Tees In A Pod: pop culture t-shirts

Showing posts with label pop culture t-shirts. Show all posts

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Trending Topics = Trendy Threads

Remember Heroes? In 2008 when the TV series was in it's second season, an average of 13.1 million viewers in the U.S. alone tuned in each week, making the show a buzz topic. Down Under, I too tuned in and with the new excitment of starting up an online t-shirt store, combined with my admiration for actor Adrian Pasdar, went about creating a "Nathan Petrelli For President" design. A few weeks later, I'm wearing my Petrelli tee and we sell another to none other than Adrian Pasdar of California (!!?). The following week, GritFX received notification that the design breached NBC's intellectual property rights. (Why'd you wear it to work Adrian?!)

Two years on and the only reason I mention Heroes is for the purpose of this post. Trending topics (a word I'm borrowing from the world of twitter) are attractive to designers, yet we must be careful else we waste time. The concepts are often "hot" for a limited time and this lack of longevity means time is even more precious. Topics are often taken from current popular culture & current events - movies, TV shows, celebrity behaviour, music, and politics all become buzz topics especially during climatic moments such as movie premieres, TV show finales, elections, and even deaths. The problem however is that even if you've created the most obscure fan-based design, which doesn't use any existing logos, actor likenesses, or brand/celebrity names, you still may find yourself in breach of intellectual property rights. In the case of GritFX's Heroes design, it was the use of the name "Nathan Petrelli" in conjunction with the concept of voting him for President.

If you're using one of the two "big dogs" in the print-on-demand realm (Zazzle or Cafepress), your designs will be removed if you breach terms and upload a design that infringes upon third party intellectual property rights (such as copyright, trademark, trade dress and right of publicity), moral rights, or is defamatory. Content management teams work at keeping content which is in breach off their sites. Sighting something else that is similar to your design on their marketplace is not going to help your case, though - that shopkeeper may have obtained a license and has such rights to sell their design; or, simply, the design has yet to be 'flagged'. If you're independent, it is up to you to know what you can and cannot do - if you don't have a license to put Lady Gaga's face all over the front of a t-shirt, then I suggest you don't waste your time and the risk of a law suit.

With all that said, you need not fear all avenues of trendy threads as there are options for you to consider. This is where the fun begins...

Politicians are free targets and designers can use their likeness and quote them - so long as we don't go down the defamation path and attempt to sell t-shirts with George Bush in bed with a donkey. Some themes will become synonymous with a certain time in political history and thus may have a longer shelf life; others lose their appeal once the moment has passed. Picking which themes will have longevity is not something I could advise on - I'm a terrible gambler - but I will say that a speedy introduction of your design to the world is recommended. You want to try and get your expression of one of these themes online before the competition does. I'd also suggest purging designs when they become stale. If you want to showcase "current affairs", they should be current.

L to R: "Spill, Baby Spill" - a response to everything Sarah Palin and BP are about to say to defend offshore drilling - by Crock Tees; "This is a BIG F***ING DEAL!" - the infamous BFD Biden quote - by Melhi; "Barack and Roll" - clearance sale active as of the date of this post ($10) - by Saucewear; and "I'll Be Barack" - discontinued Obama design - by Urban Outfitter.

If politics doesn't interest you and only leaves a sour taste in your mouth, then you could consider designing for the various popular culture portals that Cafepress is responsible for. Having secured licenses with the likes of Fremantle Media for American Idol, ABC for LOST, Summit Entertainment for Twilight, Showtime for Dexter, and more, there may be a trending topic you'd love to create some designs for. Each "portal" comes with license rules that you need take into consideration before starting any kind of design. Many will restrict you from doing the obvious and reproducing show logos; using the image/likenesses of actors; and in the case of Twilight, designs cannot include an apple. For me, this adds to the fun and the reason I'd want to do designs for these topics to start with... to create a fan-inspired design that only fellow fanatics will recognise and comprehend. When it comes to that, these portals are giving designers a license to go crazy with ideas.

Should you find that a design is removed and you can't see why, I suggest asking a content management representative. Having read and re-read the LOST portal terms, I was surprised to see one of the GritFX LOST-themed designs removed and when I asked why, the forthcoming reply informed me that "Time Travel Is A Bitch" was perceived as use of profanity. Once modified, the design was approved and has since become a popular LOST design. Never hurts to ask!

American Idol Design, Twilight Design, Dexter Design

L to R: "People Get Ready - Crystal Is The Next American Idol" by Idology Tees; "Honorary Cullen" - Twilight design by Poptastic Tees; and "Bay Harbour Butcher" - Dexter design by Sams Place.

While it's a joy to design for these topics, and nice to have the security of the POD license, I'd never suggest anyone focus solely on these portals. Call me cynical, but I anticipate a day when these licenses are up for renewal/negotiation, and if negotiations fail, all related designs will be removed from stores.

If you're not interested in joining Cafepress you can still do some designs for other PODS, but be careful not to be too detailed in what you include. You might find a "Namaste" design for LOST fans on a POD other than Cafepress, but this is likely to be plain text void of any graphics that are inspired by and reflect the TV series LOST - such as the Dharma logo.

Thinking that it's all too much to consider?
I have a closing suggestion for you. Drop by Zazzle and take a look at their "World Famous Brands" section which showcases designs for Marvel's Iron Man 2 (as an example). It's easy to create an account with Zazzle and once you do you can start to build affiliate links to "trendy threads". All you'd need is a twitter account to share these links during peak trending moments, and you're making some pocket money.

I wonder what tomorrow's trending topic will be....
Anyone remember the balloon boy?

