“Spellbound” Black Cat Shoulder Tote
A good portion of The Bradford Exchange’s customer base is made up of cat lovers; more specifically, black cat lovers. I was tasked with developing a large tote bag that celebrates the whimsical and witchy charm of black cats. Below is the process of bringing this tote bag project to life.
Inspiration
Drawing inspiration from other black cat products being sold on our website, as well as artists like Lisa Parker and Kayomi Harai, I began to conceptualize a tote bag that would complement our black cat collection well.
Final Artwork
Utilizing my skills in photo bashing, I created the below collage in Adobe Photoshop to be used as a starting point for the artwork and general aesthetic of the tote bag.
concept mockup
Along with the collage, a preliminary mockup was created to share my concept with the rest of my team.
Specs & Quoting
Once my concept was given the green light by my team, I created a general spec pack to use to quote the project with various international vendors. Below is a slideshow containing the specs sent to initiate project quoting.
Proofing
Once the project’s cost of goods was finalized, I created proofing artwork files for the various bag panels based on my original collage. I also collaborated with the bag vendor to develop a coordinating metal charm to hang from the bag’s handle.
Bag Sampling
Once the proofing artwork was uploaded to the chosen vendor, it was finally time to begin bringing the bag to life. Below are photos documenting the bag’s journey from fabric swatch to final production proof.
Strike-offs
At the strike-off stage, I ensured that the print quality and coloration was the best possible quality. While the side panel and pocket panels looked great, the front/back panel looked distorted compared to the original artwork.
Final Product
After a few rounds of corrections, the final tote bag was finally perfected and ready to hit the market!