MECCA Arena Milwaukee Throwback T-shirts

MILWAUKEE — We are honored and humbled to have designed 4 retro themed t-shirts for the Wisconsin Center District. "The MECCA Arena in Milwaukee is where I graduated high school, college and went to my first concert. I even got to see the Bucks play on a replica Robert Indiana floor last year. This building has a lot of meaningful history to me. It's a part of my city identity," says 414 Milwaukee designer, Fred Gillich.

The WCD wanted something special that was rooted in the heritage and history of the UW Milwaukee Arena but with an updated, reimagined graphic design language. "Our challenge was to respect the past, and find some visual solutions. So we looked at the iconic features of this very practical looking building: the roof arches, the fonts carved into the marble, and the bricks. Real working class stuff. Perspective. We even processed the colors from the MECCA basketball floor as a tribute to the late Robert Indiana, says Gillich. "We just wanted to honor us Milwaukeeans."

Shirts will debut tomorrow June 13th at the Newaukee Night Market and available for purchase.