Beethoven design, Part III
12.26.2006





Adding "Linty Fresh" is a decision that's come after much deliberation. On the one hand, I've got this idealist side of me that wants to keep the company name off of the shirts. See, part of the reason I started this whole thing was because I was tired of wearing the usual brands that you see everyone else with. I wanted to do something unique. But the thing is, being too different is probably going to have the opposite effect on LF. There's got to be something there to tie the shirts together, to make them somewhat of a cohesive set. And it isn't going to be the style, because my goal in all of this is to work in a new style with each design. So it's gotta be the brand. Thing is, I don't have to do it as blatantly as I have with this design. More often than not, it'll probably be more like UPC, where "Linty Fresh" is hidden somewhere in the design, encouraging the viewer to take a closer look. It could be, like, the "Where's Waldo?" of aparrel...

But I digress...The Beethovan design still needs work. I'm not 100% on that pattern in his face and there's a few other things bugging me.

Labels:

posted by Mr. Linty @ 10:11 PM,

6 Comments:

At 5:37 PM, Blogger Alan said...

Wow... I super don't have an eye for this kind of stuff with the changes you made... I like them. The face pattern is cool, but in the ver 2.0, you didn't see his profile, and in 3.0, the pattern creates a jagged edge between his jawline and the rest of the shirt. I like it though... again, wouldn't be something i'd think of doing... nifty

 
At 5:43 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Im like version 3. For some reason, the crown still looks a little odd to me, but i like it over all. As for putting LF into the shirts, i like the idea of the "where's waldo" approach. I tend to appreciate designs with thought. Thats kind of why im not so huge on Threadless right now. This design is going well though. Maybe you'll eventually print the shirt with the little creatures that live in the tree. ;]

-Michael M

 
At 6:30 PM, Blogger Mr. Linty said...

Polygot,

Yeah the jagged edge was the best I could come up with at the time, but I think there's a better solution waiting to be found. The simplest thing would be to just finish the outline of his face and fill the inside with the pattern, but I tried that and it just "lost" something. I have a feeling I'll have to sleep on this one...

Mike,

Yeah, I thought it might be kind of neat to have it hidden in different ways, incorporated into the design somehow. It would definitely be a challenge to do though... Oh, and that other design with the creatures - it's changed a lot since anyone's seen it, but I might post a pic of where it's at now.

Thanks for the feedback folks!

 
At 6:53 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

aighty, here are my two cents:

I love the color choices. I think the best combo of any of your designs that I've seen so far. I think that the design itself feels unbalanced, though. The different elements are nice on their own, but they kind of compete for attention and don't really support each other. The pattern on Beethoven's face is too much. You should keep them elements and principles in mind--like checking on the values and the balance. Right now, what should be the focus of the design is the least interesting, probably because it doesn't pop enough from the supporting elements around his face. So I'd suggest taking out that pattern, and maybe adding some depth to Beethoven's face so it's not so flat, or, flatten everything else. Also, you might want to rearrange the elements around him. Like the concentric record thing being next to his "crown." The lines are too similiar, and the same issue with the designs by his neck--that bulk is very contrasty and is immediately the first thing I notice. In my opinion, I don't really like the mic. Maybe because it's the first thing I see and I don't associate it with Beethoven so much. I think I like the first stage of the design the best. More simple, and more street-art influenced, especially in his face with the evidence of spray paint and that little X.

So! Basically, it needs better balance in color, value, and composition, and varying the placement of the supporting elements and the lines within them would help. Make Beethoven's face the focal point by making it pop as much as the other elements, or more.

And--you know me--I'm harsh, but I do like it very much. And keep the Linty Fresh in it. The way it's placed works out very well.

 
At 11:40 PM, Blogger sunshine said...

I must say that I do like the new shirt design. This is defintly a new direction for you. Question: Was there any reason why you choose to use Beethoven for you shirt design? And why did make him a king? Also, in general, how do you choose which is the best color for your shirts?
sunshine

 
At 1:38 PM, Blogger Mr. Linty said...

Excuse my abscence. I was tending to my ego wounds...

Kellah,

Thanks for the crits. After taking some time away from the design I have to agree that it could use a bit more harmony between the elements, as it does seem fragmented as it stands. I also agree on the removal of the face pattern, although I'm pretty sure I'll be leaving that face empty rather than filling it white a white highlight. I think there's a point where you begin to make things too harmonious and the design goes from one extreme to the other; segmented to boring. There's a balance in there somewhere that I'll have to aim for. Glad you liked the "Linty Fresh" in there though. I'm thinking I might still play with it, but it'll probably stay in that general area.

Sunshine,

Well I wanted an old/new contrast/comparison, so Beethovan seemed fitting. There were others, but he was most easily recognizable, and he's got a jaded expression that fits the street-art feel. The turquoise/blue/magenta color scheme was inspired by some digital grafitti I saw recently. It's energetic, but with just enough attitude to compliment the design.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home