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Threadless (Critique): Everybody Loves Eye Scream

Olaf — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:01:34 +0000

This design has been sitting around on a couple of drawing pads for a while now. I finally got it finished up to a point that it’s ready for some critique. I think I may still be an image off from original goal of one submission per month. However, I still have several ideas to put to paper, as it were.

Also, this is a pretty big departure from my most recent submissions. It had started looking like I was going to be a one-trick pony with only bones in the repertoire. I decided to get this one out before submitting another anatomical piece.

Threadless Scoring

Olaf — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:16:18 +0000

So I learned today that my impression of the way Threadless submissions were scored was entirely by the public and finalized immediately after your time was up. Turns out, I’m way off. Like 83 days off. A submission can stay in the “choice” bucket forever, it seems. I was told by someone at Threadless that a submission was once pulled from a submission a year prior. The normal time to wait for the results is 90 days. It can take 90 days for the judges to finalize their decisions on what wins and what begins to collect dust in their archives. The higher scored designs typically win, but in some cases that doesn’t happen. The judges may choose won that they unanimously like, or more likely, disqualify a design that might have just edged you out of the competition. That said, I can’t offer up my designs for sale until after I’ve waited an appropriate amount of time. I do have one old submission that I can put up on Zazzle, but it didn’t even last 24 hours in the Threadless competition originally. It needs a little work to be worthy of anyone’s T-Shirt, I think.

Bottom line – I’m not out of the competition yet! This means my designs could still win. My scores weren’t the highest, to be sure, but I still have to hold out hope that they’re scored only marginally lower than the winners.

“Seaside” On Sale Now

Olaf — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:35:34 +0000

Well, Seaside didn’t win the Threadless contest, but it won the hearts of some. I really thought I was in it with the good comments, but alas, it scored slightly lower than my previous entry. That’s okay; Threadless losers beccome Zazzle winners! Hop on over to my Zazzle store to buy this new design…(click on the picture)

Seaside
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gradinDotCom

Threadless: “Seaside”

Olaf — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:04:52 +0000

‘Sup, land lubbers? This is a shout-out to my homeys from way-back. Notorious black beards, REPRESENT!

Anyway, I finished another Threadless submission – this one entitled “Seaside.” It went through several critiques and evolved to what you see here now. The original was classy. The finished version is less anatomical design, and more “killer t-shirt design.” The idea I’m conveying here is that pirates were the original gangsta’s. Bling, booty, and thugs; the seafaring cast had it all. If you want the oppressive land crab to hearken your love for the uneasy sea life, buck up and wear this old flag proud. Seaside forever!

Oh yeah, and you’re going to have to vote high to make this shirt a winner over at Threadless.com. There will probably be 1200 votes when the week’s over, so make sure you and your friends make up a big part of those in $5!

Vote on the Seaside Submission

Zune 3.0 Coming

Olaf — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:45:26 +0000

Mmmm…Zune 3.0. I’ve just read Jason Dunn’s (of ThoughtMedia.com) report on a recent Microsoft meeting discussing the Zune 3.0 release. I am completely sold on the Zune platform and am greatly encouraged by the up-and-coming release. Perhaps the greatest boon of them all is that the Zune team will be including us Zune 30 owners in their next, big update. That means we can use the new software and get updated firmware for new functionality. Dunn writes, “this 3.0 release is underwhelming compared to the 2.0 release. Sexy new hardware excites people more than software and services do,” but I must disagree. While the visual changes are not as drastic as those we saw moving from the original product to 2.0, Zune 3.0 breathes new life into the mobile media device market. On the hardware side, Zune 3.0 does not include any new hardware with the exception of the much-anticipated Zune 120. However, it does include a firmware update which includes wireless Marketplace access, channels (a la Pandora), and buy from FM (where supported, you’ll be able to buy a song off the radio – presumably through the Marketplace). The wireless Internet access is a big win in and of itself. People complained about the lack of this ability since the Zune’s inception and now it’s here. Quit your bitchin’ and start praising the Zune team for delivering! Do I need to remind you that Zune 30 owners get this functionality too?!? We’re also going to see specific audio book support – another hot topic from days past. That means Audible.com support is here (and Overdrive – who is that?). From the examples Dunn delivered, I saw a really cool feature here that allows enabled audio books to display pictures from the book as it is read. I can see a real use here for books I get for Balthazar on the Zune.

The software sees improvements as well. There are some updated looks, an updated social system, and an improved search system among others. Channels in the Zune (software and hardware) look really great. I am a big fan of the Pandora project, so a Zune-similar feature is eagerly sought. The channels are updated automatically and based upon your ratings of music. It’s based on genres, which if yours are anything like mine, will need some cleaning to get narrowed down to a meaningful set. A new social feature allows you to find people in the Marketplace that listen to music like you. As Dunn comments, you can do this yourself now, but it takes quite a bit of time and clicking.

