[Marco Prozzo]

Hi All - I'm going to give this a try and see if it's worth pursuing.  As many of you know I do all of Dan's photography, graphic design and advertising work.  I asked Dan if I could use some of those images to create some products on CafePress and he's graciously agreed with two caveats, which I'll fulfill here and on the site:

<sup>Dan, of course, must approve of the content of anything made available with his name on it. 

I make clear that this is NOT a business venture of Modwright Instruments and that all (small) profits from the sale of this stuff goes to me and NOT to Modwright Instruments.</sup> 

I've added a Modwright section to my own shop that has already been established under a different name (DeviousDogs), rather than open another shop at a yearly expense.  I've started out by creating a few basic products using a design around the Modwright Transporter.  This will be a test to see what kind of interest I get.  If there is some interest I will be glad to supplement this design with other designs using other products and designs.  All of this takes a big chunk of my time and will obviously have a rather limited audience, so I'm going to try it out for now and see what happens.  If you are familiar with the various products available on CafePress and have a specific request for something else with the same design on it, ping me off the thread.  Any comments or constructive criticism is welcome here. 

Here's the link to the store.

Many thanks to Dan for the permission to use the work I've done for him in this way. 

Best to all,

Marco

[ted_b]

Marco,
Nice idea.  Two suggestions:
1) for a golf shirt I wouldn't want a big picture/graphic on the back (leave it blank), just either the MW logo or the "transported" theme on the left shirt logo area.
2) can we have coffee mugs with just a MW logo, too (it's a cool logo).  The TP picture is nice, but I'd love to have a large mug with the simple blue logo.  Just my $.02

Thx
Ted

[Marco Prozzo]

Marco,
Nice idea.  Two suggestions:
1) for a golf shirt I wouldn't want a big picture/graphic on the back (leave it blank), just either the MW logo or the "transported" theme on the left shirt logo area.
2) can we have coffee mugs with just a MW logo, too (it's a cool logo).  The TP picture is nice, but I'd love to have a large mug with the simple blue logo.  Just my $.02

Thx
Ted

Thanks for the quick input, Ted.  I will get those changes implemented for you.  I think they're both good ideas.  Check back to the site later on to see the changes.

...a few minutes later

I removed the image from the back of the golf shirt (good call).  I currently only have the "I'm Transported" version of the logo uploaded.  When I get a few moments I'll create a different plain version and create some mugs out of those.  I can also do plain logo shirts if there's an interest(?).

[golfugh]

Marco
You need a golf hat with the logo.  Just my 2 cents.
Mark

[modwright]

I too like the mug with the simple logo and company name.  Dale Headricks - graphic designer created that logo for me some years ago and I think it is very cool too.  Okay, so I'm biased, but Dale did a great job!

Great work on the graphics Marco, you already know that you have my full approval, but I just wanted to give you a public endorsement. FWIW, I do not benefit from the proceeds of this venture.  I just think it is a great thing.

Dan

[Marco Prozzo]

Marco
You need a golf hat with the logo.  Just my 2 cents.
Mark

Actually I don't play golf.  But just for you, I've added not just one, but two multi-purpose hats with the logo.  You can play golf in the white one and no one would be the wiser...it looks just like a genuine golf hat, and would pass as accepted attire for fine eating establishments in country clubs nationwide.  Someone else could also wear either of the two to a baseball game and fit right in without ridicule, while another fashionable audiophile might don one to attend a NASCAR event.  It should do a fine job at keeping the sun out of your eyes, or you could even turn it sideways, loosen your belt and let your skivvy's peak out the top and sport your favorite gangsta' colors, dawg.  I do not suggest the latter, gangsta audiophile posing if you live in a major metropolitan area    These hats also make for fine listening caps for a long session with your favorite Modwright components and they can cut out that pesky ceiling reflection point (this is much more effective if you purchase two caps and wear one on top of the other spreading the bills to create a wider 'ear shield'). 

I too like the mug with the simple logo and company name.  Dale Headricks - graphic designer created that logo for me some years ago and I think it is very cool too.  Okay, so I'm biased, but Dale did a great job!

Great work on the graphics Marco, you already know that you have my full approval, but I just wanted to give you a public endorsement. FWIW, I do not benefit from the proceeds of this venture.  I just think it is a great thing.

Dan

Many thanks, Dan. 

