compete-tee-tion

Epic Battle by Jeff Battocletti (Ellsswhere) is a very well-drawn shirt that depicts a raging fight between pirates and ninjas. It is easily the most attractive meme-based shirt the internet will ever see. And... now that it has been printed, can the pirate/ninja thing please die already?



This week's Select is The Sea And The Sky by Daniel Zvereff. It's a really nice design, heavy on bright colors and tight linework. The overall shape is interesting and full of motion, rewarding those who take a closer look with bunches of undersea and air creatures. It also stands out from other shirts Threadless offers, which makes it a great choice of a Select.

Freeloader on the Yak Express by Jan Avendano (hummertymez at ridgemont high) is another one that stands out in a sea of other shirts at Threadless, due both to its impressive print size (it's a huge wraparound) and the fact that it so deftly uses the shirt color as a major design element. The strange creature hitching a ride and the yak's concerned expression give it an edge of whimsy as well.



Metal Fan by Ole Ivar Rudi (OlliRudi) is a funny cartoon of two metal fans meeting. I say cartoon instead of shirt design mainly because this is the kind of imagery I don't understand in terms of shirts. The main joke is in relatively small size, the design itself isn't overly attractive (as it aims squarely for humor) and the shape seems plopped on a shirt instead of fitted to it. So for me, while I think it's a great illustration it just isn't something I see as a good fit for the t-shirt medium.

One Lump, Or Two? by Philip Tseng (pilihp) is as far as I know a totally unique sort of print for Threadless- two distinct version have been printed, one with coffee as the beverage and the other with tea. In both, a ghostly fellow oozes out of the spout of a beverage pot, tricked out with some accessories to give him some personality. Faded backdrops (unique to each beverage) give a sense of place to the scene. Definitely a cool experiment, it should be interesting to see which styles sell out most quickly.



Secrets Of Magic by Chow Hon Lam (Flying Mouse) is a very well-drawn joke shirt depicting how magicians create the levitation illusion- with demons! It's a funny image, and a pretty nice fit to the shirt medium as well, because the spotlight and curtain ground the piece well on the fabric. Ultimately, though, like most joke shirts, it's only worth a purchase if the humor really speaks to you.

I Always Liked Your Porridge Best by Danielle Kerese (DaniellesGarden) shows Goldilocks cavorting with one of the three bears whose home she invaded. Is she breaking up the happy marriage of Mama and Papa Bear, or corrupting Baby Bear? It's a funny image, and the awkwardness of each character's stance works well- you can see the tension, which had me wondering if Goldilocks was about to be (comically!) mauled. It also sits much better on the shirt than I had anticipated, filling the viewable area in a way that is conducive to some good visual motion. Very nice work.



Reprinted this week: You've Got Some Splaining To Do by A. Wilhite (Leroy_Hornblower) and Loch Ness Imposter by Ross Zietz (arzie13).

A new episode of Threadless TV also debuted today, titled Episode Two: Speed.

Labels: threadless

In the Smoking Room by susie is my favorite of the week. The complex, layered colors give it the appearance of a watercolor painting instead of a screenprinted shirt, putting it squarely in the art category instead of commerce. I think this is the most impressive print I've ever seen at DBH, so I'm a bit disappointed that it's only offered in womens sizing. I think a lot of men would appreciate the beauty of this as well.



A Simple Explanation by fatheed is a joke shirt, of the caliber and content that you'd expect to see at Threadless. But DBH went above and beyond the call of duty here, spicing up the composition with small splashes of silver foil. And honestly, touches like that are why I like DBH so much- they do what will make the best shirt, not just what will make the most sales. I doubt the silver foil's addition will mean a huge increase in purchasers, but it absolutely made each shirt printed that much more special.

Punktipus by Manki didn't grab me at first, but then I took a closer look. In close up, it becomes clear that there's a lot of delicate linework, giving the design some really nice detailing and shadow. It also made it clear to me that my only objection to the design was the overall shape, which because of the contours of the octopus is somewhat chunky and dull. The problem is, even thought that is a relatively minor flaw, it is also the first thing a viewer sees in the shirt. I still might buy it, but I do feel that in that way it is not living up to its potential.



Highrise by radiomode is a bit of a weird shirt for me. Mainly because I'm a bit confused by what's going on. It seems like the sun is setting (or rising) over a city landscape. But there are branches or something extending from the sun, which... I don't know, I feel like there's some connection I'm supposed to be making that I just can't see for some reason. Anyway, apart from being confused by some of the choices, this is a cool, unique-looking shirt. The use of colored lights for the windows in the buildings is a great effect, and it was successful in moving my eyes around the piece.

laGuitarra by theunenthusiast is huge, colorful guitar print. I suspect that if I was more of a guitar fan, I'd be more in favor of it. But as it stands, it just seems like a bit of a silly thing to wear, to me. The art is interesting to me, but not quite appealing. I'm curious why three duplicates of the same pointing hand art were used. I wonder what those green shapes are (flowers?). But none of the questions raised make me want to wear this. Which isn't meant to be a knock on the art in anyway, I think this is just for an audience so removed from myself that I have a bit of a hard time fathoming its existence.