The one point that Dunn brings up as a downer to this feature-rich upgrade is that most of these concepts are designed around the use of a Zune Pass. For $15 per month, the Zune Pass allows you to download all the music you want for up to three people. They still haven’t worked out the issue of assigning different user profiles to this pass. Our pass is in my wife’s name, so I logon with her account to get subscription music. This will effect the way channels work (that is, averaging the music preferences between all users of the Zune Pass instead of offering an individual’s experience), but I know they’ll work this out in time. For now, I’ve learned to deal with the way the pass works and I can accept it. I doubt very seriously the Zune Pass will extend to such services as Audible (it doesn’t currently extend to the MarketPlace video services), so I’d have to look at another subscription price there. I’ve used Audible’s services before, and I did enjoy them very much. I’m a big fan of audio books, so I will likely pony-up at least a basic subscription.

The one thing I don’t know yet is when I can expect this update. Despite Dunn’s lack-luster summary of the 3.0 update, I am very much looking forward to it!

“No Bones About It” For Sale

Olaf — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:03:37 +0000

I used my wife’s advice and chose to create a Zazzle.com account. It didn’t take long at all and I was able to setup a front and back, long-sleeved, black t-shirt for the Threadless “No Bones About It” submission. I didn’t win on Threadless, but I can still have my designs printed should somebody want one. Unfortunately, they’re going to be more expensive this way. If you dig it, awesome! I think you can actually modify the parameters and get a cheaper, short-sleeved version printed too. Either way, it’s cool to have this outlet when the design fails at Threadless. If things go well, you should see a new design each month on my Zazzle account – or at until I win a competition and Threadless and am restricted to resell it elsewhere.

I retitled it for Zazzle (Tribal to the Core), so go take a look (click the image to be taken to my zazzle.com store):

Tribal to the Core (Long Sleeve)
by

gradinDotCom

Create Custom T-Shirts On Zazzle
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Threadless (Critique): Pirates Were the First Gangstas

Olaf — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:31:32 +0000

I have my August Threadless design up a little late, but I put together three sketches when I started this one, so I have two others I can flesh out. I had originally wanted to get “booty” into this somehow, but my wife said it might be too much going on. I also have optional pieces ready for this design should the critique lead me into that direction. I have cross bones to go behind the skull, as well as a patch to adorn the pirate skull. Go out and give me your critique so I can make this the best it can be!

Threadless Critique: Pirates Were the First Gangstas

Twitter Updates for 2008-08-06

Olaf — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:59:59 +0000

@DinoRubble If my design scores high enough in the 7 days it has to be voted on, it will get printed. #
@HamWithCam At least it wasn’t a full-blown ninja warrior assasination attempt. Those are very disruptive to a night’s sleep! #
Bleh. PHP makes me forget what I once knew in JavaScript! #
Hurray! Bike panniers have been ordered. No more loaded backpack bike trips for me! #

Esquire, Magazine of the Future!

Olaf — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:54:06 +0000

Dippin’ Dots are so 2000…E Ink is the future. Esquire magazine is making a bold move to use E Ink on the cover of their October magazine. What’s more, they snagged the rights to the deal from E Ink Corporation for a year. That gives them megacreds towards the potential future of magazine design. Remember when National Geographic created the holographic cover? It featured the skull of Homo erectus. That was really cool in 1985, but this is quite different. Instead of a static image composed of millions of dots of color, E Ink is the application of tiny double-sided dots that react to electrical stimulation. The dots can flip when commanded to show one of two colors, typically black or white. When multiplied to the size of a magazine cover, you have a dynamic screen that has some basic video capabilities. It’s the same technology used in the Amazon Kindle, if you’re familiar. Esquire’s plunge into this market worked out very well already. Ford was willing to pick up the additional cost of the cover’s production through an advertisement. They will be featured on the inside of the cover, another piece of E Ink wonder. It will be truly amazing one day to see the photos of people on magazine covers in grocery stores winking back at you. It’s Harry Potter technology brought to reality!

I don’t really know what Esquire is all about, but I’ll buying a copy of this one off the stands when it comes out. It’s a historic moment.

Link: BoingBoing

No Bones About It

Olaf — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:44:06 +0000

It has been submitted! It took way to long to get the presentation worked out, and I’m less than excited about the results. I tried to use some Flashy-goodness, but couldn’t get the file size down to the allowable limit. I am however, pretty jazzed about the final result. Sure, I could have kept editing it forever, but I needed to punt at some point. This will be my real learning experience and I can move on with more submissions in the future.

So thanks for helping me with my critique, now please vote like the wind! I have to keep the piece high enough in the rankings to last for all 7 days – that is, of course, as long as the judges approve it for the go-forward.