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If you’ve been to any recent DU games, you may have noticed a stand-out T-shirt design created by DU’s own Caleb Wassell.
The sophomore Studio Art major has had his art featured multiple times on game day shirts and works to keep his designs fun and full of DU spirit.
Wassell hails from Las Vegas, Nev., and has been drawing since he was three.
His sketches and doodles adorn his class notes, putting traditional note-taking to shame.
When deciding on a college, he went for DU, partly because of the beauty of Colorado and partly because of the academic programs.
“The beautiful art facilities really interested me initially,” Wassell said. “Nagel Studios is great. I knew DU had an awesome abroad program and I look forward to studying art in South Africa in the Fall.”
Nagel Studios opened last academic year, just in time for Wassell’s freshman year at DU.
Wassell is truly passionate about art. In the past he has sold various paintings and stencils in local art exhibitions. His “Boone! Goes the Dynamite” piece was his first design work, however.
“My business partner Harley Brown [a DU lacrosse player], first came to me with the initial slogan and concept for the ‘Dynamite’ tees, and we independently produced 500 of those in Crimson and Gold, which we are still selling,” said Wassell.
Wassell and his friends set up a table on Driscoll Bridge last quarter, selling shirts to students and fans. The brilliant yellow shirts are often seen around campus.
In addition to word-of-mouth, Wassell has also marketed his work online with the use of Facebook.
After the success of his first design, Wassell was contacted to create new art for the athletics department.
“We wanted to show all the DU clubs, especially, so soccer, basketball, hockey and lacrosse are showcased,” said Wassell. “I wanted to spice up the Denver Arch because I couldn’t use Boone. The arch can be a cool mascot, too. You just have to spice it up!”
Wassell’s evident school spirit extends into various DU Facebook groups as well, where he maintains an energetic presence, posting new art and showing pride for Denver Athletics.
“I like them because it helps me showcase new designs with a large portion of the student body – fast. I just try to get everyone hyped!”
