design by humans

Posted: July 9, 2007

a good friend and db clay freelancer recently programmed a new website called design by humans. his name is david frey and he is one talented + smart sob. the site has a threadless kind of feel but seems a little more digestible. the first thing you see when you go to the site is a $5000 cash kickoff prize banner which is something that anyone bold enough to submit a t-shirt design can win. the winner will be decided by votes submitted by other humans. i was going to vote on a couple but i realized i had to sign up (bummer) but i guess that makes sense when there is 5k on the line.

ok now for my pros and cons… since i know that is the only reason you are reading this:

• pros: i am all about the community. i love sites that encourage people to get involved. especially sites that are extremely focused and not desperately trying to get your information in anyway possible. design by humans seems extremely accessible for all walks of design. i also like that there isn’t more shit on the page then there needs to be. i get claustaphobic on sites that get greedy and cram way too much shit on the homepage in hopes for either click through or environment enhancement. a good example of overload is godaddy.com. love their services, hate their interface.
• cons: i am not really a t-shirt guy. i think it is a medium that has exhausted itself 100 times over. but in reality i guess everyone has a million shirts so there will always be a demand. i am also over illustrator art. that is just me speaking personally but i think it has become more of a contest to see who can cram the most layers into one print. i guess those cons are little more general in nature and not directed towards the site. the only downer thing i would have to say so far about the design by humans site is that i don’t think the artists are very good so far. i had a hard time making a selection of what i liked. i guess i should quit bitching and submit my own stuff huh?!?

i thought this design was pretty cool however i don’t think i would ever wear it on a t-shirt. i am a plain shirt kind of guy. david built the site using rails and it turned out beautifully. he cursed IE6 the entire way and i was right there fanning the flame.

well done on the site david!

check out design by humans here and submit a design. when you win take me out for a beer.