Free Hug Day Free Artwork

Print your own T-shirts, placcards, signs, posters, stickers, etc. in time for the 2007-09-10 facebook Free Hug Day with this artwork. If using t-shirt transfers, don't forget to mirror the image. In the international version, some fonts may not display correctly in your web browser, see the PDF version. If you are using an outdated web browser, the SVG images above may not display; try using the PDF links below.

About Free Hugs

Free hugs campaign involves offering hugs to strangers in public settings as a random act of kindness. In June 2004, Juan Mann (psuedonym) was having a bad day in Australia and held up a sign offering free hugs. On 2006-09-22, a video was released on YouTube. On 2006-10-03, Paul Stepanek created the Free Hugs Campaign website. Participants on the forum there created an international free hugs day on the first weekend after the 30th of June each year hoping to attract "hundreds of people around the world" to distribute free hugs on that day. Local organizers are permitted to designate free hugs days. High school student Alex Schaffer created a facebook event page and designated 2007-09-10, the day before the 9/11 aniversary, as a Free Hugs day. About 3/4 of a million people have RSVPed on facebook as participating. Some people selling t-shirts have created their own artwork but no one seems to have distributed free artwork people can download (an omission man campaigns make). Since there wasn't time to order a shirt in time for free hugs day, I created this artwork on 2007-09-08. For more info, see the links below.

Free hugs is also a much more sensible, and less dangerous, response to 9/11 than the Bush Regime's campaign of fear, hate, war, and revoking civil rights.

Editable versions can be used to change or remove the date or otherwise customize the artwork before use. The artwork was created from scratch using the Inkscape program, a free cross-platform SVG vector graphics/object oriented drawing program for Linux, MacOSX, Windoze. Translations are from wikipedia. Font used is the free Deja Vu Sans. Note that the rounding radious on the arms and legs doesn't scale when reduced or enlarged which may cause the appearance to change a little.

Download

freehugs1.svg - Inkscape SVG format for editing with Inkscape. Inkscape (Free vector graphics program for Linux, MacOSX, Windoze)
freehugs1_plainsvg.svg - Plain SVG for embedding in web pages or importing into other programs.
freehugs1.pdf - PDF file for printing from Adobe Acrobat Reader
freehugs1_mirrored.pdf - PDF File pre-mirrored for T-shirt transfer printing
freehugs2.svg - International version, Inkscape SVG format for editing.
freehugs2_plainsvg.svg - International version, Plain SVG for embedding in web pages or importing into other programs.
freehugs2.pdf - International version, PDF file
freehugs3.svg - Round button version for 2-1/4" button, Inkscape SVG. NOTE: due to software bugs, this does not export (or perhaps display) properly as plain SVG. The curved text causes problems.
freehugs3.pdf - Round button version for 2-1/4" button, PDF format.
freehugs3.png - Round button version, 300dpi PNG image.
freehugs4.svg - Big type version, Inkscape SVG.
freehugs4.pdf - Big Type version, PDF format.
freehugs1_banner.png - Banner Ad, standard full size (wide) banner, PNG format
Copy and paste this text into your web page, adjusting with path to where you saved the file, if necessary:
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The print on the international version is probably too small for t-shirt transfers.

Mirroring Image in Inkscape

Edit -> Select All
Object -> Group
Object -> Flip Horizontal

Ideas

Lowtech: Print on ordinary paper, hold or use tape or safety pins.
Print on t-shirt transfers. Do not use ones designed for inkjets in a laser printer, though or you may damage the printer.
Print on 8-1/2x11 cardstock (available at office supply stores)
Print on Tyvek(tm) sheets using laser printer. Waterproof and tearproof.
Print on ordinary paper and laminate
Fold a piece of clear packing tape over the top to secure a piece of string if you want to wear around your neck or use a couple badge clips or alligator clips on a string.
print extras to give out to people so they can join in.
rescale, rotate, and step and repeat image to fit on some large self adhesive labels (such as 3-1/3"x4" shipping labels, half sheet, full sheet) which can be stuck on clothing. They can also be used as stickers but be sure to use removable adhesive and ask permission. Print extra to give to people you hug.
Photo-emulsion silk screen kits, such as one sold at Michaels can be used if you want to make a lot of shirts.
Many copy shops, such as Kinkos, have large format printers.
Use an opaque, overhead transparency, or video projector and a magic marker to enlarge.
Download a copy of the files and take them to your local t-shirt print shop. Leave a copy of the files so they can print shirts for others.
Use a Badge-A-Minit or similar button maker
Use plastic badge holders with pins or neck straps
Somebody makes heavy duty sheet protectors with a clear front and two metal grommits that are used to display 8-1/2"x11" sheets of paper, but I can't remember what they are called. You would typically mount these on a wall rather than insert into a notebook. Would work with a neck chain.
Select print 2 or 4 pages per sheet to get half or quarter size versions without editing (probably won't get multiple copies, though) or use print scaling options.

Create your own artwork and release it into the public domain.

Author

This page and artwork created by Mark Whitis. Artwork license: Public Domain. Attribution with link requested. This web page is not officially affiliated with the campaign.