Design Contest 2023 – Gothic Aesthetic

A gloomy glow casts a dim light on the stage of our next Star Academy Design Contest. As the fog rises, we can see bats circling around skeletons and spider webs. No doubt, everyone’s waiting for your dark inspiration to put your Gothic designs in the limelight.

Oh… how exciting!

By now you should be hearing those dark and powerful drum rolls. But, the theme of our design contest considered, our faces shall remain emotionless, for the time being. Because we want your single best design on the topic… GOTHIC AESTHETIC.

Tag it! The contest keyword: gothiccontest2023.

Okay, we’re pretty excited and can’t wait to see your dark and gloomy creative crops. And because Leipzig is Spreadshirt’s hometown, we are doubly excited. Every Whitsun weekend, the Wave Gothic Treffen takes place here, one of the world’s largest festivals of the black scene. All the dark matter comes out to shine on one long weekend.

Paint it black? – Styles and inspiration

Let’s clear up a misunderstanding: Gothic doesn’t just mean bats, black candles, cobwebs, and fear of sunshine. Here you will find a small style overview. Because Gothic is anything but monotonous.

Modern Gothic – Mystical & magical

This trend uses some key elements of the well-known Gothic trend and provides a multi-faceted and very modern aesthetic. It’s mainly all about a fascination with occult symbols.

Ancient “magical” practices serve as an inspiration. Graphic symbols from paganism and Wicca play a big role here as well. Recently, the Modern Gothic trend gained popularity as a reaction to a collective need for more stability.

Appreciation of nature, astrology and divination are part of this trend. Use elements from flora and fauna, and combine them with mystical symbols for a Modern Gothic style design. You can find more ideas here.

Cyberpunk Gothic – Gloomy technique

Cyberpunk is characterized by smooth surfaces and grungy textures. Originating in the 1980s and 90s, cyberpunk deals with the dark side of the technologized world.

The rapidly changing world with all kinds of new technologies and an accompanying sense of alienation becomes the focus in cyberpunk.

A design in this style works with a neon-lit urban scenery and high-tech body transformations. Industrial technology meets unconventional people. Yes, it’s dark – but also much more than black combined with, well, black.

Glitch Gothic – Matrix error

Glitch Art deals with unintended flaws of technology. It is a key element of Modern Gothic Design. Designers here use visual strategies to express themselves and explore their personal powers.

Funny Gothic – What’s there to laugh about?

Goths have a sense of humor, hell yes. Even though the theme is dark, it doesn’t need to be super serious. Gothic can showcase a wonderful mix of different types of humor. The most obvious, of course, is black humor.

A fun approach to Gothic? Use elements of pop culture or famous artworks in a Gothic style. It will be a really grateful genre for your creativity.

Design Elements – The devil in the details

We all have our clichés when it comes to Gothic and the aesthetics of gloom. Play with them to exploit all the possibilities it by combining different elements for an eerily beautiful design.

Goth Girls – Wednesday Addams rules

Goth girls are perceived as dark and mysterious. Nobody can tell them what to do. Their appearance is the exact opposite of those colorful selfie looks on Instagram and other social media channels.

Take inspiration from Wednesday Addams and create a powerful design with a protagonist who rightfully calls the shots.

Gothic Fonts – Spell “gloomy”

How to come up with a gothic typefaces? Think bold, blocky, and squiggly lettering – that’s the name of the game. Fonts like Blackletter, Old English, Mall Goth fonts, or Gothic Script create a dark, moody atmosphere.
Mall goth fonts often include sharp edges and graphic elements like barbed wire, chains, and skulls. Perfect for a Gothic-style designs.

Vampires and Bats – The undead never die 

You thought we’d forgotten about bloodsuckers, right? In Gothic literature and pop culture, vampires are often depicted as dark and mysterious creatures. Even if cliché, they can’t be missing in a Gothic design.

With the Transylvanian gourmets, you’re guaranteed to give your designs a creepy factor. Important: don’t forget to sprinkle a few drops of blood here and there.

Skeletons and skulls – Vitamin Glum for Goths

Macabre? Yes! Indispensable for Gothic designs? No! Skeletons and skulls embody death, transience, and decay. Just perfect elements for our design contest.

Dancing bone man or rose-covered skull, everything from funny to cheesy fits the bill. Evanescence – ​the fact that mortality makes everything pass – is the dominant theme here. Memento mori just.

Ravens and Creepy Crawlers

Corvus Corax – the raven. This little black bird wouldn’t hurt anyone, would it? Wouldn’t it? Imagine a raven on a foggy field or a gloomy forest clearing. Who needs more spooky inspiration?

And how about an itsy bitsy spiderish design? These eight-legged creatures have all the creepy credentials. Give the little crawlers a new home in your Gothic design.

Witches and black cats

As with many other elements of the Gothic style elements, we should not forget the historical tragedy of the witch hunt. For creative use, the witch as a literary figure and pop-culture heroine shouldn’t go amiss.

As a mystical figure with supernatural powers, she can be found in many Gothic designs. Accompanied by a black cat, she’s a symbol of occultism. This makes her suitable for Halloween themes and anything sinistre.

A dark brew

Whether it’s a Wave Gothic meeting in Leipzig, a creepy shocker or Netflix’ creepy hit Wednesday. We encounter a wild mix of styles and elements everywhere! We’re sure you have an icy-cold knack for a design to make us freeze with horror.

Be creative and play with the (un)expected:

– Do Goths go to the beach wearing a black swimsuit and floaties?

– What does a Barby & Ken movie poster look like in a Gothic style?

– Can a unicorn pull a carriage for the undead?

– Do skulls actually smile in family photos?

Downright strict rules

This is almost creepy! But when it comes to the design contest, we are incredibly strict. If you want to place the grand prize in your tomb, you’ll need to follow these rules:

• Only ONE design can be submitted per participant
• Only designers of Star Classes 3, 4 & 5 can participate
• The participating design must be submitted within 14 days of the start date.
• Each participating design must be tagged with the keyword of the competition – gothiccontest2023 to be considered by the jury.
• Designs submitted before the start date won’t count.

The design contest can be the playground for your creativity. We are looking forward to your submission and a drip of patchouli oil on our hoodies.

I’m in!

Don’t forget to tag your design with gothiccontest2023 and submit your Gothic design by 22.05.2023. for a chance to win big! We can’t wait to see what gloomy soul slumbers deep inside of you!