At some time or another, most people have an idea for what they think would make a great t-shirt. Whether it is as simple as a clever saying or a complex creation featuring well-known characters, the spark of creativity can hit at any moment. It can leave that person with the desire to see just how good their tee shirt design truly is.
That is where the community-driven website TeeFury.com comes in.
Launched in 2008, TeeFury was started to provide creative t-shirts at easily affordable prices. Every day, a new shirt is designed by a member of the TeeFury community and is made available for purchase for the price of 9 dollars, with shipping costing as low as 2 dollars extra.
Elizabeth Hyde, a junior in animal science, expressed her appreciation of the site’s affordability.
”It’s cool to be able to get such awesome shirts for such a low price,” Hyde said.
The catch is that each shirt is only available for one day, before it is replaced by the next design for its own 24 hour run. In this way, each shirt is a limited edition product, and allows the site to provide a high number of new designs on a regular basis.
Designs chosen for the site vary widely, and include everything from purely artistic endeavors to mash-ups of pop culture characters. One of last year’s most popular shirts featured Han Solo and Chewbacca drawn in the style of Calvin and Hobbes.
Jimi Benedict, art director for the site, explained his process for selecting which designs are chosen to be made into shirts.
”I ask myself many questions before selecting a design for print,” Benedict said. “Will it sell? Is the concept of the design relevant to the times? Does the design have impact within a millisecond of viewing?”
Selection to appear on the site is usually the end of a slightly longer process, however, as many designs first appear in the TeeFury forum. Users can post their designs and receive comments and critiques from their fellow artists. This gives designers the chance to see how it can be improved, as well as how popular it might be if chosen to be featured on the site.
Zack Davenport, a longtime fan and artist featured on TeeFury in the past, said the site has done well supporting its community.
”TeeFury has grown a lot since I have worked with them,” Davenport said. “I consider it one of my favorite sites to work with simply because of their loyal community and committed, professional curators.”
The strong sense of community Davenport mentions is evident not only in the forum, but on the main page of the site. Every day, the new design is accompanied by a small interview with the creator, giving them the chance to explain where their idea came from. Also, users are allowed to leave a comment on the design, letting the creator and the rest of the community know what they think.
Ian Leino, a graphic illustrator and TeeFury’s top-selling artist, shared his opinion on how the site benefits the artists as much as it does the fans.
”In addition to strong sales and great exposure,” Leino said, “the other thing I really appreciate about TeeFury is that after the day that a design runs, all rights revert to the artist. That means that I’m able to then print and sell [the designs] through my own shop.”
Leino’s designs have been among the site’s most popular, and the reception has led him to continue creating for the site. His latest is set to be featured January 24, and his past designs can be purchased on his own site, ianleino.com.
While artists are free to do whatever they want with their designs after their day on TeeFury, every shirt featured on the site can still be viewed in the archived gallery. While reviewing past designs may spark feelings of loss, the website also provides an easy way to view previously featured shirts.
The Gallery also lets users keep track of all the shirts that may be available when the site runs one of its Grab Bag specials. Every few months, customers are given the chance to purchase a random shirt design for only five dollars. The shirts available are those featured since the last Grab Bag. The event lets users try for a design they may have missed or hesitated buying at the full price.
”We overprint every shirt we sell for various reasons,” Benedict said. “Once we get full of overprints, we run the grab bags. We like to think it’s a great way to reward our community for helping us succeed.”
For over two years now, TeeFury has continued to see success, and will keep providing a source for inspired shirt designs as long as the community support is there. For now, it continues to provide a new spark of creativity every day, one t-shirt at a time.
