From passion to pride: Meet Ryan Engelbrecht, the creative mind behind Print Bar's iconic LGBTQ+ designs
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Ryan Engelbrecht has always had a passion for graphic design. Growing up, his collection of graphic T-shirts inspired him to create his own designs. Now having founded Print Bar, Ryan is designing T-shirts that are proudly being featured on The Pride Store. This one-man shop is currently designing the funniest and queerest T-shirts that are must-haves for Pride Season, but he took some time to sit down for an exclusive interview with PRIDE.COM to discuss his creative beginnings and what The Pride Store means to him.
Print Bar Founder Ryan EngelbrechtCourtesy Print Bar
From the beginning, Ryan has always had an eye for design. “I've always liked graphic t-shirts growing up,” Ryan shares. “When I realized that I could start making them for myself and my friends, I started off by making band T-shirts in high school and it was just so cool to see everyone wear them. Then I saw random people wearing my designs and I felt so proud to see people wearing something that I created.”
Print Bar's "Looking To Collab" Muscle T is available now on ThePrideStore.com.Courtesy The Pride Store
On The Pride Store, Ryan sells T-shirts and tanks that hilariously represent the LGBTQ+ community. From a Poppers-themed design to Grindr humor, Ryan’s designs are inspired by the vibrance of his community. “My designs have been inspired by my friends in the queer community, or the sports leagues that I'm in, or at the bars, or even just the group chats I’m in. We have a huge, creative community of people that are always coming up with the most iconic sayings, and I love turning them into designs,” Ryan says.
Print Bar's "Say Gay Steamboat Willie" T-shirt is available now on ThePrideStore.com.Courtesy The Pride Store
Being platformed on The Pride Store has been huge for Ryan and it’s something he’s immensely proud of. “I contacted David because I liked everything that The Pride Store is about,” Ryan explains. “Trying to empower people in our community is something that is important to get involved with. Whether it’s just a few orders or a million, I really like what they are doing and I can't wait to see where it goes.”
On the horizons, Ryan has some big plans for Pride Season that he hopes will continue to resonate with his community. “I don't think we have enough time for it to happen, but I would love to design a Cinco de Mayo T-shirt and a summer T-shirt for Pride Season coming up. I want to create some event-based shirts that people can really feel connected with,” Ryan shares.
Courtesy Print Bar
With these queerful designs, Ryan is bringing the LGBTQ+ community together one T-shirt at a time.
Receive free shipping with promo code “SPRING” (valid thru 4/30) when you shop ThePrideStore.com.