Overall, I'd call this a pretty good week for Design By Humans. Definitely all quality choices, and all very dissimilar in style and subject matter.

Labels: design by humans

T-Shirt Forums is probably the single greatest t-shirt industry resource on the internet, boasting a diverse community of industry professionals, designers, printers and enthusiasts who communicate in the forums every day.

So now that their third anniversary is right around the corner, they've decided to celebrate it with a contest that pinpoints the site's main strength: Community. They're looking for t-shirt designs that communicate the idea of community, which gives designers a lot of room to play.

There's a deadline of April 30th, 2008 (and a stipulation that entrants must post 5 times in the forum before entering). Prizes will be awarded to the top three shirts. First place receives $300 cash, an 8gig iPhone, and five copies of their winning shirt. Second place gets $50 cash and an iPod Nano. Third place will be awarded $25 and a first generation iPod Shuffle.

Definitely a great opportunity for designers to have their work seen by industry professionals, as well.

Labels: t-shirt forums

Shirt.Woot's newest derby is a marked departure from their past contests- while they're been known to forbid text in previous derbies, this time ONLY text is allowed. But not so fast, they're also not looking for slogan shirts. This time, only text that forms images will be accepted.

The derby opens for submissions and voting at noon on Friday. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday at noon, and voting continues until Thursday at noon. The three top vote-getters will be printed that weekend, with successful designers earning up to $500 for the first day of sales and an additional $2 per shirt sold after that day.

Also check out the Derby fan sites Best Losers and ShirtDerbyStats for information on losing designs, past Derbies, and estimated vote totals.

Labels: derby, shirt.woot

T-Shirt Magazine, the premiere source for t-shirt madness, is launching in a big way- with a t-shirt design contest just for college students!

The theme is deliciously wide open, all you need to do is present a story, a concept, or an idea through your design. The prize is enticing: $1000 and $3 per shirt sold for the winner, and $3 per shirt sold for four runners-up. The only real bummer is the $3 entry fee, though it's small enough so that it's more of a formality than anything else.

Enter before April 25th, 2008 for your chance to win. Judges will determine the top ten contestants, and the ultimate winner will be decided by a public vote.

Labels: t-shirt magazine

Uneetee's newest contest winner is Abstract Thinking by jsheldon. The design uses a large swath of vectory swooshes to represent a woman's hair, and the swooshes themselves are well-constructed. That said, two things about this piece don't really work for me- the bulk of the collective swooshes (they feel too large and over-powering on the shirt to me, as I don't feel there's enough negative space to offset that) and the woman's face (the proportions there feel off to me, and it just doesn't seem to have received any attention in terms of the linework). I'd deem this an idea that could have been really cool, but ultimately came up short in my opinion.

Uneetee announces a new $1500 winner every week, with designs chosen from the collection of submitted designs that the community has voted on.

Labels: uneetee

Thanks to some server hiccups early last week, Threadless decided to extend their Spring Sale until Wednesday. There's also a sweet coupon for the occasion: code spring08 will knock $5 off an order of $50 or more for the first 5000 people who use it.



Current by Dan Rule is a great take on infinity, using the easily recognizable symbol to form a river that flows into itself. The gorgeous hand-drawn style conveys the speed of the river well, and the inclusion of both human and natural elements mirrors the sense of interdependence that the symbol implies. The canoes are an especially nice touch, and they make me imagine riding that river for an afternoon of endless fun. While I love the design, though, the placement is incredibly awkward for ladies- a little smaller and a little higher up, and I doubt there would be so many complaints.



Staring Into Space by HORT is this week's Select, using some puff ink and a custom shirt color. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan- while I like the idea of puff ink, the shapes over astronaut faces is more weird than attractive or interesting to me. I'd call it a cool visual experiment, but not one that I would personally want to wear.

King of Clubs by Ron Lewis recasts the king from a deck of playing cards as a boom box-toting hipster, complete with oversized sunglasses and a sweatband. I like the element of repetition and the use of halftones and patterning here, as they suit the subject matter very well. This is the kind of pun-based shirt I love to see Threadless run, because the art stands on its own even without the crutch of humor.



HOT DANG! by Andrew Bargeron (r.o.b.o.t.i.c.octopus) is like a movie poster adapted to a shirt, broadcasting the awesomeness of a little flick starring a motley crew of monstrous misfits. Heavy on neons, weaponry and fur, the shirt has several unique characters and part of the fun is imagining how they interact. The most appealing of the bunch is the one who gets center billing, a kind of blue bigfoot who dresses like Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future.



My Broderie Tyrannosaurus by Cheok Siew Yen (BubuSam) is the token cute shirt of the week, but it's a good one. The mixture of the cute and the terrifying is traditionally a pretty successful gambit, and it works- the use of so many different patterns is another nice element, and it kept my eyes moving around the scene. My only quibble here is with Threadless's printing- I think that given the subject matter, some stitching (or even puff ink) effects would have boosted the design to an even higher level.

