All eyes were on DieselFish at the CDBA Regional Regatta. The team
won a gold medal AND debuted its stunning new uniform designed by our own Anna
Koan.
At the 2023 CDBA Regional Regatta, DieselFish paddled to the top
of the medal podium in style. At that race, the San Francisco Bay Area dragon
boat team unveiled a new uniform that celebrates the 25th anniversary of the
team’s founding. The new uniform was designed by Anna Koan. Anna is not only
the team’s stroke—she is also a talented artist and designer. Read on to
learn more about Anna’s design process and the creative choices she
incorporated into the 25th Anniversary Uniform.
A few years back Coach Marynka approached me about designing a new jersey for DieselFish to celebrate the team’s 20th anniversary. At the time our uniform was navy blue with bright green sleeves; the design had been unchanged for many years, and other local teams were updating their jerseys with very similar colors around that time. We used the opportunity to update our standard uniform and overall brand design as well. I hadn’t designed actual clothing before, so I was a bit nervous! But my educational background in illustration and animation and professional working experience as a game artist helped a lot and I was able to apply many of those skills.
In terms of real-life clothing, I’ve designed jerseys and hoodies for Burnwater. But during the time I spent previously working as a game artist at Pocket Worlds. I also spent many years designing a wide range of digital avatar clothing and accessories for a mobile game called Highrise. I designed everything from casual basics, activewear, and street fashion to fantasy gowns, magical auras, and dragon wings!
I was pretty much given free reign and was encouraged to try something totally different from our normal uniform, the only criteria being that the design should make a reference to the team’s 25th anniversary.
Even though the design brief asked for something different, I felt it was important that the 25th Anniversary design still work well alongside our normal uniforms, so the team could wear either jersey to races and look cohesive. With that in mind, I took the existing elements of the design but remixed and reimagined them to make something new.
My favorite parts are the flowing lines on the sleeves and the new DieselFish logo because they both feature something personal to me. I’ve always loved drawing long flowing lines like water and hair, and I like to incorporate them into my personal illustration work where I can.
Yes, I’ve worn the 25th anniversary uniform to a few practices and to the recent Regatta. The first time I tried on the uniform was a mix of feelings; as an artist it’s easy to get too focused on what could be improved. But it’s also really satisfying to see my design come to life as a physical object and to see other people wearing and enjoying my design.
You can see more of my work on Instagram @ankosquared and annakoan.com
