Bookstore addresses campus design practices
By Lena Moreno, April 14, 2026
After a Cal Poly Pomona student’s Reddit post revealed an AI-generated T-shirt was sold at the Bronco Bookstore, heated debates began in the comments on proper artificial intelligence usage for art on campus.
General merchandise manager Keith Grissom confirmed the shirt was AI-generated. Acting bookstore director Suzanne Donnelly further explained the design came from administrators who wanted to experiment with video game style merchandise.
The AI design features mascot Billy Bronco dressed as the character Link from the Nintendo video game The Legend of Zelda to portray the gaming style the bookstore was aiming for.
“That particular piece was AI, I can confirm,” Grissom said. “It was the brainchild of a couple of different people and we wanted to workshop that entire line.”
The shirt that circulated on Reddit was the only AI design in that series, according to Grissom. Within the entire development period of creating the tee, Grissom only ordered the shirts once he was given the design.
Donnelly said the administrators who developed the video game inspired –line thought it would resonate with students. Other designs brainstormed for the line were inspired by Pac-Man, Mario and other pixelated video games, according to Grissom.
However, as a university that commends its “become by doing” motto, many students and alumni criticized both the institution and bookstore on Reddit for allowing AI merchandise to be sold.
“Sometimes we try things and they just don’t work,” Donnelly said. “We learned from that and we move on.”
Elizabeth Alderete, a 2025 visual communication design alumna, felt the AI shirt was a missed opportunity for student designers’ original work to be showcased. No outreach to art students on campus felt contradictory to the university’s hands-on approach, she said.
Based on her time in the VCD program, Alderete believes designing merchandise could offer valuable real-world experience for current students after seeing what on-campus design opportunities provided for her colleagues.
Other commenters on the post addressed notable flaws of the design, particularly the slanted proportions. Alderete also emphasized how CPP has many different artists with varying styles that the bookstore could have chosen from, rather than a computer-generated image.
“I just feel like it’s a letdown to not go to a department that’s literally not even that far,” Alderete said. “We’d be willing to do something if we were asked.”
At the Bronco Bookstore, the design and production initiatives are a more complex process than students may realize, according to Grissom.
Alongside merchandise buyer Lori Clark and general merchandise buyer Pattelynn Hughes, Grissom oversees merchandise decisions through Strategic Communications and a trademark program called CLC licensing.
Timelines for new apparel vary depending on each vendor. For example, Nike orders taking five to seven months to arrive whereas Champion pieces arrive in six weeks, Grissom said. After a design is proposed, it must undergo strict branding checks.
According to Grissom, Strat Com ensures proper guidelines for any CPP merchandise down to the exact color, font and color scheme. Designs are then approved on the CLC licensing portal, which Grissom described as “tedious” until you’re more accustomed to it.
Besides working with major brands like Nike, Champion and Boxercraft, the bookstore also works with vendors specializing in custom orders. Grissom regularly checks dozens of emails from departments, on-campus clubs and groups seeking personalized merchandise.
“We only work with vendors who sign on to a code of conduct for producing things ethically for fair labor standards,” Donnelly said. “We’re not using sweatshops anywhere.”
This time of year, the store actively works on the annual wave of graduation and alumni merchandise following guidelines from the commencement committee. Gimson said per new campus regulation, Bronco Athletics has restrictions on where the Bronco horse head logo can appear.
Last year’s mini stoles that contained the Bronco logo on the left side of the stole now have a vertical green and gold outline of the text “Broncos” instead.
Moving forward with new collaborations, Hello Kitty dominated the shelves last fall and continues to do so this semester.
Current popular designs are Peanuts and Disney merchandise, according to Grissom. The bookstore is also working to get Spider-Man merch for this fall in line with the film release in July.
“These are always the ones that are the most popular,” Grissom said. “Even if they go away for a bit, they’re going to be back.”
Grissom and Donnelly both reiterated the bookstore is always welcome to feedback and ideas from students, faculty and staff.
Grissom said the bookstore staff pay close attention to customer feedback, causing them to return to merchandise that have been off the shelves based on popular requests, much like the recent success in alumni windbreakers sales that made a comeback after two years.
Donnelly said the goal is to keep the store feeling fresh, relevant and engaging, so students can continue returning rather than only visiting for grad regalia.
“We really want students to feel like when they’re out there wearing their Cal Poly Pomona gear, that they are connected to this campus and belong here,” Donnelly said.
For students like Alderete, that sense of “belonging” starts with recognizing student artists first for original designs.
“Don’t use AI and go to artists,” Alderete said. “Use our art department more because we’re there.”
Feature image courtesy of Lena Moreno