Let It Grow by Florence (florever) is the Discogs Love Threadless winner. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed in this choice because I've seen the guitar/tree thing done many times before (and there was a lot of originality in the entries for this contest overall). But independent of concept, the art itself is very nice. It's a well-drawn illustration, and the use of a colored gradient does a lot to set it apart from other concepts like this in the marketplace.



Reprinted this week: We Can Fix It by Budi Satria Kwan (letter) and Sublimi'mAwesomeinal, a Type Tee with a slogan by mcgowen007.

Also debuting this week is Threadless Tee-V, a weekly video that shows goings-on at Threadless headquarters. In the future, it may also include giveaways and promos. This week's installment is Episode One: Spring Cleaning.

Labels: discogs, loves threadless, sale, threadless

More Colors In a Grey World by dhectwenty is the most eye-catching shirt of the week, and it does what its author does best- large splotches of bright color in shapes and patterns that communicate motion. It's an intriguing image, and I found myself wondering whether the gasmasked protagonist was shielding himself from the splatter or using the large white shield to make art.



The New Sound... by Andreas_Mohacsy is one of my favorite pieces in the DBH collection- it's an intricate, sketchy portrait of a centaur whose head seems to be engulfed in musical ideas. I love the colors and the attention to detail. I think I can honestly say that it is unlike any other shirt I've seen, and it is even more attractive to me because of that fact.

Revolution by phoenyx is the second DBH print to feature large text with imagery filling the letters, but the choice of photographic images instead of illustration gives this piece a completely different feel. The mixture of nature, architecture and human elements causes the viewer to question what a revolution consists of, and what is at stake when one occurs. A cool, thought-provoking design.



Bad Memory by conker is a shirt about nature's unfortunate future. A young girl picks flowers, dreaming of what once was, while the backdrop of a hand implores the viewer to stop before it's too late (or maybe just to stop and think). The colors are subtle, lending a thoughtful vibe to the design. Especially nice is the construction of the thought balloon, as the chaotic cloud shape brings to mind an explosion just was much as an idea.

Generic Ability by Stinger is, as the title implies, a bit generic. This is by design, as the concept was to create an original shirt out of tired and unoriginal elements. I definitely respect the experiment, but I'm not so fond of the final product. While the color scheme is enjoyable, my verdict is that the end product still has the taint of the generic qualities of its inspiration. It's not a bad shirt by any means, but it is a bit more generic than I'd have hoped that DBH would be interested in printing.

Overall, it's a very nice selection of shirts. I'm loving the level of variety- the five shirts chosen have almost nothing in common.

Labels: design by humans

Rethink Clothing is an apparel line with a difference- their goal is to employ college students as artists, and they give them a whopping 35% of the profits to make sure that those hard-working students get some much-needed cash.

If you think you're up to the challenge of designing a cool, wearable shirt and you can prove that you are currently enrolled as a college student, take a look at the Rethink Clothing Artist Application.

Labels: rethink clothing

Camiseteria's Levi's winners are... shockingly good. I was pretty skeptical about how the shirts would be, because I tend to prefer the Threadless-style branded contests where the actual brand isn't the focus. But Camiseteria's members did a great job working within those constraints.

For instance, Modelao is a gorgeously drawn portrait of a chimp model. His pose and his eyes communicate a lot of character. It's pretty much my favorite shirt they've ever printed. The other contest prints, Factory and Misture Tudo e Deixe Ferver, also have their merits, promoting the product but also cloaking it with a great design.

Camiseteria is an on-going t-shirt design contest based in Brazil. Winners at Camiseteria receive R$600 cash and R$400 in Camiseteria products.

Labels: camiseteria, levi's

Shirt.Woot's newest derby is about to begin, and the theme is certainly broad: Spring. The only stipulations are no spring holidays and no text. With this many options, why do I suspect florals and trees will take all the top spots?

Anyway, the derby opens Friday at noon. At that time, people are free to submit entries and to vote for their favorites. Entries can continue until Wednesday at noon, and votes continue until Thursday at noon. The top three vote-getters are printed the following weekend. Each printed winner gets up to $500 for the first night of sales and an additional $2 per shirt sold after that day.

Labels: derby, shirt.woot

A Better Tomorrow is probably Germany's most prominent t-shirt competition site, though also a very fun place to peruse for non-German-speakers. Part of the fun, I think, is the sometimes enigmatic designs. Seaman Myth by FLSE.OE is a great example of this, as the title and specific design choices make me think it must be a reference to something, though I can't for the life of me place it. At any rate, it has a giant smoking fish. And a pipe-smoking fisherfellow... who might be holding a magnet. And hey, is that a candle in the front? I'm confused, but I like it.

A Better Tomorrow is an on-going t-shirt design competition where winners take home 500 euros when their work is printed.

Labels: a better tomorrow

Uneetee's newest winner is one of the cleanest designs I've seen them print. Music Tree by Danr is a perfect merging of the tree with music, using an expanding scroll to form the trunk and branches. The colors are fresh and the concept is very well expressed. All in all, a great shirt and a very worthy winner.

Labels: uneetee

Threadless's Spring Cleaning Sale is underway, and shirts are all marked down by about $5- that means some pieces can be had for as little as $9!



