pride, and representation. We create apparel, books, and resources that reflect the richness of African American history and culture—boldly and unapologetically.

We are looking for a talented T-shirt Designer to join our team on a project or ongoing basis. This role is perfect for someone with a strong sense of cultural awareness, a passion for design, and the ability to translate ideas into visually striking, meaningful apparel. We are seeking someone to batch create 10 original T-shirt and apparel designs at a time for all ages—from newborns to adults aged 0 to 100+.

Important Note on Cultural Context
Plana for Success focuses specifically on African American culture—rooted in the history, struggles, achievements, and lived experiences of Black people in the United States whose ancestry often includes the descendants of enslaved Africans. This is distinct from African culture, which represents the traditions, histories, and identities of people from the African continent and its diverse nations. While both share African heritage, they are culturally and historically different, and our brand’s visual language must reflect African American identity in an authentic way.

Responsibilities:
• Batch create 10 unique, original T-shirt and apparel designs for ages 0–100+.
• Align all designs with our brand’s mission, color palette, and typography.
• Ensure designs authentically represent African American culture using accurate symbolism, imagery, and references.
• Translate brand themes—empowerment, legacy, education, cultural pride—into compelling visual concepts.
• Work closely with our brand designer to maintain consistency across apparel collections.
• Prepare high-quality, print-ready files suitable for various print-on-demand platforms (e.g., Printful, Printify).
• Incorporate feedback quickly and efficiently while meeting deadlines.

Qualifications:
• Proven experience designing apparel, especially T-shirts.
• Strong portfolio showcasing original work (no stock or plagiarized designs).
• Understanding of African American history, symbolism, and cultural references.
• Proficiency in design tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Canva, or similar.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating with a small team.
• Familiarity with print-on-demand websites and their functionality (e.g., creating mockups, formatting files, understanding product options).
• Experience with print-on-demand integration with Shopify, including syncing products, managing listings, and understanding how design placement affects production.
• Experience with print-on-demand production workflows is a plus.

What We’re Looking For in a Designer:
• Creativity paired with cultural authenticity.
• Attention to detail, especially in typography, composition, and color use.
• A collaborative spirit open to feedback and refinement.
• Someone who can grow with our brand over time.

Rate & Hours:
• Competitive per-batch or per-design rate based on experience.
• Part-time, freelance, with potential for ongoing work as the brand grows.

If you’re passionate about creating designs that speak to African American heritage and identity—and you have the creativity to make bold statements through apparel—we’d love to see your work.

How to Apply:
Send an introduction, your portfolio (with examples of culturally inspired designs if available), your desired rate per batch of 10 designs, your familiarity with print-on-demand websites and their functionality, and your experience with their integration with Shopify. Please confirm that you understand the cultural distinction outlined above and can design specifically for an African American audience.