donothingclub is a collaborative design project curated by Ben Gabriel and Julian Trompeter based in New York City focused on exploring the potential of connection through design.
Drawing inspiration out of the city they’re from, inclusive of music, art, and performance, donothingclub aims to deliver limited merchandise, unique designs, and one-of-a-kind experiences.
We discovered Ben and Juju after spotting a New Yorker article that highlighted the merch they designed for Bonnie’s, one of Brooklyn’s buzziest restaurants led by celebrated chef Calvin Eng. The use of their bold design, their provocative play with messaging, and their creative philosophy is uniquely translated through the clever and creative merch they create. From designs for NYC’s most famous dim sum restaurant to doing styling work for Vogue magazine for celebrity chef Marcus Samuelson, and many more, donothingclub’s Ben and Juju are two designers to watch.
We love discovering emerging talent as they have lot to teach us because of their perspective on what’s trending but more importantly, they combine trends with a progressive aesthetic that is woven into their merch and design craft. One example is when we talk about using straight-line copy on merch as — in Juju’s words, “small-scale storytelling.”
Enjoy our chat with these two very talented designers, ben and juju, and what we encourage you to listen for, is how these emerging artists think about merch and how it can be applied to your customers!