Leapfrog!

My second true success of a failure, Leapfrog comes from the pattern derby. While most people went with full out patterns, I took a different tack... knowing I couldn't beat anyone at the slick repetition game, I went for something with a small amount of repetition and a large amount of whimsy, something that could be appreciated without concern for the pattern theme. What came out was leapfrog.

While Unexspookted remains my most popular vote-wise, Leapfrog was actually featured on a handful of user favorite lists, a good strong leap away from most of my designs, which were usually relegated to a spare comment here and there after posting the comp in the forums... leapfrog generated buzz without my doing. Keep the buzz alive and talk about it here (and when you're at it, feel free to weigh in on my other designs, too.)

As of Feb. 14, 2008, this shirt is now on sale at Bountee.

Two for Tuesday!

For the sake of aesthetics and readability, since this is a dual-design post, I'll start with the disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.

That out of the way, welcome to the first, and possibly the last, two for Tuesday, so named because today, I will discuss two shirts at once. We're going back a couple weeks to the "time travel souvenir" derby, wherein designers were to create souvenir t-shirts, such as they sell at Planet Hollywood, but for events that took place in the past or future... shirts that say "I was there, via time machine." Three Worlds Collide was my best design that week... these two scraped by with about 13 votes combined.

My first entry was Exotic Constantinople. It's laid out like a travel brochure picture, complete with They Might Be Giants reference (although our more astute history buffs will note that New Amsterdam did not come into existence until after Istanbul was in vogue). It was universally ignored, because even hatred would have generated more buzz:




The second entry did only slightly better... we all know people who live high-powered lives and need to take an airplane from Boston to NYC, close as they are. We also know people who actually visited and enjoyed South of the Border, the Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota, Carhenge, etc... what's travel without a tourist trap? It stands to reason that time travel as well would have its locations only for the frivolous and the kitsch-seekers, and with that in mind, I created Back in the Day:





I thought the concept was strong, but perhaps the execution was off. And so I leave it up to you, random people who occasionally visit my blog. What's there to like and hate about these? What would make them pop more? Enquiring designers want to know!

Bluebird of Avarice

This is probably the design I'm most proud of so far. It took a while to perfect, it's a mix of digital and hand-drawn, and it's conceptually strong. This little fella was born for a derby celebrating consumerism. I staked all my chances on one horse this time around, figuring I had a strong enough idea, especially with all the normal memetic ideas being quashed for the week. I was proud of the drawing, which was stronger than I'm usually capable of, the inking, which really made the drawing pop to me, and the concept... basically, it's a statement on the cult of wealth. A peacock is known for its flashy courtship shows. To me, the rich and well-dressed are little more than peacocks, hoping their flashiness will overcompensate for whatever shortcomings might be underneath while searching for a mate.

Yet in the end, it's one of my worst-scoring designs. This ended up being one of those ideas that sound great to you, but simply don't resonate. It took a couple revisions to get the end result, and by that time it was mostly buried in cheap parodies and concept-over-design designs. I'm not sure if it was simply ahead of its time, or that I got in over my head trying to play up an artistic piece with my rather limited skills. Do feel free to weigh in... the more opinions I get, the better.

***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***

Carrots Lie

First off, I want to thank everyone, those I know, those I don't, those who don't want me to know who the hell they are, etc, who has weighed in on the blog. This is an uphill battle, and a handful of critiques won't ultimately define my potential success in the field, but every little bit helps, and it is appreciated, and will only help me grow as a designer.

What's the hardest part about a "nutrition" theme? Creating an intelligent and wearable shirt. I don't know if this is either, but I liked it. It's a simple design... just a carrot wearing glasses. It's basic enough to be "iconic," though the word is pretty bold of me to use. A takeoff on the idea of carrots improving eyesight. Subtle, but ultimately not good enough. How do you feel about it?


***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***

Do You Know Him?

Dateline: the Infographic derby. AdderXYU breaks 50 for the third time with "Do You Know Him?" Sources close to Adder describe him as "ecstatic," but it is not all celebration surrounding this design.

The most controversy comes from Drury Lane itself, where Jim Petchard, the legendary baker behind the most well-known muffins in the country, is up in arms about the shirt. "Whenever I'm out, people know me," Jim insists. "First one, then two, three, four... they come up and say hello." Drury Lane's Mayor, who has been petitioning for years to change the small town's name to "Drurydale," echoes Petchard's sentiments. "It's safe to say that we all know the muffin man," he said, responding to the shirt's implication that some percentage of Drury Lane was unfamiliar with the famed bread baron. "I don't consider it slander, as such," the baker insists, "but if there are indeed people in Drury Lane who have not experienced my muffins, I would love for them to come forward. The love in my baked goods should be shared."