[funkmonkey]

Good idea Marco.
Since I love the blue glow from my 36.5, I would love to see it large scale on the back of a black T-shirt.  I played around a little to illustrate my idea:




On the front left breast a small standard Modwright logo:



I couldn't find any logos or type in the same font that Dan uses on his gear, but I thought that might look cool in blue underneath the "glow-go" on the back of the shirt.  So, I used a photo I found on the web and tweaked the heck out of it to get the font to be graphic enough to add some color and try to make it glow...   if I actually had photoshop, I am sure that would have been fairly simple to do, but I don't.  So it took a while...   

Other thoughts I had would be to have additional Modwright Instruments lettered up and down the sleeves of a long sleeve version...  or use your "I've been transported", or something like "I've been Modified," or "Bask in the blue glow..."   Or something...

What do you guys think?  (other than I have too much time on my hands)...  and no offense to your designs Marco, I like those too.  I just can't help it when all that art school stuff starts forcing it's way back out...

Cheers,
Greg

[Marco Prozzo]

Good idea Marco.
Since I love the blue glow from my 36.5, I would love to see it large scale on the back of a black T-shirt.  I played around a little to illustrate my idea:




On the front left breast a small standard Modwright logo:



I couldn't find any logos/typesetting in the same font that Dan uses on his gear but I thought that might look cool in blue underneath the "glow-go" on the back of the shirt so I used a photo I found on the web and tweaked the heck out of it to get the font to be graphic enough to add some color and try to make it glow...   if I actually had photoshop I am sure that would have been fairly simple to do, but I don't so it took a while...   

Other thoughts I had would be to have additional Modwright Instruments lettered up and down the sleeves of a long sleeve version...  or use your "I've been transported", or something like "I've been Modified," or "Bask in the blue glow..."   Or something...

What do you guys think?  (other than I have too much time on my hands)...

Cheers,
Greg

Nice work, Greg.  I like it...very creative thinking!   

It would be nice to implement some of those ideas, and I'm especially a fan of the type down the sleeves.  Unfortunately CafePress is a very mass-market, DIY site, so they only offer the basics in terms of placement on each of the products (shirts).  So some of your suggestions require some expensive custom printing that CafePress could not accomplish - but not all of them.  Printing on black fabric is a very challenging design and printing hurdle. Giving the type a blue glow against a black fabric background in this type of printing is a mighty tall hurdle.  It seems simple on concept, and can be easy to accomplish on screen or even on paper, but once it the inks hits the fabric it's a different ball game. Not to say it's impossible, but there will always be some compromises and disappointments should expectations be set by other media.  I can do all that, but you're talking about hours of work for me and the profit from this stuff is next to nothing so I'll have to address requests like this when and if I have more time on my hands.  Other requests, thus far, have been relatively simple to accomplish.  If you, or anyone else, wants to create their own designs for their own use and is handy with some of the graphics software like Photoshop, you can use CafePress to do just that - that's one of the things the site is set up for.  As far as selling the stuff to others, you would have to obtain Dan's permission, and I don't know how he'd feel about it.  Really good ideas, Greg!  I like where you're coming from!  I did not expect recommendations quite that worked through.

[funkmonkey]

   Thanks Marco.  I did think about the problems with printing on black.  An old friend of mine was a screen printer for a while, and if I remember right, the way he solved that sort of problem was to do a full layer of white, and then add the color on top of it.  In this case it would most likely be a two color/screen job (I think).  Another thought I had would be to use a light grey shirt (reminiscent of the aluminum housings on Modwright gear) instead of black.  Not as striking, but makes it easier on the printing end.

I like the baseball jerseys they offer on CafePress, too.  Maybe just the blues would work on the front of one of them:

[modwright]

I LOVE the look on black, if it can be done.  I will buy a few for me and my crew.  VERY COOL!

Thanks,

Dan

[funkmonkey]

I played around with these images on Cafepress on a black t-shirt (short sleeve) and had a few issues.  First off even though the background is "clear" (as they suggested for printing on black), a white box appeared around the image.  Second is that I could only get an option for graphics on the front of the t-shirt.  So, like Marco implied, Cafepress may not be the best option to produce the shirt that I envisioned...  If anybody can take this idea further please let me know.

[maxwalrath]

I also love the blue glow on black look...

[Marco Prozzo]

I played around with these images on Cafepress on a black t-shirt (short sleeve) and had a few issues.  First off even though the background is "clear" (as they suggested for printing on black), a white box appeared around the image.  Second is that I could only get an option for graphics on the front of the t-shirt.  So, like Marco implied, Cafepress may not be the best option to produce the shirt that I envisioned...  If anybody can take this idea further please let me know.