Aesthetic Truculency by Kneil Melicano (roadkill3d) is the best shirt of a really amazing group. The visual humor is solid, but the value of the piece goes far beyond that- from the sharp flames on the candles to the velvety texture of the chair, the attention to detail and differing treatment of surfaces is awesome to behold. The use of the wallpaper fragment as a binding for the scene works well, and also firmly plants the surreal scene in the past. Amazing work.



Homage To The Hunter by Tony Elmore (empiricist) is a great use of the front and back of the shirt, displaying an idyllic scene of two deer in the woods on the front, and on the back showing the hunter poised to track down some dinner (complete with the family he supports, sitting just behind him). The design is in a line drawing style, with various textures inked in. A second color, blue, calls out the cold breath of both the humans and the animals involved. I really love this piece, as it does an expert job of showing what hunting is, and why it is, without devaluing any of the creatures involved.

Citrust Me by Thomas De Santis (Montro) takes a popular optical illusion and transplants it to a shirt. On the screen, the lemon shapes that form the leaves appear to blow in the breeze. In person, the illusion will likely not be as strong, as it is boosted considerably by the refresh rate of computer monitors. I have to say, even if it worked perfectly, I'd be a bit baffled as to why anyone would want to wear it- it's not a particularly cool image.



Graphic Endeavors by Matt W. Moore is this week's Select, a kind of visual experimentation of line, shape and color. It's definitely full of motion and depth, and the odd choice to print a glowing outline on the back of the shirt is interesting, if a bit baffling. My only real objection to the shirt, though is the compact rectangular shape it inhabits- it kills the motion of the art on the shirt. Instead of checking out the cool ways the lines intersect, the eye is naturally drawn to the boring exterior edges.

Pinata by Priscilla Wilson (valorandvellum) is another example of the intricate linework its artist favors, and the textural quality of those lines really does a nice job of bringing the pinata to life. The subtle, explosive pattern in back adds a nice dose of action, and the creatures pulling the pinata rope on the back of the shirt are a humorous, whimsical touch. All in all, it's a near-perfect shirt.



Clockwork Kit by Kerkko Ulmanen (gummi) is a type of design that I have nothing but disdain for- the kit. I don't know why there are so many of these, as I've never actually seen one in real life. But some inspired designer, at least a year ago and probably more than that, realized that the kit is a pretty easy type of shirt to design. So that person did one, and then it blew the hell up and everyone else did as well. The only person I give any credit to is that first designer, because kits are just not witty. There's no joke inherent in putting together a group of elements from a movie, pass time, or cultural event- and even worse, it's an ugly, boxed in final product by definition. Super lame, especially since Threadless is already home to a much better Clockwork Orange inspired design.

Utility by Dan Rule explores the many uses of a utility pole. From locking bikes, to posting signs, to directing traffic and providing a perch for birds, the pole is used in just about every way imaginable. I like the idea of taking a look at the diversity of an urban environment, and the way a whole world grows around the pole. The strong vertical of the piece is attention getting and unique as well.



Happy Thoughts by Glenn Jones (Glennz) is a creepy look at optimism- a plane disaster, made a little more fun by the escape slide sporting a huge clown balloon. The calmness of the scene, even as a fire rages on the plane, is the same sort of odd lack of emotion that you see in airline emergency cards. Top that concept off with the artist's signature clean lines and crisp style, and it's easy to see why it was printed.

It's Always Midnight Somewhere by Gregory James (farflung) is my second favorite shirt this week, and a really masterful take on classic movie poster illustration. I love the idea of two monsters from different worlds (werewolf and vampire) uniting to face an uncaring world. My one disappointment is the shirt color- I loved the mood created by the mint shirt color in the original submission, and to me the silver lacks some of that character. Still a great shirt, but not living up to its potential.

Overall, a pretty killer week- I ended up buying two shirts from this group, which is well above average. I'm glad the sale finally knocked some of these prices back down to a price I can actually afford!

Labels: sale, threadless

Design By Humans has some great shirts, so if you buy be sure to save 15% with the coupon code DBH22.



I Challenge You to a Duel by ckoelle is my favorite shirt this week, dominating the field with its retro-style illustration. I love the idea of two proper gentlemen settling their differences with an impromptu bicycle race, and the differing treatments of the bikers' speech balloons adds a cool element of hope and victory.



All is Vanity by mathiole is a colorful, chaotic print featuring some fit ladies with beastly faces. To me, the hand-drawn elements are what really make this a great piece, meaning that it sings in a close up in a way that can't be seen in the full shirt view. This mixing of technique is cool, innovative, and ultimately very eye-catching.

Strange Cloud by huebucket is a delicate line drawing that comes to life because of the bright gradient it was printed with. The colors evoke a sunset, and the lines expertly find the middleground between wisps of cloud and strands of hair. I don't really understand what the woman's expression is meant to portray, but it's intriguing and doesn't detract from the piece.



Double-crossed by stubbythumbs is a stencil-inspired depiction of a business man making a deal with the devil. But in keeping with how cutthroat business has become, he appears to be set to cheat the devil. The stencil style is a great fit for t-shirt art (they deal with the same sort of color restrictions, so it makes sense) and the anti-corporate message fits it well.

