Doctor Who t-shirt at TeeFury
Astronomical shirt at Shirt.Woot that doesn’t appeal to me.
Fantastic Star Wars x Donkey Kong mashup at RIPT.
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From the category archives:
Interviews
I’ve posted about 8-Bit Zombie before and if you didn’t know, I absolutely love their stuff. They also recently won Tee Madness 2012 (congratulations!) so I thought I’d take this chance to interview 8BZ.
Why did you want to get into the T-Shirt industry?
A few years ago, I decided I wanted to start a business and thought screen printing would be fun, so I dove in head first. I knew absolutely nothing about screen printing or the tee industry so it was quite a learning process. But it was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I knew going into screen printing that I wanted to make rad shirts to sell on the side. So after learning the ropes and honing my printing skills, I ventured into printing my own stuff to sell. Funny enough, 8BZ actually started off with flip-brim hats. I didn’t get around to printing tees until I had carved a little niche for myself with the hats.
Why 8-bit ZOMBIE?
8-bit ZOMBIE was a name I came up with years and years ago. I’m a huge NES (The original Nintendo system) fan and collector. So 8-bit games have been my obsession for most of my life. I’ve also been a fan of zombie flicks for quite some time. So that’s where the name comes from. But it also works on another level – 8BZ is all about 80′s nostalgia. So you might say I’m bringing the best parts of the 80′s back from the grave.
How many guys or gals are there that work with you? Or is it a one man army?
It’s a one man army! Apart from the artists I hire, 8BZ is all me. From screen printing to packing & shipping, I run every facet of the brand myself. It’s an immense amount of work but it’s also very rewarding. I’m definitely a bit of a control freak when it comes to my brand. I have a very distinct vision of how I want everything.
What are your main influences? Do you have any specific artistic influences upon your designs?
My main influences are of course the 1980′s. I was a child of the 80′s and the toys, cartoons, movies and video games of that decade never really left me. I’ve been obsessed with all things 80′s since…..well, since the 80′s, haha. It was definitely a magical time to be a kid. I wouldn’t really say I have any specific artistic influences other than a general 80′s pop-culture vibe and 80′s skate art. I try to work with artists with varied styles but also artists who share my love of that decade.
As I notice you pay homage to a lot of different films and games, has this ever caused you any legal problems?
Not yet, knock on wood. It is something I worry about and something I’ll have to be more careful about as 8BZ grows. But so far, so good.
I see you mainly focus upon 80′s styles, do you plan to branch out and do different decades? Any big future plans at all?
I will always stick to 80′s and early 90′s with 8-bit ZOMBIE. But I feel like I’ve only barely scratched the surface with what’s possible. That era will keep me busy for years to come.
Who are some of your personal favourite brands?
Johnny Cupcakes is an inspiration. I went to a lecture he gave and chatted with him a bit afterwards. His words and advice definitely had a big effect on me. An amazing guy and an amazing brand. Death Shred is a brand I’ve followed for awhile. Similar themes to 8BZ, really awesome stuff. And Orcus Brand is another rad line run by one of my artist buds, Setup85.
Do you have your own studio or do you outsource the production of your shirts?
As mentioned earlier I print all of my merch myself. I am beginning to outsource some of my printing now though. As 8BZ grows, it’s a BIG help to be able to send some of the printing to someone else.
Has anyone famous bought your shirts or been seen wearing them? If not what’s the strangest place you’ve actually sent a shirt to.
I don’t think anyone super famous has been spotted sporting 8BZ. I would love for it to happen though! And I ship stuff all over the world on a regular basis, which was a big surprise to me starting out. In the beginning, most of my sales actually came from outside the U.S. It was really strange to me at first. But also very awesome to think that stuff I made is being worn but people all over the world. But sending stuff to the Ukraine or Malaysia or other remote places with crazy addresses is always weird, haha. I just have send it off and hope it gets there!
You’ve entered Tee Madness the past three years and finally this year you won! Why do you think this year you finally accomplished it?
Extremely happy to finally get 8-bit ZOMBIE a place in the winner’s circle. I think I finally made it this year due to a couple of factors. One was probably the fact that many of the bigger brands got knocked out earlier in the game this year. Luck of the draw was definitely part of it. But other than that, I simply have a ton more fans than in years past. I was super impressed with how loyal and supportive my fans were this year. It was really humbling and amazing to see their devotion. I also just wanted it badly this year. I knew going in that this was going to be my last attempt at the tournament. So I definitely gave it my all and tried my hardest to bring home the win on my 3rd and final run.