Yeah, they  have a rather limited facility for accommodating  printing on black, but I think I can do it.  I don't know how well it will print using their technology, but I will give it a try when I get some time later this week.

[HumanMedia]

I also love the blue glow on black look...

Ditto.  Only on black.

(I dont buy white clothing)

[funkmonkey]

I played around with these images on Cafepress on a black t-shirt (short sleeve) and had a few issues.  First off even though the background is "clear" (as they suggested for printing on black), a white box appeared around the image.  Second is that I could only get an option for graphics on the front of the t-shirt.  So, like Marco implied, Cafepress may not be the best option to produce the shirt that I envisioned...  If anybody can take this idea further please let me know.

Yeah, they  have a rather limited facility for accommodating  printing on black, but I think I can do it.  I don't know how well it will print using their technology, but I will give it a try when I get some time later this week.

PM sent

[modwright]

Hi Marco, you might want to just contact a screen printer and see about having some made in black.  It sounds like there is enough interest, including mine.  Perhaps a group buy could be put together, to insure that you have enough demand to make it worth your while.  There are a number of places that can do this.

I would recommend a good quality pure cotton shirt first of all, that fits well and will hold up.  I will certainly buy a handful of them if you do it!

Thanks,

Dan

[Marco Prozzo]

Hi Marco, you might want to just contact a screen printer and see about having some made in black.  It sounds like there is enough interest, including mine.  Perhaps a group buy could be put together, to insure that you have enough demand to make it worth your while.  There are a number of places that can do this.

I would recommend a good quality pure cotton shirt first of all, that fits well and will hold up.  I will certainly buy a handful of them if you do it!

Thanks,

Dan

Hi Dan, Greg, and all...

I'll get on this as soon as I can (probably later in the week).  Greg, thanks for your PM (I will get back to you soon).  I'm just back this morning from a work-weekend and will likely need the next two days to follow up on that project, which is very involved.  Once that's handled I'll get on this.  Greg passed on to me a website that does do silk screened shirts at a pretty reasonable cost (for silk screen), and will also print on the sleeves of long-sleeved shirts, which I think is pretty cool.  Anyway, I'll see what I can do.  I can pull the top off my 36.5 and photograph the pattern.  Do be aware that silk-screening is significantly more expensive than the alternatives (heat-transfer, inkjet, etc.).  It is also significantly better if done right, especially when printed on black.  Going with an Internet company is kind of a shot in the dark, and I don't know what guarantees we may have with this company (I'll check the site later - thanks Greg!).  There's a local company (to me - Seattle), who I can also price out.  Limited runs are likely to be more advantageous using web offerings, but it may be worth checking on if the demand is great enough.  Dan, email me with your thoughts on how many you'd like to have.  OK, got to get back on my project at hand.

[Marco Prozzo]

OK, who's going to be the guinea pig for the black swag?  I've designed for black according to CafePress standards and have posted a number of shirt offerings here.  They are returnable, but you'll loose the cost of postage.  I cannot guarantee the results myself as I have not really tried their black printed clothing, but if someone does try it, please post here as to how good or bad it is.  If the latter we'll have to go to more expensive printing to get it to work.  Here's the image file I made the shirts from which is exactly Greg's design (Done with the help of the top of my 36.5):



On the very first product listed as "Modwright Instruments Dark T-Shirt" I have tried something different using lighter type.  On all the other shirts the font is in the dark blue that would follow the natural progression of the gradient in the logo.  On this one shirt I made the font to be a much lighter blue to stand out more.  Let me know what y'all think.  The samples they show on CafePress are pretty low-rez and abysmal.  I sure hope the actual shirts are better.

[modwright]

Looks very hot Marco!  I can't tell, but from the pictures, the Company name below the graphics appears to be barely visible.

Otherwise I think it is very cool.  Just hard to tell from their site, what the actual color will look like.  Looks a bit dark and indistinct.

Thanks,

Dan

[Marco Prozzo]

Looks very hot Marco!  I can't tell, but from the pictures, the Company name below the graphics appears to be barely visible.

Otherwise I think it is very cool.  Just hard to tell from their site, what the actual color will look like.  Looks a bit dark and indistinct.

Thanks,

Dan

Funny, right when you must have been writing that I was correcting exactly that detail.  I made one shirt with a much lighter logo (see the addition to my post above).  It does not follow the progression of the gradient like the first, but does make the type stand out more.  It is a light blue.  Ultimately this really should be a silk screen project, but who knows, perhaps they'll do an OK job.  Let me know if you try one.  Here's that file: