Well, design tends to go in circles. Starting at one point and finishing at the same point (normally in more black and minimalistic shapes but the same point none the less). The t-shirt printing concept has evolved and de-evolved on continuous occasions and continues to do so as designers worldwide continue to strive for that 'breakthrough' they believe the genre needs. At the same time there are those more human creeds who believe that the t-shirt, just like the lamppost and the public urinal, is an opportune canvas for self-expression and a display of talent. In this illustrious day and age, success and a chance at notoriety is not so much the aim as is the joy of creating. In this vain I take my hat off to the thousands of amateur designers across the globe who continue in their relentless pursuit of creative happiness. I drink to those who do it well and those who do it not so well. I want to start by acknowledging the talent of Greg Tippet who threw together a t-shirt design 'over the weekend' and displayed it amicably on his blog.
Concept: audio cassettes (who have cleverly replaced the previously iconic vinyl record as the cool thing that's 'out').
Colours: black & white (can't really go wrong).
Verdict: If you enjoy a vast array of t-shirts in your closet so that you can daily stun your friends and associates with what appears to be a diverse range of cool apparel you have stashed away, this one is probable a nice addition. Simple concept and a relatively nice print makes for a wearable t-shirt, but as to whether you'll turn heads at 10 paces, I doubt it. Expect the occassional "nice t-shirt" (most likely from someone who already knows about your love of obscure wears.
Verdict: If you enjoy a vast array of t-shirts in your closet so that you can daily stun your friends and associates with what appears to be a diverse range of cool apparel you have stashed away, this one is probable a nice addition. Simple concept and a relatively nice print makes for a wearable t-shirt, but as to whether you'll turn heads at 10 paces, I doubt it. Expect the occassional "nice t-shirt" (most likely from someone who already knows about your love of obscure wears.
See Greg and his work at his website.
Additionally, I was surprisingly surprised by an article title I spotted: 'Rape Chic'. This term, I have no doubt, will quickly catch on and take the design world by storm - it works on so many levels. As to its immediate relevance, it is the moniker given by a certain community of feminists to a range of designs by 'Blood Is The New Black' being sold by Roger David. Their range includes photographic images of women naked and bound. Ok, ok, ok - it all boils down to the age old debate of where does artistic expression cross the boundaries of moral decency. If truth be told, if there's a designer for it then there is probable a buyer for it. Some say they t-shirts are part of a statement making abuse look fashionable. Others say it's just another 'on the edge' example of freedom of expression - it you don't like it, don't buy it. I say, images a lot worse than these are used in advertising, throughout the fashion industry and as a standard in most contemporary photographers portfolio. Its been done a thousand times before, so why the cafuffle. Some people are just looking for something to fight for (or against as the case may be).
T-shirt lovers worldwide; here's a chance to turn our apparel obsession into something worthwhile. 100% of the proceeds from the sales of this tee go to the relief efforts in Haiti. It's available here for $19.95.
We have seen over the years a few variations of this concept - the human ingredients, but this one is done particularly well. Imagining the human being to be no more than the sack of chemicals it is and produced from an extensive production line and sold with strict content guidelines. If life was this simple, we could all be herded into a local cattle shed and aptly branded. A wonderful addition is the phrase 'Contents may vary in colour' reminding us that we all emerged from that same gooey gene-pool. The design comes from Origin68, a Manchester based t-shirt design company with some interesting ideals and ideas. A range worth checking out. The Human Being t-shirt goes for £18 and is available in white.
For the younger generation who probably don't know, Mac was not always cool. In fact, there was a time when Mac was seen as ideological misfits of the incoming computer generation. The computer called Lisa was one of their earlier inventions and was also one of their mighty flops. Lisa was, however, a breakthrough system - it was the first consumer computer with a graphic interface, something we all take for granted today. However, Mac couldn't shift any Lisa's because of the hefty price tag that made if affordable only for the extremely extreme. Lisa subsequently found her way to the obscurities of the Mac genealogy. Gone but not forgotten. This design has been done by Might Tees from Seattle who aim their designs at nerds and fanatics. Maybe I am a Mac fanatic to pick up on this one, but I think it's got enough concept to be a winner across the board, especially with the phrase 'In Love with Lisa.' Available at Etsy for $32.
I'm a big fan of the Street Fighter series and an even bigger fan of the legendary 'Hadoken', 'Shoryuken' and the rest of them. My life is full of fond memories of late social nights desperately trying to master the button combinations to pull off a super-special-ultimate-killer-something or other. Seeing this design on The Awesomer brought it all flooding back. I think the video game designers took pleasure in coming up with 12 button combinations just to make sure all their punters would waste a good portion of their existence in their completely idle and fantastical world of the beat-em-up. This is a hilarious design and well executed.
Thought it would also be funny to include this little YouTube video, reminding us of those hours of gameplaying fun.
Tri-Coasta t-shirts are a range specifically designed for the world of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighting. The designs they produce are unique and very genre specific, combining a grunged rough print look with some beautiful illustrations which could be more typified with video beat-em-up games. The designs also make an interesting use of typography as well as symbolism and heraldry in an attempt to indirectly touch all areas of heroism and dualistic combat. In their range, some fair better than others in design, spoiled only by the emblazoned name of specific fighters across the front and back. Definitely a good effort for the targetted market. They all go for about $30.
A beautiful collaboration between HUF and PATTA to create this beautiful print. Generally, I'm a big fan of the classic playing card artwork and in truth, it remains a highly under-well-exploited concept, however, this design does it justice. The H and P representing the two labels involved and the bold stripes contrast well against the classic style of the illustration. Interestingly enough, this design is also available in two other colour arrangements - black art, yellow stripes on grey marl and white art, green stripes on black. Both equally as stunning. A positive reinterpretation of classic and iconic imagery, especially inline with the global poker boom. Available at HUF.
An incredible design by the legend Marc Ecko. A development on the previous Star Wars designs and a definite winner. It will only set you back $95 at the Hoodie People, but I think this one's worth every penny.
A very nice print from Lush Life on this number, covered with flyers of punk rock concerts. Nice arrangement and a nice print. The design goes across the back and is also available in an inverted silver glitter on black. This is available at Digital Gravel for a meager $49. Worth it?
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