this one is depressing... however it would be really beautiful, but something about the bird's beak seems a little off to me.

yeah the top of the beak should be down a bit. other than that, a good shirt. 4.

nice but wait a minute..the bird is dripping.........oups...

I think the top of the INSIDE of the beak should be down a bit.
I love it.

sickly good
5 + $

whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhy :(

AWSOM
5++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Wow. That's crazy. I wouldn't wear it but it looks great.

I'd wear the hell out of that!

cool design............but I don't want a shirt of it.....maybe a sticker though.........so uhh yeah, tell me when those stickers get printed.

By the way would DEFINATELY buy.

this is a great illustration.... but it needs to be smaller and placed higher on the shirt. as it is it's too big.

creepy

I wouldn't wear this shirt because it promotes animal cruelty. i love harsh images against humans but not animals. good design i just couldn't sport the message

it's an awesome illustration but i could never wear it (i'm on the same boat as W.A.I.F.)

promotes cruelty? are you one of those that thinks my "flowers in the attic" design promotes suicide?
please, everybody - think this shit through before you post - or if you are unsure, feel free to email me (just follow the links) - and remember, not all art has a "message."

This shirt makes me sad.

jbryon. If you were a real designer (especially a t-shirt designer) you would know that all design (especially something you are wearing) has a message. Thats what design is, visual communication.

Thinking about it, I wouldn't mind a touch more detail for the upper part of the bird. The fist seems so much more detailed in comparison.

Monochramitic works well with illustration content. Nice work....4.5

Monochromatic.

eyemedikation, what's the message of "b-boy jesus?"
Stay tuned everyone, this should be good.
In the meantime, to explain my position a little bettter - I understand that the viewer of a piece of artwork may receive a message through careful observation but this "message" may be more in the viewers's perception than the actual art. Obviously this isn't the case for all art, some have a very clear message. But in this case, "cruelty to animals" was never intended.
That's way to specific anyway. If there is a message, it's broader - like a mood: displaced aggresion maybe. But that's just me (sorry for the novel).

I think it's beautiful.
Any art that makes people question things is good art in my book.
Side note - I just looked at your profile, jbyron. Anyone that questions your design skills shouldn't be defining what a "real" designer is.

"B-Boy Jesus" shows that jesus, the son of the almighty, lived on earth just like you and me, and he was also a human. In your case, a hand squeezing a bird does nothing to communicate anything. If you want to have a message that takes deep thought process and "careful observation" I would recommend that you move towards fine art and not t-shirt design. When wearing a t-shirt, most people would rather not have others stairing at them to figure out what their t-shirt means. Paint it on a canvas and hang it up in a gallery if you want that. But sense you took it oh so personal, you shouldn't tell people that they can email you for the message you are trying to convey and then say "not all art has a message." Are you going to put your email address on the shirt too?

-maggien, anyone can use photoshop or illustrator, but conveying a message clearly (something which a designer does) takes more than your mouse to do.

that b-boy thing was a little contrived don't you think?
And if we are going to have a sensible debate, I need you to keep up:
I didn't ask for people to email me for the meaning, I just suggested that if there is uncertainty about an image of mine, we can discuss it through email. After all, I was the one who said there was no meaning, which I thought started this debate. But then you go and say my design "does nothing to communicate anything" which, oddly enough, was my point.
And just to set the record straight - I do consider myself a fine-artist more than a graphic designer. But honestly, in todays market - there's hardly a difference. I work in advertising afterall.
And thanks maggien.

so there's no confusion: I logged onto my friend and supporter, maggien's computer for the above response (didn't think about the identitiy confusion it would cause).

Buddy, you have a odd view of design then, because ever sense design was concieved, it was for communications sake. The cave men knew this when they painted the bufflo hunt on the cave and the greats (michaelangelo, goya, david, etc...) knew this, which they used to their advantage. I'm not going to argue something that isn't worth arguing. because you've aready confused everyone thats looked at your shirt and my self with your switching of accounts. The fact is, design (certain types, specifically graphic design) is for communication. So when you make a shirt that communicates something thats obvious to most, then come back and say it doesn't mean anything. The general concensus shows that it is coming across as something else. So instead of pointing fingers at someone who thinks your shirt is conveying something other than what you intended (promotes cruelty? are you one of those that thinks my "flowers in the attic" design promotes suicide?
) how about designing something that makes sense. Because not everyone is going to look at a design (especially a t-shirt) differently. With that said, im going to leave you to your "identity" problems.

O.O That's sick.

Jesus people, am I speaking in another language. I never said the design doesn't communicate anything. I said there was no intended meaning. That's not to say you, the viewers, wont get a meaning out of it - but as the creator of the piece, I think I have a right to share my opininion when I think someone is WAY off with their interpretation.
C'mon Joel, you gotta retrace the facts before jumping in like that.

Also, many of you are quick to make a strong distinction between fine-art and graphic design. I've been working in both fields for years and have yet to see a huge difference. Even when selling something, most work that comes across my desk would be considered "art" if it weren't for the athletic shoe or sports drink in the corner. And even then...

