Since the Future Collector Car Show (FCCS) made its move to the Polo Field at WestWorld and takes place during Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale Auctions, the team has become dedicated to creating an exclusive commemorative T-shirt that celebrates the event and its participants. What makes the shirt special is that it showcases the prior year’s Best of Show winner, aiming to provide a unique keepsake and encourage a competitive show field. The 2024 shirt features the 2023 Best of Show winner, a 2002 Honda S2000 owned by David Flinn.

In the realm of creative design, crafting of the FCCS commemorative T-shirt is more than just placing a photo on a shirt and calling it a day ‒ it’s a meticulous process that involves expertise, innovation and talented designers. To create something truly special, the team turned to Corbin Snyder, Director of Marketing and Creative at Barrett-Jackson. Since the design had to feature the 2023 winner, the team had to start with a clean photo of the Best of Show S2K.

The creative team brought the S2K into the cutting-edge Barrett-Jackson studio for a photo shoot. The studio features a white cyclorama, or “cyc” for short. The cyc is a huge wall used to suggest unlimited space – a literal blank canvas – which makes the design process easier as there isn’t a distracting background. The studio also provides excellent controlled lighting which ensures an evenly lit car without any glaring reflections or strange light spots that would necessitate a significant amount of retouching for the final design. Barrett-Jackson Media Director Tim Heit played with multiple angles and took a variety of different photos to ensure the most compelling image for the commemorative tee.

Once the car was photographed, the images were turned over to the graphics team. Each design iteration went through a process of exploration, from vibrant hues to distinct angles.

With any project that comes across his desk, Snyder encourages his team to come up with a design for themselves, letting their imaginations run wild, then create a second one that fits within the project parameters and finally create a third they think would appeal to the masses. Making sure the design flows and is cohesive – as well as remembering the audience and where the design will live (in this case, on a T-shirt) – is key.

The core of this collective endeavor is rooted in the quest for a design that not only respects the 2023 Best of Show champion but also captures the essence of the FCCS event. It serves as a tribute to the commitment, originality and artistic craftsmanship embedded in creating a T-shirt to be treasured by both participants and spectators.

FCCS participants with a vehicle on the show field will receive the special shirt upon entry to the event, while spectators can pre-order the limited-edition tee on Barrett-Jackson’s official merchandise site here.