More t-shirts

[Krogenar]

Design 1

Design 2

[Krogenar]

Klaxie, to size is about 12" in width and pixelates badly. 
I'm assuming that for a large t-shirt, from this site: http://www.goingpostalt-shirts.com/index.php?ukey=auxpage_sizeguide
is approximately 22" wide, and sized the Klaxie layout based on that size. Here she is:

If we want Klaxie on the shirt, we would have to vectorize her, or have her recreated to a better size.
EDIT: Even after loading that image, hit the 'Expand' button and you'll see it at actual size. Bleh. 

[tjcaustin]

If it doesn't look right, it doesn't look right and can be cut fairly easily.  Also, I think I'd rather have the klaxon number be its own shirt and to just do the smaller geekhack logo up high across the back on both.

Thanks again for the time you've put in, krog, I really appreciate it.

But I do like the font of the klaxon number side, I just think it might serve to be a bit bigger to fill more of the shirt.

I'm working on the revisions. Some more questions.

1. If you want to do the full Klax-creature (shading and everything), would you want it on a white background, or a red? I figure on white the red in Klaxie (that's her name now) would stand out. Would that work for you, designwise? Either way I will bring the Klaxie up to the (rough) actual size on a shirt and see if she degrades (and by how much). If she degrades too much, may moonprismprincess can remake her? We can lay it out first anyway to see how she looks.

She's going to be working on a flat red and higher res version of klaxie either today or tomorrow (she had some studying to do yesterday)

2. When you say you would like the number on the 'This shirt...' design to be larger, how much larger are we talking? Like, the size on a numbered athletic jersey? That kind of size? 50% larger than it is now? Give me a rough idea. Also, what did you think about the placement of the text? It's not as 'stacked' as in your original version, and there's a colon with 'is' -- does that still capture the spirit of Klax? When I envision this attitude, I picture 'Animal House' food fight, whilst someone announces (blithely) over a PA system, "This food fight's klaxon number is: (dramatic pause) '1'"
Also, the numeral '1' on the shirt is I think Times New Roman -- the font for the text (same as in the Retro GH logo) the numeral '1' looks more like a vertical pipe, so I changed it.

The number and : are both fine, I would like the text itself to be at least 50% bigger, enough so to cover the shirt well closer to neck to navel.

Design 1
(Attachment Link)
Design 2
(Attachment Link)

Design 1.  But with the geekhack logo itself much much smaller.  Think something like : in terms of positioning.

Klaxie, to size is about 12" in width and pixelates badly. 
I'm assuming that for a large t-shirt, from this site: http://www.goingpostalt-shirts.com/index.php?ukey=auxpage_sizeguide
is approximately 22" wide, and sized the Klaxie layout based on that size. Here she is:
(Attachment Link)
If we want Klaxie on the shirt, we would have to vectorize her, or have her recreated to a better size.
EDIT: Even after loading that image, hit the 'Expand' button and you'll see it at actual size. Bleh. 

Klaxie, in my mind, feels better as part of the logo either above or behind the geekhack logo.  That should help a tremendous amount with pixelation as that shouldn't be more than 2ish inches in width. (feel free to correct me, of course)

[jdcarpe]

<-- This guy's Klaxon number is 0. For reasons known to TJ.

[Krogenar]

Ok, here are some new layouts. I've made the text over 50% larger, pushing the '1' down into the belly. The text is pretty close to the sides of the shirt, but that may be the look you're after. I'm a little concerned about using the keycap version of the GH logo -- unless the technology has changed a lot since I did t-shirts, the shading for Klaxie, and the detail for keycaps in the logo will either add a lot of expense to the shirts, or the detail will be lost. These shirts would have to be individually digitally printed, so unless you're getting a large quantity, they could be very pricey.

And the detail on the backs, zoomed in a bit.

[mkawa]

that's actually pretty damned awesome

[mkawa]

if hash doesn't order like 10 of these i'll slap him for you

[mkawa]

also, the exact klaxon number of any given object is currently a subject of academic debate. the national klaxonics foundation is sponsoring grants investigating:

accuracy of klaxon measurement
work demonstrating the existence or non-existence of "orange shift"
speed of klaxon numbering
klaxon classification systems

this list is not exclusive. the NKF invites proposals on any subject relating to klaxons.

