T-Shirt Design Contest Sites - Good or Bad for Designers

[Doug]

Wanted to know what designers though of 'contest style' site. Such as Threadless.com and others?

Do you submit to them?

Do you feel you're fairly compensated?

Are they taking the easy road by hand picking designs and not really paying for all the work it takes to make the losing entries?

Are you cheated as a designer?

[Valerie]

You know, I'm not a big fan of tshirt contests like Threadless.
I guess that's just me though. It's good to have healthy competition and who doesn't love all the creativity that sparks. But eh, not my cup of tea.

[Etienne Laurent]

Hey, I'm new to t-shirt design. I' ve just submitted 2 designs to threadless and got no reply from them. I feel that the reward is fair if I win.

And if I don't i'll just put de designs in my shop and someone might like it.

Who knows. I don't feel cheated though. The rules are clear.

[carine]

...i think the concept behind Threadless is fantastic, and I think the way that it captured an audience is amazing, they really didn't start out with very much at all and it really shows how much of a community they are, by their successes...

...however, I think somewhere along the line, in the last few years Threadless changed (or maybe I did) I found that the people who often "won" are already quite successful designers in their own right,. which though ok fine, it just seems a little unfair to the "little guys" just trying to start out... which I had thought was more to the Threadless ethos...???

Also the lack of 'range' annoyed me, not the designs, but the actual the tee shirts they use to print on, [(american apparell?)] are just NOT THAT FLATTERING for a girl! - why not offer some different styles; V-necks and vest/cammi-tops, or simply some tee-shirts that a just a little bit more sculpted,.. Hmmmm,. Plus, I'd often find that the tee-shirts that were a strong colour were just that bit more hard wearing that the cream/white ones,. but dunno, maybe thats just in my head!!

{rant over!}

=)

[Priyanka D]

There are also other contest type portals I have come across
www.Designbyhumans.org
www.springleap.com
www.inkfruit.com

I think they are cool.
From a t-shrt enthusiast I think the end tee products are awesome.

For designers if they are looking for revenue from this kinda place then its tough. But if a designer is truly enthu about tees i think it can be a healthy competition.

[Uphill Tees]

As a designer I have mixed feelings about design contests. If you are starting out and want to get your feet wet it makes sense and I suppose could be great. I would think it's not really possible top make a living giving your designs to other sites however.

If you'd like to check us out we are at: http://uphilltees.com. I'd like to hear some feedback on our designs :)

[gen]

I have yet to enter into any contest for a t-shirt. Not sure why - perhaps I haven't had the time or their subject matter hasn't sparked any creativity/interest within me.

[MiNGLED]

I've never entered a t-shirt design competition either, I think mainly I didn't want to put the time and effort into something that has a very good chance on not winning. That's why I choose to go down the SpreadShirt route and do the designs for myself.

With Threadless (I know there are others but this is by far the biggest) anyone should be able to enter, why limit the quality of designs to just those who have never designed a t-shirt before, for example. Having said that, there is a feel that has evolved from what wins at Threadless, a combination of the owners opinions and those of the people voting on them does lead to the effect that the designs that win are quite likely to be similar to those that have won in the past. It's not unnatural for someone who likes what Threadless sell to design something, where unconscious or not, that is in some way like what has already appeared, it's unlikely you would design something you don't like.

[Marc goodin]

Don't for www.Blackeyedt.com A new on going design contest with several twist. Each shirt has a "go slogan" to go with the design. Several ways to make cash, including $$ for voting.

marc

Priyanka D said:

There are also other contest type portals I have come across
www.Designbyhumans.org
www.springleap.com
www.inkfruit.com

I think they are cool.
From a t-shrt enthusiast I think the end tee products are awesome.

For designers if they are looking for revenue from this kinda place then its tough. But if a designer is truly enthu about tees i think it can be a healthy competition.

[Marc goodin]

As a new on going T shirt Design contest we are excited! All designs are uploaded for voting. many ways to get cash for buying T shirts - from setting up a profile to voting. www.BlackEyedT.com