Archive for March, 2009

Adobe Kuler Helps You Design T-Shirts (0)

Published on March 10th, 2009. By , under T-Shirt Design.

I don’t think many people would argue that design is a very important ingredient for a successful t-shirt line.  It’s a main component in generating sales and knowledge in the area is a must.  With changing trends in consumer taste, you have to continually research the subject from all angles to keep up to speed.  Now I understand that not all of you are the actual designers, but your eye for the design is just as important.  I just came across an in-depth article on how you can determine what color schemes look best for your project.

As I was burning through my feed reader this morning, a tutorial from PSDTuts about the usefulness of the Adobe Kuler tool caught my eye.  Their focus on this article was more for the full-time designer, who labors in Photoshop and Illustrator, but it can also be used for the t-shirt world as well.  The colors in your design can sometimes be the difference-maker or deal-breaker, depending on how well they match up with the theme.

Adobe Kuler is a great way to find new color schemes or test the ones that you had in mind.  The beauty of the tool is that you don’t have to be a tech genius to use it.  Click on the image below to view the article and see how much easier it can make your next color scheme decision.

This guest post was brought to you by Blake Poutra, a guy from You Design It where you can design t-shirts.

Junk Food is SOOOOO Soft (0)

Published on March 9th, 2009. By , under T-Shirt Spotlight.

A soft that can only be a result of years and years of wash and wear.  A soft where the ink feels like a part of the fabric and begins to crack in the places that add character to the design.  I am describing to you what a lot of people have made a staple in their t-shirt collection… vintage tees.  These are most commonly found at second-hand thrift shops and typically have some old school, obscure print like an 80′s hair band tour design.  These can be purchased for as little as a dollar and sometimes even up to a couple hundred dollars.  The downside to spending so much is that you get a used t-shirt worn by someone you didn’t know and sometimes there are reminders with the shirts.  Reminders like stains, odors, stretched areas, etc.

What if you could buy shirts like this that are just as soft, just as cracked, and still have a trendy old-school print on them?  Enter Junk Food Clothing.  They recently sent me two tees to check out and I haven’t been able to take them off since.

I didn’t know what shirts were sent and it was funny to see the old Houston Oilers light blue when I broke open the package. The other tee brought me back to my childhood with Gargamel’s ugly mug printed on the front.  Included with the package was a little handwritten note on a themed card that was definitely an extension of the brand.

The Gargamel shirt was everything that a vintage humorous tee should be.  The colors and the print matched flawlessly to the fade in the pigment of the shirt.  You get the feeling the shirt was originally black, and after years of wear, it lost some color.  The only difference is, this shirt has never been washed or worn. They have perfected the science of creating vintage tees that have never been worn.

Junk Food opts for the sewn in label, and this is probably because the shirts are so thin that an inside print could possibly be seen from the outside.

Now onto my fave.  I was cheesin’ from ear to ear when I saw the original Houston Oilers tee. The only thing missing was a Christmas tree because it felt that good getting this shirt.  The light blue was just like I remember and the design was intentionally simplified to stay true to the design of the era.  Those are details that make the difference.

The cool thing about the actual print was how the coverage of the ink was so light, that it allowed the shirt to come through.  However, it was still dark enough to be very visible.  Needless to say, the shirts are a hit.

Junk Food is carried in retail stores across the country and with select online retailers. You will find this kind of quality in every shirt they print.  Believe me, these tees are just as comforting as real junk food.

If you are launching a new line or just a new product in an already existing line, contact the Taddict on how to send in a t-shirt for review.

Give This Design a Home (1)

Published on March 6th, 2009. By , under T-Shirt Design.

It has blown me away with the amount of good artwork for t-shirts on the interwebs these days.  There really is no excuse to not bring your A Game every time you send something to print.  Not having any design skills yourself is no longer an excuse.  Case in point, this image:

This t-shirt design was created as a collabo by Corefolio and Gaunty, originally for Word Apparel, and is for sale.  The designers have a post about it on Emptees and you can contact the owner, Levi Hardeman, with $250 or your best offer.  This design NEEDS to be printed.

TeeJunkie Designer of the Year (0)

Published on March 4th, 2009. By , under Cool Sites.

Simon at TeeJunkie just pinged me asking if I would spread the news about his top t-shirt designer of the year list. There are some strong candidates and a lot of solid work. My only question is….isn’t it a little early for a designer of the year? Either way, check it out:

Defunkd Gets DJ AM to Talk (0)

Published on March 3rd, 2009. By , under Cool Interviews.

Big news in the t-shirt blogosphere. Our street cred is rising with the most recent interview by Defunkd. He managed to get DJ AM for a sitdown to talk about his addiction to vintage tees. DJ AM is famous for many things including dating Nicole Richie, being in CrazyTown, one of the most popular sneakerheads, a highly sought after dj, half of a pair with Travis Barker, and on and on. Where did he find the time to interview with Defunkd? An even better question is….who cares where he found the time? I am just glad he did for all of us t-shirt bloggers. We need more high profile publicity like this. Rock on Defunkd!

Headline Shirts Rock On (0)

Published on March 1st, 2009. By , under T-Shirt Spotlight.

Discharge ink is the new black. And let me tell you what is blacker than that….printing discharge ink on black t-shirts. Headline Shirts knows this all to well with the production of their “Time to Rock” tee. The hand is so soft on the print that I’ve considered using it as a pillowcase some nights. Jake from Headline Shirts kindly sent the Taddict the shirt so we could inspect it up close and personal.

The letter he included with the shirt (nice touch!) waxed about a vintage wash and extra softening and basically made me a skeptic. I knew the American Apparel shirt wouldn’t disappoint and then I became a believer because the softness of the print went “hand in hand” with the fabric. Get it….”hand in hand”. Yeah, still not funny.

Anyways…I didn’t know what route I was going to take on this tee review because I think the design is just as cool as the print. The subtle visual references to the rocks of old make you want to rock out with your shirt tail out. What did you think I was going to say?

Take a look at the packaging and it’s contents.

I just can’t get enough of the design.

And you can’t have a soft shirt with a tag scratchin’ your neck. The custom screen printed label should be a mandatory addition to every line.

Headline Shirts is a full fledged line and has a lot to choose from. If I haven’t sold you on this shirt, then head over to their shop to check their other options.

If you are launching a new line or just a new product in an already existing line, contact the Taddict on how to send in a t-shirt for review.