And why won’t you be competing in the next Tee Madness? Will we see you in any future events at all?
I just feel like I’ve had time and made my mark with the contest. I think it’s time to step aside and let some fresh blood battle it out next year. Not to mention the fact that Tee Madness is insanely stressful and all consuming. You pretty much have to be chained to your computer if you want to make it to the end. It’s so mental draining and exhausting, haha. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an awesome contest and is well worth entering for the exposure alone. But I’ve battled for 3 years straight and finally made it to the end this year, so I’m ready for a break. Very much looking forward to experiencing the contest from the outside next year. But we’ll see what happens in a few years, haha. I very well may come down with the tee MADNESS again at some point!
What is your favourite NES game and 80s Film?
Those are both tough questions! I don’t think I can narrow it down to just one, as NES games and 80′s movies are two of my biggest passions. But some 8-bit favs are Metroid, Legend of Zelda, Wizards & Warriors, Little Nemo and of course the Mario & Mega Man games. As for movies, Goonies, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Ghostbusters, Labyrinth, Lost Boys and Neverending Story hold special places in my heart. Both lists could go on, and on (AND ON!) but I’ll stop there, haha.
Is there anything you’d like to tell our readers?
Keep an eye out for the 8-bit ZOMBIE summer release. This summer will be the biggest, baddest and raddest release to date for 8BZ. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve that should bring a big smile to the face of any 80′s fan! You won’t want to miss out on this one!
I’d like to thank Ross from 8BZ for his time and effort in conducting this interview with me! It’s been a great way for me to ask questions that I’m particularly interested in so it has been an absolute pleasure and I look forward to reviewing his merchandise as soon as it arrives. Which hopefully should be soon! If you guys want to ask him any questions yourself head on over to 8BZ’s contact page.
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Harry Gordon, or better known as Omega Man 5000, is just one of those t-shirt artists that has such a distinct and exaggerated style, it’s truly hard not to notice him. With his unusual color palette and chaotic motifs (and I mean that in the best of ways), his designs are meant to stun you and leave you somewhat perplexed, but definitely eager for more!
Not only does he design tees on the artsy side, but he also delves into the pop-culture world that is so popular these days. Omega has been printed at places like TeeFury, Design By Humans and only today he has a t-shirt up for sale at RIPT! (Pictured at the very top!) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and old school cartoon inspired, this one is appropriately titled, Fear N Loathing In This Foul Year Of Our Lord 1925 and not only can you buy the tee, there’s also a GIVEAWAY! All you have to do to be entered to win a poster of the design is “like” Omega Man 5000′s fanpage on Facebook, and share the post about the new tee at RIPT, easy!
So in honor of his first print at RIPT, what would be better than to get to know the artist behind the tee! I asked him a few fun questions, and I got a few fun answers, that’s for sure.
The most important question first – what tee are you wearing right now?
The awesome Cosmonaut by TheMightyTiki from DBH.
You’re a bit mysterious, who hides behind the name Omega Man 5000?
All I can say about that guy is there’s a lot of things about him you wouldn’t know anything about. Things you wouldn’t understand. Things you couldn’t understand. Things you SHOULDN’T understand. You don’t wanna get mixed up with a guy like him. He’s a loner, Leah. A rebel.
If your art had a sound, what would it be?
A zoo in outer space next door to a 3 ring circus in the 14th & 1/2 dimension.
What are your plans for Friday night? (I’m not asking you out on a date, just curious – haha.)
Apparently not going out on a date with you. =\
Quick – who’s the first artist (besides yourself obviously) that pops into your head that you would love to collaborate with?
Artist-wise Jeremy Fish. Musically it’s a 3-way tie between C-Lo, MF Doom, and Die Antwoord. Movies-wise Guillermo Del Toro.
Look out your window – what do you see?
A half shark half alligator half octopus. You might be saying well hold the phone that’s 3 halves? But no it’s not, see one half is half shark half alligator and the other half is full octopus… so yeah.
If you had to wear one t-shirt for the rest of your life, which would it be?
This question is way too hard to answer.
Thanks for chatting with us Harry, was a pleasure, but one last thing (and now let me get serious for a moment), do you have any parting tips for aspiring creatives like yourself, hungry to grow in the t-shirt world?
Practice practice practice and practice. Even when you don’t want to. Even if you only work for an hour a day you’ll be able to stay sharp. Also never get discouraged, the world is a much smaller place these days and people who never would have otherwise are connecting with eachother online etc. So no matter what it is you’re about there’s almost a guarantee that SOMEBODY will be into it, and find out about you. =)
Keep in touch with Omega Man 5000: Twitter, Facebook, Shop
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“Biff has the phone box” at TeeFury today.