Created By: Amanda Vare "Manz", GritFX, Movies, TV, and Pop Culture Tshirts

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Expressing Social Views Through Fashionable Design

If you look up the term "social", you will come across the German philosopher/sociologist Karl Marx, and in the view of Marx, "human beings are intrinsically, necessarily and by definition social beings who, beyond being "gregarious creatures", cannot survive and meet their needs other than through social co-operation and association." It would make sense then, that fashion has always been intrinsic to the expression of social views. For myself, growing up initially in the suburbs, then later with the beautiful coastal beaches as my stage, surf wear - in particular t-shirts - mixed with my Doc Martin shoes became my uniform... you can take the girl out of the west, but you can't take the west out of the girl...

My nostalgic moment does have a point. From my own experience, before we all had the internet along with the various social media platforms where we express our interests and connect with like-minded "social beings"; core social expression through fashion, was more likely related to behaviour in our immediate environment than other social interests we may personally have had... and for me, that was primarily the surf-bum lifestyle. I loved music. I loved film. Yet this was rarely displayed on my torso. If I walk the same beaches today, the variety of what people are saying about their social views is now far more diverse. This is a result of the internet. More of us connect with new people every day, and more of us are sharing our social views within the realms of online shopping. Therefore, not only is the social connection easier to make, the fashion to express these attitudes has become more accessible.

This brings me to a collection of designers with online stores who have clear and strong social views.

SPORTS: Be A Girl Today

There are a plethora of sport-themed shops to be found online with some shops having a singular focus towards one particular sport, while others take a different approach. What I like about Be A Girl Today is their concept; conceiving a catchy tagline "girls are athletes not tomboys". It's a clear message coming from the 5 sisters behind the brand - all of whom are active in various sports - which feature heavily in their range. Not only do their designs resonate pride with "ladies" participating in sport, their tagline shows how finding the niche that you are passionate about can result in a strong marketing device. Their product line includes adult t-shirts, kids t-shirts, stickers, and bags.

OUTDOOR RECREATION: Wear My Dive Art

Wear My Dive Art is a shop for those who are "absolute die hard underwater enthusiasts!" Is this a biased pick based on my own love of the ocean? Maybe. However, that doesn't take away from the quality and variety of tee designs that this shop has on offer. Sheryl Checkman started the shop in 2005 in order to "express her love for scuba diving through t-shirt design." As an experienced graphic designer, she has combined two loves and created a t-shirt range that I can easily imagine many dive enthusiasts wearing... when not in a wetsuit! My personal favorite is "Live and Let's Dive" - an obvious play on the James Bond flick, and a nice reminder that we should all take that R&R we deserve! Wear My Dive Art isn't just t-shirts, however. They also offer their Dive Art on gift items (or what we at Tees In A Pod call "merchandise").

INDOOR RECREATION: My Dart Shirts

SEX, BEER, DARTS. Do I have your attention? Activities in pubs, bars or pool halls are easy targets when it comes to humor, and you'll find My Dart Shirts offer their fair share of humor for all "Dartaholics". Their shop is packed with designs that all have the same focus - playing darts! At the same time, the creativity behind the range has diversity that will appeal to multiple tastes. I commend My Dart Shirts for achieving this for their shop, and recognising that even within a "social group", diversity can be found. The primary focus of their product line is t-shirts, with a collection of other gifts as well as the option for customisation.

Geeks & Gamers: Geeky Teez

It's time to "Get Your Geek On" with Geeky Teez! While browsing through the design range offered, I had to ask myself, "am I a geek or a gamer"? Never having considered myself either, I nonetheless found myself smiling at their "Genius" t-shirt. So, I guess I'm a geek! The shop, by Juna Duncan, has a clever range of designs (a pre-requisite for any shop self-labelling themselves as "geek") that tailor to the "Gamer and Geek in all of us". It's a nice blend of wit and fun; retro and modern concepts; and graphic design that recognises when a concept needs words, and when to keep it simple. Their product line includes t-shirts, hoodies, bags, clocks and more.

Pop Culture Junkies: Poptastic Tees

Poptastic Tees is a dynamic duo (Arnold is their resident illustrator, and Cynthia is their art director & webmaster), each with a personal love of 80s sayings, TV and Movie quotes, and pop culture parodies - meaning they're in good company on this page with regards to designing for a niche that you personally love. Their connection to, and understanding of, specific popular culture, together with their collaboration and combined skills, equates to a high quality online store where an 80s child like myself can reminisce; or alternatively, embrace the indifference expressed by the modern word (or sound) "meh" (found in today's urban dictionary). Their product line is primarily focussed on t-shirts, with a collection of other gifts.

These are only a few terrific examples of shopkeepers who are bringing us all great designs that assist in our expression of social views. Whether you're "old school" and remember the days where friends enjoyed a good mixed tape thumping out of the boom box at the weekend beach party - or a modern day social media junkie * - you'll be able to find just what you need on a t-shirt to help you express your views.

* This post would be incomplete without mentioning social media junkies. It's the most modern social group which continues to grow and expand daily. In sync with this growth, some designers have added designs to their shop that tailor to these social media junkies. I have yet to come across a shop whose sole focus is social media views... if you know of one, leave a comment with a link! However, there are some shopkeepers who I'd like to mention: Doschicos Tees who offer a "Add as friend" tee for the Facebook fans, and an "America's Most Tweeted" tee for the twitter peeps. Then there's our own Tim Fox and his partner Dave who offer a Twitter Bird design on their Soge Shirts shop.

Now to hear from you!
Do you have a shop that is focussed on a particular social view? Or perhaps you'd like to share one of your favorite online spots or designs? Tell us all about it in the comment box below or on our Facebook Fan Page, Teesinapod!

Created By: Amanda Vare "Manz", GritFX, Movies, TV, and Pop Culture Tshirts