Lonely Planet by opifan64 is a dreamy drawing of a guy with his own small planet. In his solitude, the planet's other inhabitant (a tall tree) has taken on animal characteristics, maybe giving the hermit a pal to pass the time with. It's well drawn, and the colors almost seem to glow in the deep black of the fabric. Great work.

Overall, a really great week- there's not a single shirt that I wouldn't have wanted to see printed, and there are a few on my Buy list. I have nothing but good things to say about the selections this week, which is awesome. Best week in a while, and maybe even one of the best weeks yet.

Labels: design by humans

For their newest design competition, Allmightys is trying something new- they've teamed up with Popdeck to create a contest that will result in a winning shirt and a winning deck- while they don't have to match exactly, they should be related.

Allmightys is also allowing people to enter shirt designs without an associated deck design, though those submissions will not be eligible for the Gold Prize. Allmightys may choose to print Silver, Bronze, and Special Selection winners in addition to the Gold Prize.

Submissions fitting the theme Out and About should be made before April 21st, 2008. Winners receive a free copy of their winning shirt and a commission on all shirts of their design that are sold.

Labels: allmightys, out and about, popdeck

Bold cartoon graphics, cutely grotesque styling and a strong sense of motion propelled Suicide Monkey to the top of the heap in A Better Tomorrow's on-going t-shirt design contest.

While the whole site is in German, entries from all over the world are welcome. Printed artists at ABT receive 500 euros.

Labels: a better tomorrow

I've got to say, this week's theme for the Shirt.Woot Derby is a bit of a letdown, especially after two weeks of really fun concepts (Line Art and Lyrics). This time around, designers have to make a shirt about Canada. So far, the field is pretty cluttered with maple leaves, moose, and the word Eh, which I guess is to be expected.

The derby is currently open for submissions, and will remain open until Wednesday at noon. Voting is open until Thursday at noon. The top three vote-getters will be printed next weekend, with the winning designers earning $500 for the first night of sales and an additional $2 per shirt sold after that point.

Labels: derby, shirt.woot

Ok, before I summarize the contest, I need to get one thing out of the way: I love Human Giant. I think they're hilarious, and after I watched this season's premiere I IM'd half the internet trying to get them to watch. So, this pretty much rates as the best contest ever, in my mind.

The Human Giant Loves Threadless competition is looking for designs made with the theme Old-Fashioned Fun. They're a sketch comedy group, so I assume anything with a good sense of humor has the edge to win.

Enter before April 15th, 2008 for your chance to nab the huge prize package: $2000 cash, a $500 Threadless gift certificate, a Sanyo Xacti Digital Camcorder, a costume from the first season, an autographed Human Giant poster, personalized character answering machine messages, a signed t-shirt gun, a headshot of Cody Austin from Shutterbugs, sweatbands from the T-Shirt Squad, and a deck of cards from the Illusionators. It's like a fan's dream come true, I swear.

Labels: human giant, loves threadless, threadless

Design By Humans has teamed up with the band Temposhark to create a new competition, aimed at creating a new concert shirt for the band. The theme will be The Invisible Line, which is also the name of the band's debut album.

Like most branded contests, the prize is a bit ramped up: UPDATED 03/13

The Grand Prize Selected Entrant will recieve the following prizes:
- $500.00 Cash
- 250 DBH Dollars
- One (1) $500.00 Visa Gift Card
- One (1) copy of the "The Invisible Line" CD signed by the band
- Five (5) t-shirts including the winning design signed by the band
- Two (2) concert tickets to one upcoming Temposhark concert in the US or Canada. The Selected Entrant may choose the city where they wish to attend the Temposhark show. The Selected Entrant and their ticket companion will be responsible for all other costs associated with the show including, but not limited to, travel, accomodations, food, beverages, gratuities and items of personal nature.
- One (1) Temposhark CD catalog consisting the following CDs: Battleships : EP (2005), Invisible Ink : Single (2005), It's Better To Have Loved : Single (2005), Joy : Single (2006)
The approximate total retail value of the Grand Prize is $1400.00 USD.

The secondary prize to be awarded will consist of the following:
- One (1) $100.00 Visa Gift Card
- One (1) copy of the "The Invisible Line" CD signed by the band
- One (1) t-shirt including the winning design signed by the band
- One (1) Temposhark CD catalog consisting of the following CDs: Battleships (2005), Invisible Ink : Single (2005), It's Better To Have Loved : Single (2005), Joy : Single (2006)
The approximate total retail value of the secondary prize is $145.00 USD.

The eight(8) tertiary prizes to be awarded will consist of the following:
- One (1) copy of the "The Invisible Line" CD signed by the band
- One (1) t-shirt including the winning design signed by the band
- One (1) Temposhark CD catalog consisting the following CDs: Battleships (2005), Invisible Ink : Single (2005), It's Better To Have Loved : Single (2005), Joy : Single (2006)
The approximate total retail value of each tertiary prize is $45.00 USD

Interested designers should submit their work before the March 31st, 2008 deadline. At the end of the contest, the best-scoring designs will be pooled and DBH staff and Temposhark will choose a shirt design from that group.