Shirt.Woot are on the Big Bang Theory catchphrase train.
An understated Hunger Games shirt at RIPT today (FYI, the epic Hunger Games list has suffered recently after a lot more HG shirts were removed from RedBubble).
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Thank you TeeFury commenters for explaining to me that this is a Stand By Me t-shirt.
I am rarely a fan of Shirt.Woot‘s art shirts, and this design doesn’t convince me otherwise.
Scooby Doo t-shirt at RIPT today.
The cool thing about this Shirt Punch tee is that parts of it glow in the dark, cool to see a Totoro shirt as well, Mrs. HYA would love this one.
I couldn’t really get into Spartacus: Blood and Sand, it was all a bit too much for my tastes, even the lure of Xena’s boobs wasn’t enough to keep me watching! This shirt is from The Yetee.
Like many people, I’m well over the ‘Keep Calm’ meme, but this OtherTees shirt made me laugh.
24tee really do love The Big Lebowski.
It’s another Star Wars vacation design from TeeMinus24.
It’s been a while since I posted a Wotto design, good to see him back in action at DBH.
Hey look, Tilteed are selling this tee by a.mar.illo again.
Mint Magazine have an interview with prolific t-shirt artist Drew Millward.
Craig Robson has added some new posters to his store, Daggers For Teeth.
Buy two get one free with the coupon code TRIPLETHREAT at BustedTees.
New arrivals at YourEyesLie.
Tee Gazette are giving away a shirt from LIES and FILTH.
Buy one get one free on everything in the Plain Lazy store.
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I’m sure that the vast majority of HYA readers will be well aware of Adam, he runs popular indie clothing blog IAMTHETREND and has recently assumed the exciting-sounding position of Special Ops at Storenvy. Surely his greatest position to date though will be coming up over the coming weeks as he becomes a guest blogger on HYA, talking about goings on behind the scenes at Storenvy explaining what life is like at the rapidly moving startup.
I asked Adam a few questions about three things we both enjoy, tees, taking on more tasks than we can handle, and life.
Congratulations on the new job, can you fill in my readers on what your role is at Storenvy?
Thanks a ton Andy! My official title at Storenvy is Storenvy Special Ops, which probably sounds a little more like I will be in charge of kicking doors own and fighting bad guys, but honestly I wear a ton of different hats for Storenvy so putting one job title on it didn’t really work. As of right now I am in charge of our social media platforms, answering customer support, reaching out to our individual stores for feedback/insight, recruiting new stores to join the site, helping manage and grow the Storenvy community, writing for the blog and whatever else we can throw on my plate!
Does this mean we’ll be seeing less content on IATT?
Unfortunately yes. Working for a startup is basically the equivalent of working two or three jobs, so my time has been pretty limited outside of work. That being said IAMTHETREND is my baby which I have raised for over three years now and you won’t see it dying anytime soon. I have had some more guest bloggers pitch in to the site which has been fantastic and I have just had to be a lot more selective with the posts that I make as well as scheduling posts out throughout the week instead of just unleashing them as I write them.Storenvy seems to be getting a lot of attention at the moment, and clearly they’re growing, what do you think sets it apart from other hosted store platforms that explains the growing popularity?
Storenvy has a ton of momentum right now and for good reason. Everyone who uses it, loves it. I’ve been on the phone with dozens of Storenvy users and every single one of them loves how easy is to use the site. And another thing that sets it apart is that it’s the only hosted store platform that also has a marketplace. Marketplaces are huge. It means that you have built-in traffic and shoppers have one destination where they can discover stuff from all the shores in one place. And I can already tell you that the marketplace is what makes the Storenvy community. Our merchants really get a sense that they’re not on their own and can connect with other users. I think the emphasis on community has been a real driving factor of Storenvy’s growth.I’ve noticed a few articles on the Storenvy blog giving advice to store owners about product photography, can we expect more of this kind of ‘how to’ content?
Of course since I am an avid blogger I wanted to jump right in and start posting lists and resource articles and store interviews trying to gain momentum again for the blog. I really want to turn the blog from an afterthought to a place that people check daily for resources and insight.
Personally, I’ve never really used the ‘social marketplace’ aspect of Storenvy, am I in the minority and what am I missing out on? And will your role involve growing that side of the site?
