Signs, Symbols and Tees

   At this time of year, one is usually receiving catalogues and many of them are featuring tee shirts or the like.  For some groups, this will be an elaborate image or logo, one either fashionable or one advertising their group, say an animal group or another non-profit.  Walk into most any store and you'll find the other set of "brand" names and logos, the Nike swoosh or the Callaway/Orvis/Reebok name...or a bazillion others.  Let's face it, advertisers want to create something unique enough that you'll actually pay money to advertise for them, and do so proudly.  Cigarette companies can't do this, although at one time some of the manufacturers were quite successful, offering everything from heavy suede coats to rather fancy satchels.  Go on a nice cruise and there's their carry-on bag.  Your favorite rock band, your favorite park, your favorite whatever...or in some case (often if it's free) your not-so-favorite group/liquor/band/team.  But walk into a thrift store and the tee shirt racks are loaded with a small bit of what was once the rage.

   Still you can't help but be captivated by the creativity of some of the manufacturers.  One tee I used to get a chuckle out of was from years ago, a rather pretty friend of mine wearing a shirt that featured rather large letters across her chest portion with the words "Come Closer" followed underneath by words so tiny that you had to struggle to read them but said, "That's Too Close."  Another I enjoyed was again large and stark wording that said, "I Have the Body of A God," followed by smaller wording that said, "unfortunately, it's Buddha."  The recent catalogue from Signals had some cute offerings, including "I Thought Growing Old Would Take Longer" and "I'm Not Arguing...I'm Just Explaining Why I'm Right."  On the science side there was this: "You Matter.  Unless You Multiply Yourself By the Speed of Light...Then You Energy."  So who comes up with these?

Front of a Message Shirt

   Many years ago I tried my hand at printing tee shirts, or thought up the phrases at least and had them printed.  You could insert any politician's name but at the time, one of my shirts read "Bush and Viagra...Making It Harder for Everyone."  It sold out.  Beyond the catchy phrase, however, was a blitz of information on the back of the tee which explained the wording in the front.  My feeling was that as you stood in line, people often had little else to do than to stare at your back; what better time to educate them on important issues?  I called them Message Shirts.  I moved onto Stop Tees, each featuring a large STOP sign and wording underneath...STOP Domestic Violence, STOP Child Abuse, STOP Animal Abuse, the backs of each featuring the frightening statistics that plagued each issue and hopefully educated those reading such statistics (generally, a toll-free help number was printed in bright red on the bottom, my feeling being that if even one woman or child was saved from such a situation the entire venture would have been worth it).  The tees sold out (as did those I did which featured the "recycle" logo and its accompanying statistics on the back, all on the amount of plastics, metal and paper that we did not recycle).*

Back of the Message Shirt on Child Abuse

   For some, this would be a bit too in-your-face, something perhaps as shocking as an eye-catching banner or billboard (as exemplified in the movie Three Billboards from Edding, Missouri) but on the other side of the coin, there are many great quotes that can do the opposite and provoke some thought.  On the back of each Papyrus greeting card is an explanation of their logo, a hummingbird: Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration.  The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life's sweetest creation.  Or these words from A.A. Milne in writing Christopher Robin's advice to his dear friend, Winnie the Pooh: Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver that you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.  There are many more, such as this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.  Or this from Plato: We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. 

    There are all sorts of places to gather quotes, from books and sites to that tiny greeting card or blurb in an article.  And with today's access to easy printing, imagine yourself not wearing the logo or saying of an advertiser, but the words or issues in which you believe.  Certainly the offensive will offend, but then what would prove offensive?  A stand against discrimination or eating meat or putting pink flamingos in your front yard; generally your printer and your city or town (police?) will let you know if and when you've crossed that line of good taste.  But think of how many people you might possibly inform or at least make curious.  Print words in Japanese or Arabic or Tibetan, followed by an exclamation point and striking colors, or a logo so striking that people might ask where you got that tee shirt or hoodie.  My local Costco prints everything from banners and hats to yard signs and badges, but there are all sorts of office supply and online printers that will cater to both the individual and the wholesale commercial customer.  So think about it and maybe print your own tees to wear or give to friends...as the saying goes, put your money where your mouth is.  Who knows, just by standing in line or walking down the street you might change someone's life.


 *To clarify things a bit, my tees were never sold commercially in a store or online since all of this happened over 15 years ago; rather they sold out among my coworkers and were produced in batches of six or eight dozen (under a hundred anyway).  Statistics and moods change quickly, almost as quickly as political stances and soon the exciting tee shirt business became less exciting for me; but at the time it was quite fun and venting!  Some caveats...companies, especially large ones such as pharmaceutical companies and sports companies, have batteries of legal teams to defend their hard-wrought brands; if you use even the wording (such as I did with Viagra, which was still under patent protection at the time) be sure to include the appropriate copyright or registered mark; if you plan to sell or distribute the tees beyond your local spectrum you likely have to gain approval from the respective company first which might ask for royalties and licensing agreements (Disney and Nike have worldwide teams whose job is to spot any illegal use of their characters or logos).  I checked with the child line above before using their #800 and got their approval; but my efforts to get them distributed further --for I did approach many environmental & animal groups, domestic violence, and child welfare groups suggesting my design or even my at-cost production of the shirts-- was met with little interest.  On the other hand, for a brief moment in time, I knew that several hundred additional messages were getting out there, perhaps echoed when a female casino dealer came up to me in Las Vegas and thanked me for wearing my "stop domestic violence" tee...sometimes the simplest moments of just wearing a tee shirt can enchance your life enormously.