[CPTBadAss]

How does one apply for such a grant from the NKF? I would like to investigate more into the speed of Klaxon numbering

[hashbaz]

I haven't read the thread yet, but +100 to the "Keep Calm and Klaxon" design.

[tjcaustin]

Ok, here are some new layouts. I've made the text over 50% larger, pushing the '1' down into the belly. The text is pretty close to the sides of the shirt, but that may be the look you're after. I'm a little concerned about using the keycap version of the GH logo -- unless the technology has changed a lot since I did t-shirts, the shading for Klaxie, and the detail for keycaps in the logo will either add a lot of expense to the shirts, or the detail will be lost. These shirts would have to be individually digitally printed, so unless you're getting a large quantity, they could be very pricey.
(Attachment Link)
And the detail on the backs, zoomed in a bit.
(Attachment Link)

The shirt backs look *awesome*

You can take Klaxie off the front, though.  It looks a little tacky to me and I want this to be a fairly simple/bold design

[Krogenar]

Ok, here are some new layouts. I've made the text over 50% larger, pushing the '1' down into the belly. The text is pretty close to the sides of the shirt, but that may be the look you're after. I'm a little concerned about using the keycap version of the GH logo -- unless the technology has changed a lot since I did t-shirts, the shading for Klaxie, and the detail for keycaps in the logo will either add a lot of expense to the shirts, or the detail will be lost. These shirts would have to be individually digitally printed, so unless you're getting a large quantity, they could be very pricey.
(Attachment Link)
And the detail on the backs, zoomed in a bit.
(Attachment Link)

The shirt backs look *awesome*

You can take Klaxie off the front, though.  It looks a little tacky to me and I want this to be a fairly simple/bold design

I have to agree; Klaxie isn't needed. Simple means bold, and it also means less expensive!
So when I remove Klaxie, should I reflow or increase the size of the text, or leave it as is and just shift it upwards? I'm also experimenting with some other graphics for the numeral '1' -- seeing as how integral (heh) it is to the design. I've got some stencil designs for it that I think might improve the design. Question: how are klaxon values displayed? On a digital readout? Does a herald open a scroll with the klaxon value on it? Or does a hippie anarchist spray-paint it on a street corner? What sort of style should the klaxon value have?

[tjcaustin]

Ok, here are some new layouts. I've made the text over 50% larger, pushing the '1' down into the belly. The text is pretty close to the sides of the shirt, but that may be the look you're after. I'm a little concerned about using the keycap version of the GH logo -- unless the technology has changed a lot since I did t-shirts, the shading for Klaxie, and the detail for keycaps in the logo will either add a lot of expense to the shirts, or the detail will be lost. These shirts would have to be individually digitally printed, so unless you're getting a large quantity, they could be very pricey.
(Attachment Link)
And the detail on the backs, zoomed in a bit.
(Attachment Link)

The shirt backs look *awesome*

You can take Klaxie off the front, though.  It looks a little tacky to me and I want this to be a fairly simple/bold design

I have to agree; Klaxie isn't needed. Simple means bold, and it also means less expensive!
So when I remove Klaxie, should I reflow or increase the size of the text, or leave it as is and just shift it upwards? I'm also experimenting with some other graphics for the numeral '1' -- seeing as how integral (heh) it is to the design. I've got some stencil designs for it that I think might improve the design. Question: how are klaxon values displayed? On a digital readout? Does a herald open a scroll with the klaxon value on it? Or does a hippie anarchist spray-paint it on a street corner? What sort of style should the klaxon value have?

Shift up and see how it looks.  I trust your judgement.

It's heralded from the heavens themselves.  But how you have it now looks good.

[Krogenar]

Ok, some variations on klaxon values!

[mkawa]

my vote is for middle row far right.

[tjcaustin]

I like column 3, row c or the 8-bit one

[SpAmRaY]

8-bit is the coolness!!

