The idea of "Big Norm" came to me when I was sitting around during the pandemic looking for something to do. Having extra time, I noticed several colleges still using vintage "bully" logos that were popular during the 1940s-1960s. Since Charlotte was founded around that time, I decided to join in on the fun and illustrate one! The logo's styling depicts an old school bully stance, walking with his head held high and chest out, intimidating all who come across him. The logo replicates the style adopted by several universities in the 1940s, and its popularity remains relevant in today's college landscape, being used by NC State, Oregon, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin.

Sketches to Final

Above you can see the "pencil" sketch done on an iPad, which translated into the inked version next to it. Below was the first iteration in green.

Making It Vintage

The next step was to color it and give it a more vintage feel, so I added some texture that made it look worn down and dated, but durable.

Variations

The finished product had loads of flexibility to where I could create several design variations and place different color tee shirts. I also had some fun redesigning for Baseball and Football seasons.

Finished Product

Adding it to a tee and altering it for different colors and designs. Today you can see Niner fans sporting the tees from football games to baseball.

Inspiration Behind Big Norm

Here are some examples of bully logos used by various colleges. As seen below, the details and pose of Big Norm replicates them nicely.