(Thanks to DBH for the updated prize info!)

Labels: design by humans, temposhark

Uneetee has selected another winner in their t-shirt design contest, and this time the honors go to Fugitive by Loy. The artist has managed to give these keys a whole lot of personality despite their spare style, relying on positioning to imbue the characters with some sass. Definitely quality work, so if the joke works for you there's no reason not to purchase.

Winners at Uneetee are chosen from designs submitted and voted on by the public. Winning artists receive $1500, and a new winner is chosen every week.

Labels: uneetee

In addition to printing nine shirts this week, Threadless also presented their Bestee awards. My favorite pick of theirs was Fox and Hare by Julia Sonmi Heglund as Best Abstract Design- I picked that one up when it first printed and it's been a favorite of mine ever since.



For me, Existential Clutter by Joel Cocks (Joelnz) is the best shirt printed this week. The style of it is awesome, showing the grids that form each item. The specific elements shown are pretty random, but the artistry is evident in the way the items are balanced and arranged (for instance, the heft of the basketball is negated by the earth on the opposite angle). I was concerned that the design would look a bit boxy when printed, but I'm glad that the photographs shown seem to prove me wrong- it looks great.



Blonde on Blonde by Joshua Kemble (polynothing) is based on the song by the same name (which, actually, I've never heard). It's about the way rain takes hold of the imagination, with heavy rainfall taking on the characteristics of a legendary flood. Cats and dogs appear in the drops almost like constellations and one unfortunate umbrella-less pedestrian gets an imaginary deep-sea diver helmet. It's a really cool idea, though I'm not crazy about how it looks on the shirt. For me, the corner building is too weighty, distracting attention from the coolness of the rain concept.

This week's Select is Brat Party by Jon Knox Griffin (beingjon), and it's a stand-out. The thick-lined style and use of repetitive visuals is unique to this week's shirts, with the multitude of colors (I'm guessing that's the reason for the high price tag, as well) popping from the shirt. Definitely a cool look.



Collateral Damage by Andy Gonsalves (andyg) reminds me of Roger Rabbit, with a gleeful cartoon scene about to be obliterated by the harshness of reality. The colors and styles are dead-on, with each element of the comic illustration fitted with a face and happy expression. The interesting shape of the design looks really interesting and fresh on the printed shirt as well.

Battle of E-5 by Dan Rule is a cool design exploiting the drama of simulated battle- in the background, a chess piece lays prone and all the horses have a diamond pattern that evokes a deck of cards. The colors are appropriately rugged, and the illustration's movement makes for a unique-looking shirt. For a chess fan, I think this design is pretty must-have.



Konrad The Magician by BalletCats is well-drawn, with proportions that are a near-perfect fit for the t-shirt medium. Unfortunately, it's also a drawing of a silly-looking magician. For that reason, no matter how nice the shirt is, it's a hard sell for me. I mean... magic. It's a staple of kids' birthday parties, not a cool shirt subject. For someone without my magic hang-up though, this could be a nice design.

Make Love Not War by Paul Burgess fits the mold of most of Threadless's classic shirts- it's a play on nostalgia that also makes a powerful statement. The boldness of the design is appealing, with the primary colors demonstrating just how basic the message really is. That said, the price is kind of insane. At $20, it's a full $5 more than customers were paying just a few weeks ago, and in this case there really isn't any added value evident.



Reprinted this week: I Listen To Bands... by Evan Ferstenfeld (FRICKINAWESOME) and Stabby McKnife by Springfish.

Overall, a pretty nice week. If the Spring Sale happens soon, a few of these will probably find their way into my cart. The prices, though, mean I can't imagine buying anything except the most irresistible shirts outside of the sale- it seems that the average shirt runs $20, and without any sort of specialty printing technique that's a bit rich for my blood.

Labels: threadless

If you buy anything at Design By Humans, save a few bucks with their coupon code: DBH22. That should get you a nice 15% discount on any order.



Made of Steel by a_mar_illo is an amazing illustration by one of my favorite artists, and easily the best shirt this week. I love the colors, the way it mixes elements of femininity and the masculinity of metal work... even the era it evokes (twenties and thirties style, sigh). It's almost perfection. So why isn't it already in my shopping cart? Because the print is too damn huge. I know this is kind of a DBH style thing, but the fact is I just don't want more than one or two shirts with an all-over print.



Crustacean! by josh is a revolutionary claw. I love crustaceans madly, they're my favorite thing to draw, and even I'm a tough sell on this shirt, though. It feels like an in-joke no one has bothered to explain, or maybe like leftover aft from the game Just Cause.

Sing a new song by fabiosimple is tough to explain. It's a headless dude, a lady, and a bird. And some splotches of color and patterns. And the text, Sing a New Song. Truthfully, I'm not even sure what it's getting at. A lot of the elements seem added for purely aesthetic reasons, but... they're not attractive to me, or really interesting. Even the colors are weird, oddly drab for a design with pink and yellow.



