Rick Huffman

Huli Huli Tiki Lounge – T-Shirt and Merchandise Design

Software Used: Adobe Illustrator
Project Type: T-Shirt and Merchandise Design

This project features two original t-shirt designs made to celebrate the restoration of the historic Moai statue that once stood at the Kahiki restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. The designs were created for a fictional brand called “Huli Huli Tiki Lounge” and were meant to capture the excitement of bringing this local landmark back to life.

The first shirt design was based closely on the real Moai statue. I started with hand-drawn sketches using photos for reference, then traced and refined the artwork in Adobe Illustrator using the Pen Tool and Shape Builder. I used the “KonTikiJF” typeface because it fit the tiki style while still being easy to read. The goal was to make the design feel bold, artistic, and respectful to the original statue.

The second shirt design was more fun and cartoon-like. It features a full-body Moai character with a scowl, holding a tiki drink. I wanted this version to feel more playful, like a mascot. I again started with a pencil sketch, then cleaned it up in Illustrator. The text was a modified sans-serif font that I adjusted to have a hand-drawn look, matching the casual style of the artwork.

Both designs were made to work across different merchandise, not just t-shirts. I used strong contrast and clean lines to make sure they would print clearly on fabric. The colors were picked to match the tropical tiki theme while still standing out. Each layout was balanced and easy to scale for other uses like posters or stickers.

This project shows my ability to:

• Turn sketches into clean vector artwork
• Design for print and merchandise
• Combine serious and fun styles in a brand
• Create designs that connect to a story or event

The Huli Huli Tiki Lounge designs mix local history with playful branding, making the artwork feel both meaningful and fun.