About

The History of Seventh.Ink

Seventh.Ink is one-man art and clothing brand run by designer/artist Matthew Johnson. What began in 2007 as a fun side project quickly grew into a business that is now known worldwide. As my art style evolved over the years, it became apparent that Seventh.Ink was more to me than just a way to create fun shirts. My goals for the brand shifted and I began to focus on illustrating more artistic designs while refining my style. Once screen prints, enamel pins, and patches were added to the arsenal of available products, I knew that I had found a major change in the direction that I wanted to take the brand.

"Seventh.Ink has always been an evolutionary brand that continues to grow with me as I explore new concepts and artistic ambitions."

I originally started Seventh.Ink because I wanted to make cool and humorous graphic tees. However, I quickly found that the market for funny shirts was flooded and I wanted to stand out and be more original. Although some of my most clever designs were very well received, I felt that I wanted to make more of an impact with my brand, so I began concepting new ways to restructure Seventh.Ink without stepping completely away from everything I had done. This was about the time when I started releasing concept lines and collections that were cohesive and went together. Customers could now purchase an entire set of designs that were related, and I felt more of an artistic sense of accomplishment through these releases. The most popular collections to date have been the Haunted Collection and the Gods & Goddesses Series, both of which are typically well received and exciting to work on.

Being a One Man Brand

I think that Seventh.Ink has always been one of those brands that has sort of been a mystery to people. Is there a small or large team behind it, or is it just one person who pulls it all together? Over the years, it's been interesting to see how many people still think that Seventh.Ink is run by a group of individuals when all along it has only been run by one person. I've stated it since the beginning, "Seventh.Ink is a one man brand", but there must be something that continuously drives people to think that there must be more to it than that. I think a large part of the mystery comes from the online presence that Seventh.Ink has. I've always been able to design and develop custom websites and marketing for Seventh.Ink thanks to my background in graphic design and web development.

"Running Seventh.Ink for so many years has given me tremendous insight into the ins and outs of maintaining a small business."

Between all of the design, illustration, marketing, branding, fulfillment, traveling for shows, and everything else it takes to run a business, I have found a great sense of growth and understanding through my experiences with Seventh.Ink. It's not easy, but because Seventh.Ink is my passion project I really enjoy all of the work I do for it.

Over the years, friends and family have been a huge help in working with me at various shows and conventions. The more Seventh.Ink grows, the more help they've given, and I couldn't be more thankful for the great support from those close to me. 
 

Attention to Detail

About the Clothing

Seventh.Ink shirts are printed with water based inks on high quality blanks and have custom printed tags. All of my t-shirts and tank tops are printed in the United States. One of the main goals of Seventh.Ink is to create a style of shirts that you've never seen before, and offer them at an affordable price. The unique blend of art and story that I put into my designs help them stand apart from what other brands are doing. All of the shirts have always had the Seventh.Ink logo on the left sleeve as a way to incorporate a bit more of myself into the brand being that I'm left-handed and my favorite number is seven.

 

About the Prints

In 2012 I decided to try designing some screen printed posters, and I was immediately hooked. Ever since, I have put out more and more screen prints every year while trying to maintain a balance of shirts and prints in my brand. All of my screen prints are printed on high quality stock (typically French paper) by the finest professional screen printers around. I typically do 18x24 prints, but I have been experimenting with other sizes as of late. Some screen prints also have metallic or glow inks to give them that extra finesse. I'm excited to push myself more into this new realm as my style continues to evolve.

 

About the Artist

My name is Matthew Johnson and I'm the force behind Seventh.Ink. As a professional freelance artist, I specialize in illustration, graphic design, and web development. I'm a graduate of AI International MN, where I learned to look at things from both design and artistic points of view. This has helped me further strengthen Seventh.Ink as a brand and artistic outlet. I was raised in Minnesota, but now reside in Florida and enjoy the best of both states year round.