[Krogenar]

Posted some prototype mousepads here -- http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=42051.msg921196#msg921196 -- please report Klaxon values as you discern them.

[agodinhost]

[Krogenar]

Ok, here are two designs from those 9 variations, as high-res PNG files.

Klaxon Classic T-Shirt is what I'm calling this one.


... and Klaxon T-Shirt Retro is what I call this one.


These two files might be good for reproduction, but most vendors would probably prefer an .EPS file or .AI file, which is being sent to the GH Graphic Suppository Repository. Bombard mkawa's PM box with requests (looks at watch) ... now.

[Krogenar]

Also, the t-shirt backs you wanted:



And the basic "Keep Calm and Klaxon" design:



Again, these designs (in .EPS and .AI formats) can be found in the Geekhack Share Graphic folder that mkawa set up.

[Krogenar]

So... how best to get these t-shirts made?
I'm thinking the best way to make these is with an online CafePress-like t-shirt manufacturer. My reasons:

More Options
These large print houses have machines that are able handle all kinds of t-shirt designs -- colored base t-shirts, and designs that don't play well with traditional silk-screening. Yes, silkscreening is probably the most cost-effective way to make any t-shirt, but you need a screen for each color, color-trapping can become an issue, etc. Dyesublimation has some advantages over silk-screening (any number of colors, the colorant becomes a part of the fabric, as opposed to merely laying on the surface) and not every t-shirt manufacturer uses that process.

Better Pricing
I haven't crunched any numbers, but my guess is that the pricing will be better with one of the larger companies because they have the volume needed to drop their prices. And we may be in a situation where only a few members want a particular design. With a larger company, they can still have it made.

Administration
This, to me, is the biggest aggravation to be overcome. If the company we decide to use can handle everything, and all we have to do is come up with GH-themed designs that people want to buy, then the company can handle the ordering, the packing, the shipping, the returns, the problems. We are makers, not administrators. Let's reduce the administrative workload if we can and stay focused on what our passions are -- (I think 'kawa said this first): "Making cool sh*t!"

Donations + Some Swag
Oh, I know, we're all selfless communists, but really folks -- if GH gets a $1 donation from every t-shirt sold, then that's great. People get some swag, and GH gets some extra dough that can go towards some equipment, covering GB problems, keeping the server updated and healthy, and letting iMav buy smoke detector batteries for friends and family. Rest easy, Ghost of Karl Marx, no one will become rich, but hey, GH may stay in the blackl! Want to do something to help GH -- buy a shirt! Or a mousepad, or a wrist rest, or whatever suits you.

Why not find a "local guy" and then job it out to them? The management of it all is what really sucks the joy out of the process.
Some of the places I'll be investigating are:

cafepress -- yeah, I know we hate them, but let's look anyway.
zazzle -- ?
printfection -- ?
spreadshirt -- ?
printmojo -- ?
acmeprints -- ?

I guess the bottom line is: "Would GH ever consider maintaining/running a GH-themed online store as a way to collection donations ?"
If the answer is no, then this wouldn't really work. If the answer is "yes" but we still aren't happy with the cafepress-like options, then maybe it would still make sense to purchase a few items in bulk, get better pricing, and then put them in a "store" of some kind. GH already has a paypal account to accept donations right now -- what would it cost in administration and/or dollars to offer more? This could go into the GeekHackers.org store which will eventually stock soldering kits, lube kits, etc. -- this would be a natural extension of that, no?

[SpAmRaY]

GH online store could also have mouse pads, coffee mugs, drink coasters, hats, sweater, shorts, etc, etc....

[Krogenar]

GH online store could also have mouse pads, coffee mugs, drink coasters, hats, sweater, shorts, etc, etc....

Exactly. And every time you buy anything, you're helping GH (and yourself) -- everyone wins. Also, thongs.
I wouldn't support a GH store that doesn't include thongs, or flip-flops. Also, Ray, loving your "Crazy Eddie"-Eating-An-Invisible-Sandwich-themed avatar.