looks like you put a lot of effort into these.

hahaha no
i like simple designs

i hope Anthrax's sarcasm was not lost on the audience.
Seriously im not trying to be an ass, but you have posted like 50 gazillion designs and many look like they took 5 minutess of work. Take this one for example, but minus 4 minutes. Are there any designs you edited out? Try focusing on a few good designs either technically or that have some sort of cleverness to them and weed out the ones that are weak. If you would like an example see this design.
I know that this comment has been pretty harsh, and i dont want to "kill your buzz", but the fact that i feel like ive spent more time in writing this reply than you did on this design both mentally and physically is reason for contempt damn it!

Mega-Duce, your comment is well taken. I kinda know this already though. I'm just realizing that poeple on this site really don't go for the inane simple style that I like on t-shirts. I don't know why a shirt that says "DORK" is all over Hot Topic and Pac Sun or whatever, since it couldn't have taken any more time to design than this. I'm kinda confused about what's a good t-shirt and what's not. I always liked shirts that had just one word on them, or something random and meaningless like a picture of a coffee fup or something. The ideas I've posted are things that I just always sincerely wanted to see on t-shirts. I never intended for anyone to think I spent any real time on them! They were obviously relatively easy to do. I just didn't realize that apparent quantity of effort was so integral to a shirt's appeal.
Oh man, I don't mean to sound like a jerk here, sorry if I do. I assure you I appreciate what you're saying. But one of my favorite t-shirts I own is from a thrift store and it just says "Concorde Jets" in big letters on the front. That took no design skills but it's a great shirt and gets compliments from hipsters and such. I dont know. I'm pretty much out of my league here I guess. Sorry I posted so much.

Just bc something is for sale at Hot Topic or PAc Sun doesn't mean it's good...in fact, it probably means it bad, or mediocre. the average t-shirt is BUNK, and we're trying to raise the bar here. Give intelligent people something to wear. Simple isn't bad, as long as it's smart. Quantity of effort means nothing. Quality of IDEA is everything. I've seen designs that could have been done by a 5 yr old, if the 5 yr old had thought of it. Keep that in mind. Spend time concepting FIRST, and your shirt will design itself.

wow thanks, that was really good advice. i appreciate it tons.
i think maybe soon i'll have the hang of this site, maybe.

steelballs doesn't know what he's talking about. Keep it up, cactusleaf.

If I don't know what I'm talking about, then the design world is doomed.
And if I am so ignorant, then please enlighten me.
By the way, I was actually giving cactus CONSTRUCTIVE criticism...maybe you got lost after the first sentence?
Or maybe you work at 1 of the above mentioned stores--

lets do more than just slap a few words on a tee! shall we?

I agree with Stinky. I couldn't have put it better.

The key is that anyone can slap a slogan/phrase/name on a teeshirt. All you are doing is coming up a color combination and a typeface.

Keep working aw

i'l do more than slap words on a shirt if i feel like it! pshh!
thanks georgy
also, whatever, this design is lame

pffff, anyone can make hundreds of shirts like yours every day, please do something interesting.
Your shirts look like the ones you buy in those gift shops for someone's birthday when you really don't know what to buy for them.

Some people are design snobs and will always shoot down stuff like this because they feel that their work, which may take more time and effort and Adobe Illustrator filters, is superior to a design that only took five minutes. Personally I think if you want to put out one-word t-shirts, great. More power to you. You'll get better with every shirt you do. While I can be harsh sometimes, I typically judge a shirt on: If I would wear it; is it original or copy righted; or if its well concepted and executed.

Basically do what you feel like doing, and fuck the rest. Your shirts are starting to grow on me.

"Some people are design snobs and will always shoot down stuff like this because they feel that their work, which may take more time and effort and Adobe Illustrator filters, is superior to a design that only took five minutes."

"I typically judge a shirt on: If I would wear it; is it original or copy righted; or if its well concepted and executed."




nice work there cuatro... idiot.

i like simple. you had your reasons for creating these designs and those reasons make sense - that's all that matters to me, and the fact that you're happy with your work! who's to say it's wrong or right?

wow thanks cuatro and lor3n

Anistophic,
What, you don't like my scoring criteria or do you take your own work too seriously?
It's okay, I used to be angry at the world too.

I think the overall feeling for the site is that most people simply want to show off their artistic and creative ability, no matter whether it would look good on a shirt or not. It just so happens that the t-shirt is a popular method of displaying your beliefs, feelings and interest in a design. Threadless should come out with a site where people just submit artwork without having to place it on a t-shirt template. It would provide more freedom, and less comments about the design being to big or the wrong placement on the shirt. Then if a design gets chosen, consider its fate. Whether its a t-shirt, a cap, a poster or anything that can be printed.

I think by producing the artwork cactusleaf is trying to recreate what he thinks is appealing. I'm glad he has the nerve to express himself the way he wants and not have to conform to hearts, drips, barcodes and all the other overused items you see on 90% of the designs. I reccomend you buy a heat transfer kit and print all these shirts for yourself. That way you will have a very unique set of one off shirts. Thats something to be proud about. That way you don't have to wait for approval or negative criticism from the popularity judges of Threadless.

british pint, you're a genius

I was just thinking that this should be advertized more as a graphic design website, and less of a purely t-shirt design thing. I love all the great designs on this site and I am realizing I don't fit in at all. I have always wanted to print my own shirts but never knew how to go about doing it. I'll look into it. Thanks so much for your encouragement, it's very much appreciated.

Is this a joke? First off, i under stand what he is saying about PacSun...but this is a design t-srhit company. The shirts printed have strong creative focus.Please try to atcually create an image, not typing something in photoshop.

no, this isn't a joke. please read all of the comments on this and on "baseball tee" to understand where i'm coming from. your point is a little out of date in the grand sceme.

also, i dont agree that all the shirts SUBMITTED have a strong creative focus. I can submit anything i want, even if it's just a few words that took no time to design.

other places for art are http://www.gfxartist.com/ and http://www.creationindigital.com
And t-shirts don't need to be complex at all. Color composition is generally more important, though it's true most printed t-shirts are detailed. good work

i enjoy your ideas snowturtle, you have the same ideas as me about this
thanks

First off, this IS a t-shirt design site and, NO, it should not be marketed as a general graphic design site. As has to be obvious, there are a number of methods specific to shirt design and that is, in part, what this site is about.

Secondly, if you like the inane and design that's intended meaning is only obvious to the creator, that's great. Know, though, that you are are submitting work for an audience, an audience who's function IS to judge and decide if your design is "wrong or right" according to its own standard. So, while you can create any art you like for yourself, learn about and submit for your intended audience.

you have bridged the gap, adam-t. i think you have the best point of all. i was a newcomer to this site just a few weeks ago with my first designs, and i was basically testing the waters. i am currently in the process of learning about my audience, and determining the standard, by submitting ideas. what other way is there to do it? also, my intended audience were obviously people who dig simple retro designs, and a lack of those people exist here. therefore, in conclusion, etc.

love,
jacktus

PS: my intended meanings aren't any more obvious to me than to anyone else.