1) the execution of the design 2) the content of the design

Execution Honestly, so much of it looks like cut-and-paste work. If this were collage-work, that would be acceptable. Unfortunately, the rest of the work does not reflect that aesthetic, leading me to believe the result was unintended. Take for example the second piece. While the masking and edge work is decent, there is too much contrast in the details of the pieces. The ornate image behind the 7-11 does not work well with the simplified logo and “, not 9/11″ copy. Simplify both, or simplify neither. Make the elements work together. To achieve visual balance, a design piece should either be constructed entirely of cohesive elements, or none at all (if that’s what you’re going for, with appropriate defense). The 7 referencing the elephant’s trunk is clever, but lost in the final product.

Here is where I may come off as elitist. Anyone with a computer and Photoshop can call themselves a graphic designer. Do you go to a 4-year school and pick up the bachelor’s? Or do you pick up the associate’s degree in 2 years? The market is continuously becoming saturated, making it a little harder to tell who has the talent, and a little harder for designers to separate themselves from competition. But it’s my belief that the cream rises to the top, and good designers will produce good design, regardless of pedigree.

Content Coming from a Roman Catholic perspective, I cannot speak for the people of other religious views. Some may find the shirts offensive, and others may take it tongue-in-cheek. I personally wouldn’t wear them. However, coming from an Indian perspective, I can without fail say I would never wear the 7/11 9/11 shirt.

Maybe it’s because I have been born and raised in Dallas, and there are quite enough Southern misconceptions about Indians as is. Maybe it’s because there are plenty of bubbas ready to exact vigilante justice just in case things get suspicious or 9/11-y. Now, when I say the above, I do not mean for it to be an implication of the entire South– there are many people who have grown with the times and have good heads on their shoulders. But there is also a present minority that isn’t so sharp. To me, wearing the 7/11 9/11 shirt is akin to saying “Hey, don’t make a stereotype about us being terrorists!– but you know what? It’s okay to generalize us as Quick-E-Mart workers.” You are trading one stereotype for another, when neither are acceptable. Any positive work the shirt does to differentiate Indians from the terrorist bombers was undermined by the 7/11 reference.

But hey, maybe that’s just me.

cow jockey, not camel jockey.

i told ya, it was a winner.

oh, and by the way, totally agree with you guys about those two racist white people you posted today. just can’t believe the twats going around these days…

The t-shirts are all funny, and I’ll buy #1 in a Medium, thank you. And I’ll wager that if any of these whiners saw one in person, they’d laugh and ask the wearer about it.

We are bombarded by Obama’s unpleasant homely image constantly on TV and the web, must we now also see him portrayed as a deity???

Time to get the old eyes checked, I think.

I think we need to chill a bit and may be come back after few days and read our comment?

Dude, without exception, t-shirt threads on SM quickly unravel and uncover every cheap, sniping malcontent with a petty ax to grind and absolutely nothing constructive to say. It’s pretty amazing–the effort people are willing to expend to be anonymous jerks.