Storenvy was really designed for 2 purposes — (1.) hosted, customizable online stores (2.) and a big marketplace made up of all the stuff from the stores. It’s totally cool to just head into your favorite stores and check out their stuff without going through the marketplace. Loads of other shoppers come through the marketplace. Each person is different in what their looking for. Some know exactly where to go for what they want and others want to browse a bigger selection. We just don’t think merchants should have to choose between having their own store and being in a marketplace which is why we put the two together.The Marketplace is honestly a great place to find out about brands and products that you may never have stumbled on before. I highly recommend checking out and browsing the Markets page as you never know what you are going to find around the corner!
How can Storenvy survive without moving to a paid-for or freemium model?
On ramen noodles, tears and hardwork! Ha! But honestly at this moment we have two freemium features on the site, most recently of which we just launched called “Super Discounts”. That extra allows store owners to offer four types of discounts including $-off, %-off, free shipping and ‘buy n get m free’, which is perfect for offering great holiday deals to customers. On Black Friday we saw over 40% of the transactions going through Storenvy including some type of discount with shoppers spending an average of 15% more when they had a discount vs when they did not. Other than that we have a custom url option and also have some other freemium features in mind for the future.Luckily, we’ve been fortunate enough to pair up with some investors that understand our vision and who have put some substantial financial backing into the business. These are the same guys who have funded other web startups like Twitter, Groupon, Tumblr, and even Google.
A couple of years ago Big Cartel was the de facto choice of platform for creating a quick store, is your job to make Storenvy the first thing that people think of when they want to make a store?
Absolutely! We still feel that there is no one clear choice in people’s minds when it comes to choosing an online storefront. There are some nice platforms out there but everyone is pretty well spread out with no real clear cut winner. Sure sites like Etsy and BigCartel, Shopify have a nice following but there still hasn’t been that household name that has emerged.
How is Pongdeck going?
Ahhhh Pong Deck, what could have been… Lol. Honestly if you were to say a project was to be taking a backseat I would have to say that Pong Deck is riding in the trailer right now. We had some early success with it getting it into Spencer’s gifts for a trial run as well as sponsoring last years World Series of Beer Pong, but unfortunately myself and my partner were not able to truly devote the time that it takes to get a first of it’s kind product off the ground. That being said we haven’t pulled the plug on it, it’s just on cruise control. Speaking of which if you like beer pong or know someone that does we just put them on sale for $5.99 with tees at $13.99 on iwillpongyou.storenvy.com! (shameless self plug).
How’s married life treating you?
I always say to people that ask me how life has been since getting married that it is the same! Which I think is beautiful thing. Really nothing has changed in our lives except we now wear wedding rings and can call each other dorky names like “wifey” and “hubby”. I am truly blessed to have such a supportive and amazing women by my side!Do you hate getting e-mails that start “Dear Journalist” as much as I do? And do you have any pet peeves when brands send you pitches?
Haha absolutely! Don’t ever send me an email saying “Dear Journalist”. As far as pet peeves go, I really do not have too many. I prefer a short and personal email. Please do not send me a zip file including forty images that is going to take me an hour to open, I am sure they look great but I usually can tell in one or two pictures if I am going to write about the line.How many tees do you have in your closet?
Great question! Honestly I have no idea, but I can tell you that I have a closet, a few drawers and even some totes full of tees and I still buy tees! I think I have a problem… If I had to absolutely take a guess I’d say 246 and a half.I notice that you don’t post about daily sites such as TeeFury, why is this? Wary of the here today, gone tomorrow nature of some of the newer sites?
I just have really never been a fan of the tees that are usually on those sites. I would rather post about a brand that is trying to build something over just one t-shirt that is up for 24 hours.Are you good at switching off from the Internet and unwinding? I feel like I’m constantly tethered to my emails.
I am the absolute worst at this, my iPhone is always in my hand and I am constantly checking emails. I have a very hard time turning it off and just unwinding, I get this overwhelming feeling of guilt like I should be doing some more productive with my time, especially on nights when my wife isn’t home as she bartends three nights a week. I feel like if she is out of the house I need to be working on something.For any new projects in the pipeline or are you busy enough?
I always have ideas, it’s just the time that is the issue!
Thanks a lot to Adam for answering my not-particularly-exciting questions, but I found that really interesting. There aren’t many people out there that write about t-shirts as much as I do, so to get an insight from a fellow tee blogger is fascinating to me. it also sounds like Adam is in charge of quite a lot at Storenvy, which bodes well for some great posts when he guest blogs here at HYA.
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