Artist-Designed Souvenirs to Celebrate America Turning 250

Apr 14

The Challenge: Design a Limited Series of Souvenirs that Celebrate America Turning 250 in 2026

The background and additional context: 2026 is the year that Lettering Works celebrates 10 years in business and embraces a stronger focus on Chicago and intentional souvenir design. As I’ve been recently leaning into my identity as a Chicago Souvenir Designer, I’ve been updating some of my communication materials, including a video and webpage, as well as an updated wholesale catalog that is available upon request.

This refined focus and identity has inspired shifts in my approach to designing. I am asking new questions early on in the design process that inspire designs that celebrate the moment and all the uniqueness that comes with it. I’ve always strived to design authentically and well represent the communities and concepts that my work explores.

Maybe I’ve been feeling sentimental as I celebrate a big-for-me milestone in business, but it has me wondering how we can design souvenirs and ephemera to capture current happenings, emotions, and milestone moments. Not every souvenir is meant for everyone and creating a singular design to encompass everything that America represents over its 250 year history is too large an ask for such a diverse country. I wanted to challenge myself to explore my own spin on souvenirs that mark the current times.

While there are official designs that are available for licensing, I want to contribute my own unique spin in hopes that it will provide another option to mark this historic moment.

America the beautifully Diverse (Pride edition)

Celebrate the Diversity that makes America Special

Can we celebrate the USA turning 250 with free healthcare for all?

Pre-order here (Wholesale)

Shop via our website (non-wholesale)

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Chelsie Tamms is a lettering artist and brand designer in Chicago. Her work seeks to explore and foster connection to community, whether geographically or identity-based. All of her pieces start with small, hand-drawn sketches and are then vectorized using Adobe tools, like Fresco and Illustrator, to allow for a variety of uses and applications.

She specializes in Chicago Souvenirs and is available for custom merchandise projects. Reach out here if you’d like to work together.

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