The Meaning Behind the "Teachlit" Design

"The job of an Artist is to always deepen the mystery." - Francis Bacon

Checking my Design Calendar for May shows that the first week is meant for a Teacher Appreciation Week. I thought of a unique design that I could come up to and I end up creating this design.

Teachlit Teacher-Literature Appreciation Day Design T-Shirt 

with discount in 48 hours

Combining my love for mystery, books and literature and the teacher herself I come up with a dark and unsettling horror vector art illustration of an open old book severely ripped on edges. Blood-red roses are crawling over it.

In the book Threads Not Dead by Jeff Finley, it is important to have message in your design. What are you trying to say with your design? Although I would like to leave to you the message behind this design that you've chosen to give to your teacher friend, I'd like to say my piece of  different interpretation depending on who it's coming from.

• Teachlit literally means "Teaching and Literature" all combined for a teacher friend who also loves reading books. If you would give this t-shirt to them, it would be more memorable to give it with her favorite book.
• Teachlit could also mean "Teach Lightly not Harshly" coming from a student who's not learning under a very strict teacher. This is a way of telling her that you can learn better if your he or she is kind to you. 
• Teachlit could also mean a reminder for being a Hard Woking person coming from a friend who notices that the teacher is too hard- working and needed to mellow a bit. Give this t-shirt with an invitation to a movie, or eat out or going somewhere she can relax. 

The over all illustration--worn book, crawling bloody roses is a glimpse to what may happen it the teacher would continue being so hardworking today that she sacrifices her health and wellness. Scary? Yes, but also serves as a reminder to take everything lightly. 

Perfect for a proud Literature Teacher on a Halloween, too. 

Jeff Finley is right, there should be meaning in the Arts we're creating and the meaning can come from the one who's buying the design and of course, the one who will receive the art as a gift. 

Designers like me should not just create arts because it's the one selling on the marketplace or that everybody are doing it. We create design because there's something that we would like to express to someone. 

In this design, I combined meaning and the kind of art I am fascinated at the moment. I guess this is a perfect formula because I am making art I love and at the same time send meaning to a specific audience

How do you interpret this art? Let me know in the comments.