Sketchy Audience by tomburns is nearly identical to a shirt also sold at PaperRoot, as they are both based on the same stock photograph. The Burns version has the advantage of incorporating a sketched look, but they really do look really similar and to me the world barely needed one shirt like this. It's just not a tremendously interesting look to me, disappointing from someone who I know has achieved some much better work in the past.

Calaberaskool by figueras is interesting mainly because of the technique used- the design is printed on the interior of the shirt, allowing the design to bleed through to the front. To me, this transformed the skull illustration (previously not really something I had any interest in) into a more subtle and experimental looking design. I'm considering a purchase on it just because I've never seen a shirt using this technique in person and I'm curious about it.

Overall, kind of a disappointing week. I feel like DBH may be a bit boxed in by their enjoyment of large prints- it seems like a lot of recent prints have used that method, and even more Shirt of the Week winners have relied on it. To me, that enjoyment is a bit out of step with the market- the feedback I've been getting consistently about DBH is that the skulls, trees, and big prints are too common. Personally, I'm mainly interested in the inks and techniques, not the size.

Labels: design by humans

Jake Nickell from Threadless just did an interview at GearCrave and dropped some interesting tidbits. Here are the highlights:

• Threadless hopes to open a kids' store in Chicago and a store in Boulder, CO by the end of 2008.

• Two "notable additions" to the product line announced in 2008

• Starting this spring, Naked & Angry will begin releasing a new product every month.

Very cool, I think the thing that keeps Threadless on top of their game is that they're always working to evolve and better serve their audience.

(link via Custom T-Shirt Talk)

Labels: naked and angry, threadless

Bad news for Big Deal fans- Burnswell is discontinuing their Big Deal t-shirt design competition due to lack of interest. Although this past contest resulted in the highest sales figures yet, the staff decided that there just weren't enough submissions to make the contest worthwhile.

It's too bad that more submissions weren't made, Burnswell did a great job of selecting and printing the winners. One of my favorites, Create, has quickly become one of my favorite shirts. The good news is that though the contest is over (for now, it's always possible that Burnswell will bring it back if interest increases), several of the designs still live on in the Burnswell store.

Labels: burnswell

Another great theme this week for the Shirt.Woot Derby: Illustrated Lyrics. The only rules are that it has to be a song people will reasonably have heard of, there can't be any text on the shirt, and the title of the entry must be "Inspired by (Insert Song Title)." This week should be great for creative entries.

The derby opens for entries Friday at noon, and stays open until Wednesday at noon. Voting is on-going from Friday until Thursday at noon. At the end of the week, the top three entries (as chosen by voters) will be printed. Each winning entry nets the printed designer up to $500 for the first night of sales and a possible $2 per sale after the first 24 hours.

Derby entrants should also check out Best Losers and Shirt Derby Stats for more (unofficial) Derby fun.

Labels: derby, shirt.woot

Camiseteria is in the midst of Semana das mulheres- or, for the English-speaking among us, Week of the Women. It's a great opportunity for girls to buy at Camiseteria- all womens shirts are marked down from R$55 to $R30.

Pictured above are just two of the many cool shirts that girls have to choose from: Silencie by Matheus Lopes and Ice-Kremlin by Egon Zakuska.

Camisetria is Brazil's most popular on-going t-shirt competition. Winning designers (who can be from anywhere around the world) earn R$600 cash and R$400 in Camiseteria products when their work is printed.

Labels: camiseteria, sale

Uneetee's newest winner is City Built of Rock and Roll by Aaron Burk. And as much as I truly dislike having to give negative reviews, this absolutely requires one. Stylistically, it's not my thing- I think the type should form the outline of the skyline instead of being constrained by one. The outline is not even particularly accurate, as the angles are all uneven and the type often falls far short of their margins. The unevenness of the drawn text is another demerit, as only a few band titles have been attempted in their actual style (most are just generic bubble letters). This all makes it not my style, but if that was all that was wrong with the shirt I'd still be more or less neutral (after all, most people are not the sticklers for detail that I am).

What kills the shirt is that the very first name I attempted to read of the shirt is a spelling error. The tippy-top of the second tower from the left proudly proclaims BLACK SABATH. I assume a B was misplaced in the process of assembling this shirt, but it is frankly a bit shocking that such a glaring error made it past the voting stage, the staff, and all 80+ buyers so far. I mean, I don't even listen to Black Sabbath!

Here's hoping the error has time to be fixed before anything is printed.

Labels: uneetee

The Signs Are Everywhere by Thomas De Santis (Montro) exploits the difference between the glitz promised by neon signs with the often seedy reality. Burned out letters give way to new messages of pain, filth, and bad luck. Beyond the awesome concept, the design itself is very nice- I appreciate the different lettering styles and the fresh colors. Ultimately, it does a really good job of bridging the conceptual and the attractive.



Symbol or Signifier by Justin Fines is this week's Select design, a colorful abstract piece that (for me, at least) inspires the imagination. To me, the mass of colors almost resembles a house full of little characters. It's a great, original looking shirt and I love the unique shade of green the artist specified for the shirt.

