Abouts

 

At MANcKIND, we believe humour is serious business. Our designs riff on music, film, literature, and pop culture — playing with words and twisting familiar references until they feel fresh, funny, and sometimes a little subversive. Around 88% of what we do is music-driven because songs, singers, and bands aren’t just soundtracks — they’re memory triggers, identity markers, and emotional shorthand. Music has that strange magic: a single lyric or riff can pull us back to a time, a place, a feeling. We want our designs to work the same way.

Think of that moment in Flash Gordon when Dr. Zarkov resists brainwashing by clinging to human resilience — his memories, his imagination, his music. That’s what culture does. It grounds us, connects us, and keeps us alive in a world that’s constantly trying to flatten or homogenise who we are. Our work is about holding onto that spark.

Every design carries a layer of wordplay, nostalgia, and commentary. Sometimes it’s as simple as a pun, sometimes it’s two seemingly incongruous ideas colliding to create something new — like identity itself. If one of our designs makes you laugh, think, or feel a jolt of recognition, then it’s done its job. And if you want to take it further, We Are MANcKINDis your platform: a space where anyone — Mancunian or not — can share why a design resonates with them. Because identity isn’t fixed. It’s lived, felt, sung, and sometimes worn on a T-shirt.