MHI T-shirt Contest: Celebrating 20th Year Naming Anniversary
Vote on your favorite design so you can wear it!
Cedar Rose Leach's Inspiration
I chose to center the design around a circuit board, using its intricate pathways and connections to represent the foundation and logic of electrical and computer engineering. USC’s red is used as a bold accent to immediately draw attention, while the binary sequence for 20, 0b10100, is subtly embedded into the circuitry so the anniversary is integrated into the design in a way that feels native to computing. I wanted the design to feel like it truly came from someone who resonates with and understands the world of electrical and computer engineering. The distressed numerals act as a strong visual anchor, adding texture and contrast against the precision of the circuit layout. I also aimed to balance structure with visual weight, using scale, spacing, and contrast to make the design readable from a distance while still revealing smaller details with closer inspection. Through this combination, I aimed to capture both the legacy and the evolving, hands-on nature of electrical and computer engineering at the Ming Hsieh Institute.
Harshavardhan Reddy Narra's Inspiration
Concept: "The Heart of ECE"
A rich, detailed IC chip — the heart of everything in Electrical and Computer Engineering — sits bold and centered on the chest. At the core of the chip, the official Ming Hsieh Institute logo is embedded, as if the department's identity is literally etched into silicon. Gold circuit traces radiate outward from the chip in all directions. One line of text below: "EST. 2006 · 20TH NAMING ANNIVERSARY." That's the entire front. Bold. Simple. Unmistakably ECE.
Design Philosophy
One hero visual — The chip artwork commands the shirt. No clutter, no competing elements.
Logo integration, not decoration — The MHI logo isn't placed next to the artwork — it's embedded inside it, making the logo and the ECE identity inseparable.
USC Cardinal & Gold — The chip uses deep crimson red and metallic gold — the official USC color palette — creating a premium, luxurious feel.
Wearability — This is a shirt students would actually want to wear. The graphic is eye-catching from across a room.
Hungyu Lin's Inspiration
This design explores the fusion of engineering identity and luxury fashion aesthetics, transforming a traditional academic T-shirt into a refined and timeless piece. Inspired by high-end fashion design principles, the concept emphasizes minimalism, subtle detailing, and visual balance. A tonal monogram pattern is developed using abstracted Electrical and Computer Engineering elements, USC-inspired symbols, and geometric forms. These elements represent the technical foundation of ECE while maintaining a cohesive and sophisticated visual language.
The front design features a small, understated MHI USC emblem to create a sense of exclusivity and refinement. The back design highlights the 20th anniversary through a low-contrast composition, allowing the graphics to blend into the fabric while remaining visible upon closer inspection. This approach reflects the idea of quiet confidence and enduring legacy.
The black and gold color palette was selected to convey prestige, professionalism, and timeless elegance. Gold accents symbolize celebration and achievement, while the dark base enhances the depth and subtlety of the design. This design reimagines the academic T-shirt as a premium wearable identity, representing both the innovation of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the prestige of the Ming Hsieh Institute at the University of Southern California.
Iris Ye's Inspiration
For my design, I aimed to create something that would both represent my amazing department and mirror popular street-wear styles. I took inspiration from the graffiti/calligraphy-style of Stüssy, and combined it with representations of letters as symbols I particularly liked: power-on state transition arrow, memristor, bandpass graph, mosfet, battery cell, omega (for resistance :)), and the right shift operator. I also wanted to connect my design back to Viterbi as a whole, which is why I included its logo on the left sleeve. Happy 20th Naming Anniversary, and Fight On!
Chinmay Nutyalwar's Inspiration
This portfolio represents a strategic fusion of USC’s "Fight On" spirit with the technical rigor of the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The central theme explores the intersection of human resilience and electrical principles, utilizing the "Potential" vs. "Resistance" metaphor as a narrative thread across all visual assets.
Concept: Academic Prestige. ● Inspiration: Derived from the "Swiss Style" of graphic design, emphasizing cleanliness, readability, and objectivity. ● Execution: Utilizing the formal lockups of the USC Viterbi School and the Ming Hsieh Institute, this layout respects the legacy of the institution. ● Goal: To project a sense of professional excellence and formal belonging within the global engineering community.
Concept: Unity in Design. ● Inspiration: "Brand Architecture"—finalizing a cohesive visual signature for the department. ● Execution: This page synthesizes the emblematic strength of the crest with a modern, clean typeface for the department name, presented in a "Centric" layout for maximum impact. ● Goal: To provide a definitive, high-visibility "Hero Graphic" that fosters departmental pride and long-term brand recognition.