Run, Scientists, Run! by Michael Valadares Ferreira (Bisparulz) is one of my favorite designs by this artist, as I feel it encompasses a few things he does well. The concept (a giant lab mouse stuck with syringes, chasing down the techs who made him a monster) is charming and leads the viewer to imagine the series of events that caused it. The composition is chock full of textures (the mouse's tongue is an especially nice detail). And the design has a great movement to it, with the attacking mouse almost exploding from the fabric.



In Pachydermic Fashion by Michael B. Myers Jr. (slaterock) is another favorite of mine this week. A companion piece to the artist's previous Select design (In Oceanic Fashion), this also depicts some fashionable folks in deep-sea diver helmets- this time, out of their element and atop an elephant. The artist's flowing lines and expressive textures make the design seem both real and other-worldly. I think the dreaminess of the sky is what really sold me on it.

Fly Over Here by Matt Bender (squid inc) is a perfect fit for the t-shirt medium. It takes one of the strengths of fabric- the ability to show large patterns- and breaks it up with a plane, creating a story. Anyone who has even flown (or heck, even just perused Google Earth) knows that from high up, the land takes on a gorgeous look heavy on squares and lines. To me, the lines extending from the wake of the plane seem to disturb the peacefulness of the scene below, marring the sky with sound and smoke. Cool idea, and it looks fantastic on the shirt.



Past, Present, and Future by Louis Crevier (Presse) is an informative tree graphic. The past is a fully leaved tree, the present is a barren trunk, and the future is a root system made of skulls (each era also has a corresponding bird). For me, the whole thing feels like a retread- I'm a bit over tree shirts in general, they need to be more innovative to catch my eye. Beyond that, the pessimism of the shirt is so common it feels tired- surely there's a more creative way to depict a devolution.

I Love The (Eighteen) 80's by Nathan Stillie shows a Victorian John Cusack blasting his phonograph to win the hand of his lady love. The attention to detail is what makes this concept sing, with each element immaculately textured to match the art of that era. The embroidery of the sound extending from the phonograph is another nice touch.



This week's reprints are Put The Needle On The Record by Steven Bonner (steven218) and We're on the same level by duD Lawson (dudmatic).

Overall, a really great week of shirts at Threadless- there are a couple I might be picking up, and I think the shirts featured exhibit a nice range of style and subject matter.

Labels: threadless

More new shirts at Design By Humans this week. As always, the DBH22 coupon code is good for a discount, so if you buy make sure to use it!



Royal Blood by Dara is the best of the week for me. While the subject matter is a bit of a DBH staple (lions, skulls and trees seem to have special significance for the staff), it is handled in an artistic, attractive and completely original manner. The undead look of the lion is fascinating- is he a zombie? is it a statement on monarchies? Ultimately, I don't care. The painted colors of the lion speak to me, and make this a white shirt that I would gladly buy.



Daydream by sonmi is an absolutely gorgeously colored piece depicting the dilemma of the sun, that it can only daydream. From the strained tears on the sun's face to the writhing mass beneath it, there's very much a sense of fear, hope and anticipation at play. It's a potent mix, and a cool look. My only hesitation on this one is the size and shape- it's a huge, egg-like print, and frankly I'm not sure if most people can pull that off (not sure I could, in particular).

Emo by csj89 is a bit of an enigma for me. I mean, I'm aware of the subculture and that people find it irritating. I've just never seen enough emo stuff to care one way or the other. So for the emo parody shirt, I'm not really the target audience. It's reasonably good-looking (that color palette is hard to go wrong with) but I can't fathom who the audience for this actually consists of. At any rate, the prominent razor blades and overall theme count me out as a purchaser.



In Flight Remix by robotapocalypse is another source of confusion. I like the idea of a patterned shirt with birds, in theory. I'm just not crazy about this one- the pattern is odd (it looks like spiders to me) and the bulky gold foil seems more flashy than what I'd be comfortable wearing. What's really the sticking point for me, though, is the fact that I'm not overly impressed with the hummingbird drawing that is the focal point. Still, while the individual elements don't work for me, as a set of printing techniques it's pretty neat- hopefully they'll do something else in this vein that I find a bit more attractive.

Skull Garden by challen14 is probably the most conventional design I've seen printed at DBH. It's disappointing, because it really does look like something you could already buy in any number of stores. The skull and vector pack swooshes feel very timid and, ultimately, done to death. The most frustrating part, though, is that I'd love to see the wash technique in person- I just don't think I can bring myself to pay that kind of money for a design I dislike.

Overall, not a great week for me, but I'm digging the techniques for sure.

Labels: design by humans

A Better Tomorrow, Germany's best t-shirt design competition, has a new winner : The Best Cake Ever by Peachbeach. I'm not going to pretend to understand exactly what is going on in this shirt (my best guess is that two old ladies are eating some cake on top of a really tall tank), but I'm still charmed by it. At any rate, the drawing is really well-done, the style is appealing, and the colors are... well, kind of nuclear. It's a cool look.

Winners at A Better Tomorrow earn 500 euros, and the competition is open to all entrants, not just Germans.

Labels: a better tomorrow