A smaller scandal has erupted due to the questionable shirt choice. A vocal contingent have lashed out on the blue template used to display the design. "Something just doesn't look right about it," remarked Heather Pickens, a veteran woot derby entrant. "I think that part of it is how the colors mesh, but it also looks wrong drawn digitally and not with colored pencils." Other more outraged designers have remarked "this is totally g a y, and only lame girls and emos would wear it."

AdderXYU's agent remains mum on the issue of the Drury Laneans, but states that those who wish to voice an opinion on a more appropriate shirt color can do so at his failed design blog. "AdderXYU strives to understand how his designs can improve, and welcomes constructive criticism regarding the color matter. In the meantime, he will be cracking champagne and awaiting the derby 16 folder on Best Losers."

***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***

Three Worlds Collide!!!

The inspiration behind this was similar to that behind Nachtmusic, in that it is a product of my love of music. I had to think... what sort of souvenir shirts do I own most? Concert tees. Especially with tour dates, but any limited run band merch will sell like hotcakes at the show in question. So who will the hot act be in the future? Hopefully these guys.

Why did I pick Hendrix, Cobain, and Mozart? Well, besides all three being hugely popular, influential, ahead of their time, and dead, which would make them quite appealing to a music market that could go back in time to retrieve them, they have distinctive hair, making the silhouettes far easier to execute. Cobain's coif is the least unique of the three, but it's obvious it's supposed to be him. Or so I think. I labeled the artists not because they weren't distinguishable in shadow (though I think the names really help Hendrix not look like a sheep, for example), but because plenty of tours of this nature do this, promoting as simply a succession of last names... especially clash-of-the-titans tours like G3. "Three Worlds Collide" is simply a generic-sounding concert event name, but the year (2525) is more musical reference. And let's be honest, you're interested to know what it would sound like, too, aren't you?

***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***

Nachtmusic

This particular design was an inspiration that came late during the Night derby, yet still managed to do better than both of my earlier ideas. Which is cool, because truly, I like this design way better than the two earlier ones... it has much more to it, and while Another Night was one of my better-drawn designs, this one is better executed and generally more appealing.

I believe it was "Nachtmusic" which got stuffed into my head first, and from there I just had to create a design that fit... eventually the design unfolded, and I said talent be damned, I'm going to try for it. As a musical person, I like how the design came out, and I like the stars as notes... it's got a definite music-geek whimsy. Since then, I've done a little tinkering... I've smoothed out some of the curves so it looks better, and I've edited the score at the top to more accurately reflect the title. I've included a detail picture, to better see, well, the detail. Tell me what you think!

***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***




Detail:

Walrusbird!

That's right folks, the design that started it all. The one, the only WALRUSBIRD (AND THE CROWD GOES WILD)!!!!

OK, so old Wally wasn't such a huge splash (he was just under 30 votes), but he was the first submission I ever submit to a derby, and as such, he holds a special place in my heart. It was a lesson in the unpredictability of the woot voter: my snail/giraffe hybrids were slapped together much quicker and submit a couple days later, yet they far surpassed the Walbird, which I'd hand-drawn, and then had to learn inkscape and tinker with gimp to a degree that I had never done. It was a huge trial-by-fire, and the payoff was slim. Still, I think it's a good, simple design that has a delicious air of absurdity. It could even become iconic some day. Right? Weigh in here.

***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***

Where the Deer and the Toffulo Play...

I don't even recall what I called this one originally... I think it was "Meat Substitutes." The premise was twofold... first, it played off the idea that meat substitutes are more healthy than real meat (a presumption I don't believe myself). Secondly, it has these meat substitutes in a herd, farm-raised like actual meat. This particular breed are Toffulos, tofu/buffalo hybrids best known for being tasteless in a superior way to regular soy-based meat substitutes. It's a simple idea, and it only garnered around 20 votes, but I was quite happy with it. Thoughts? Should the sign be changed? Is it better without a sign or text? Do you know a way to get tofu to taste good that doesn't involve cross-breeding a soy bean with a buffalo? I'd love to hear from you.

***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***