And the "identity crisis" is nothing too diabolical - just using my roommate's PC (to show him how far this debate is going actually).
I admit that his opinion of my work is probably biased - but hey, whatcha gonna do?

ouch. he got to it before I did. so why dont you marinade on that for a while .

that is a very creative shirt. i give the creator alot of propz!!!

nice work, bad choice of design.

WHAT IS UP WITH YOU PEOPLE???

THREADLESS.COM HAS A BUNCH OF SUBMISSIONS ABOUT PEOPLE DYING AND CRAP. FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC, YEAH, THAT ONE IS PROMOTING SUICIDE. THAT GETS PRINTED ALONG WITH FLICKIN CORPORATE ZOMBIE WHICH IS PROMOTING OBESITY IN AMERICA. BAW! THEN YOU SEE A BIRD OR PANDA DIE AND YOU'RE LIKE

"OMG THAT IS TOO MUCH FOR ME!!!!"

I LIKE THE COLORS BUT I DONT LIKE THE DESIGN.

5+ $

Ess, I'm seriously worried about your blood-pressure.

yeah people are idiots....not ALL design is to communicate...so you are wrong...and if you study art/design you would know that. some design is just art for arts sake...not communications sake..and that's what everyone should enjoy..not whether the message is good enough and such...besides, art is supposed to be interpreted by the viewer..meaning: everyone is (if theyre not mindless drones) going to see a different message in a design..just as in fine art, or writing...so to vote based strictly upon opinion of the message would be ridiculous.

what meaning does ah munna eat choo have?
HUH?!

nice design - a bit heavy for me but the atticus wearing kids will love it
4

neat but too disturbing to buy
a little too "7 year old who will grow up to be a serial killer"

This is some hardcore shit. Pretty cool. Don't get all preachy about making shirts with a message because 90% of the submissions are gay ass little animals or something cute.

I agree with yrembraceismyair..
Possibly from Dahmer's family album?!
And without getting drawn into all the arguing up there.. I don't really like the idea of squeezing birds... especially those with beak deformities (they've got enough to worry about).

make it smaller and i'll love it. 4.

Rant:

A lot of people on here are pushing the design = communication thing without necessarily representing the idea correctly. First of all, the shirt does tend to convey to the viewer animal cruelty and violence without referring to an attitude of sympathy. That is just how the image is most easily read.
However another matter is what design as communication actually means. In product package, advertisement, commercial, and corporate design, the most important role of design is communicating the value of the product. The design exists solely as a signifier of the company or product and that is how it is judged.

There are also contemporary art directors (in many major ad agencies) that are currently working against the whole conceptual design ethos that emerged in the eighties, the ones that promote the sales concept (they conveniently call this communication) over all else. Excluded focuses would be aesthetic design, ad design as entertainment, practicality or realism in advertising (as opposed to espousing imaginary-value, "image" related concepts), and postmodern design (also anything containing ambiguity). I find the opposition to postmodern design a little odd since the whole communication design jargon originated from postmodern art/design theory. The main repetitive technique in coceptual design has been the double-entendre or clever pun (championed by Paul Rand). It's a great technique, but it gets old like everything else. Now bitting sarcasm is the in thing.

Anyways, the point is that even the leading ad companies are playing with the 2 decade old perception of communication design in what has become another rigid design criterion as the effectiveness of comercial design wanes through overexposure. No one is denying that design is communication, they are just getting tired of the old ideas of what should be signified and they are starting to realize the value of a good design apart from what it communicates. Yep, we rediscovered that people will actually buy designs they like even if the design doesn't represent the essense of a toaster or a coffee bean. Especially when the design itself is the product and not something refering to the product.

A t-shirt design is a part of the object being sold and, with a graphic t, it is the reason they buy the shirt. Most people don't buy a shirt because they are trying to communicate the concept signified by the design, they buy it because they like the way it looks. Some people will look for a couple of those t's with a sly pun or clever message but they are not as preocupied with the "communication" as a communication designer. That means design as an object is not dependent on the conceptual design philosophy used in most commercial design. The main "communication" requirement is don't refer to something that repells most people if you want it to sell.

cool.
yup i laughed.
thats a good thing.

hey johny love STFU u type too much u moron. and to the shirt. it's mega nice but it seems like there is something wrong with the bird's figure. besides it being crushed....

Johnny, from what I read - I think your dead on. But I must admit, I didn't finish your textbook size post - it just seemed too much like work.
Myself, I'm a Cliff's Notes man.
The bird's head was referenced from a photo of a baby bird whose beak wasn't fully formed (the critter barely had feathers) - but in this context, it does look a little off. Consider it fixed.

i like the design and for petes sake its just a tshirt.

5&buy!

Why is there a debate about this shirt????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????..........although i can almost hear the crunch of tiny bones!!!!!!!!!
......Its only a teeshirt..... respect that fact!!!!

WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA FIVE AND BUY

i love it and i think it more than worth buying and i have not seen the flowers in the attic shirt but after all the talk about it im sold on that one too
thanks
-joel

just hunted down flowers shirt and i want it too

thanks
-joel