Comments on: Teach the Controversy

Teach the Controversy

Jezztek — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:15:43 -0800

Teach The Controversy is an intelligently designed t-shirt store dedicated to challenge 'big science' and their blatant anti-wacko agenda. So I've really taken to the idea of running t-shirt stores where all the designs are based around a single unified theme, and so for my second attempt this particular creationist meme seemed ripe for parody (while hopefully not being to shrill or strident in my ribbing). Hope you enjoy them!

By: vertigo25

vertigo25 — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0800

It's a shame you don't have kid sizes. I would totally get my daughter the unicorn one :)

I may get one for myself, anyway. Plus one of the Science! designs.

By: Jezztek

Jezztek — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:21:13 -0800

Yay! Glad you liked 'em.

And while it is true that my default product lineup doesn't include any kids size clothes, if you click the 'create your own' tab you can make a custom shirt using a variety of kids/toddlers/juniors clothes.

By: ErWenn

ErWenn — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:49:44 -0800

These designs are much funnier than I would have expected from the description.

By: Jezztek

Jezztek — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:33:04 -0800

These designs are much funnier than I would have expected from the description.

I guess I better stick to designing and not try to venture into writing copy =)

By: lalochezia

lalochezia — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:11:59 -0800

Awesome. I'm buyng one.....Make "teach the controversy" bigger!....never midn: the make your own alllowsy you to reaize. AWESOME!

By: dreamyshade

dreamyshade — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:26:30 -0800

The turtle + elephants one is especially cute, and I think I'd buy it if I had the option to leave out the words. I like subtle! I tried the "make your own" interface, but the words seemed to be part of the design.

By: malevolent

malevolent — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:24:08 -0800

Yeah, I agree with dreamyshade, it might be nice to be able to omit the slogan, as some of the designs stand up well on their own. Without the text, Devil Bones is a neat little visual puzzle with a message; with it it becomes overtly preachy/campaigning.

By: burnmp3s

burnmp3s — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:04:44 -0800

I like subtle!

I agree with this, and I don't even think that the current designs are un-subtle. It's just that so many joke tshirts are very obvious, similar to bumper stickers, so a very subtle joke tshirt would be nice.

For example, if someone asked what the current devil shirt meant, I would say "It's saying that teaching Intelligent Design in science class is as absurd as teaching children that dinosaur bones may have been buried by the devil in an attempt to trick us." Whereas without the slogan I could just say "It's the devil burying all of those dinosaur bones *wink*".

By: jammy

jammy — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:52:58 -0800

the "turtles all the way down" one is great!

By: Grimp0teuthis

Grimp0teuthis — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:27:23 -0800

Great designs! I personally would put spaces between the words, but that's just nitpicking.

By: kwaller

kwaller — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:12:37 -0800

This reminded me that I need to buy one of the Science! shirts for my boyfriend ASAP.

And the gallery design is nice and slick.

By: Jezztek

Jezztek — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:04:50 -0800

Adding a no text version strikes me as a very good idea apparently! I'll be able to implement that in 2-3 days (depending on Spreadshirt's turnaround time on design approvals).

By: farishta

farishta — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:19:34 -0800

These shirts are fantastic. I'll buy a turtles all the way down if you make one with no text version. Good stuff.

By: bove

bove — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:30:13 -0800

Just chiming in to say I also really like a lot of the designs and that I too would most likely buy a couple if I could remove the text. In fact, I have been meaning to buy some from your main site, but have been waiting until after my birthday b/c I think my wife is going to buy me some clothes.

By: Gucky

Gucky — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:22:56 -0800

Oh damn. Now that I found the "make your own" book bag option, I will now be overrun with book bags. Because everyone needs a Science! messenger bag and a turtle-universe book bag, even in a business environment. (Too bad the store doesn't offer lunchboxes.)

By: KAS

KAS — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:43:33 -0800

Um, awesome!!!!

I came to the comments to nag for a women's version, then I saw your comment on creating my own. Is there a way for you to make it more clear to other visitors - maybe a button also underneath the "basic" options? I'm not used to the create my own option, so I wouldn't have looked at it - normally I would have just sadly clicked away, thinking it was s shame I couldn't get a girlie version.

Also, the no text option is perfect.

Yay!

By: Jezztek

Jezztek — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:53:36 -0800

maybe a button also underneath the "basic" options?

That sounds like a good idea, when I am so used to a specific setup like what I'm using tunnel vision can be a bit of a problem. So I just end up making design choices that inadvertently assumes everyone is familiar with my system as I am. So yeah, if there are any other usability issues let me know, I've probably just never thought about that particular problem =)

By: Jezztek

Jezztek — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:18:26 -0800

Ok, not quite all of my new textless designs got run through Spreadshirt's system before they closed for today. So I was hoping to get everything up tonight, but I suppose It'll be at least one more day before I can get them online.

By: damn dirty ape

damn dirty ape — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:51:30 -0800

I prefer the words. None of them are self-explanatory except the devil one. Without the words they look like neat little designs that dont carry the same smart-ass weight.

By: cashman

cashman — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:29:05 -0800

Nothing is more pleasing than a responsive designer/merchant. Good job Jezztek. I'm buying as soon as the no words option comes in (and probably sooner).

By: NikitaNikita

NikitaNikita — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:53:10 -0800

Not to suggest even more work for you, but i think design-only on the front, and text in small somewhere else (in the back by the neck, for instance) would also be a neat design.

Either way I like the designs -- the SCIENCE! ones are especially cool, too. although I'd personally like a few gender-role reversals thrown in for good measure. (not really trying to play the feminist card per se; simply, I'm a girl scientist, and I think a girl scientist wranglin' an ameoba would make an awfully fun tee, that's all!)

By: cashman

cashman — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:37:34 -0800

That's a great suggestion and I personally love it when things like that are pointed out.

By: Jezztek

Jezztek — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:37:06 -0800

Howdy again all,

Lost my internet connection yesterday from a storm or I would have posted this earlier. But I have the textless versions of the shirts posted (except the geocentric one, which got a little goofed when running through the Spreadshirt approval process).

I also added a larger text link to the custom designer underneath the basic options, as recommended, thanks much KAS.

But finally anyone thinking about buying more then one shirt should probably hold off until Monday, because word just came down from on high that we will be having a 25% off sale starting then for any order of 2+ items. So waiting a few days would probably make a lot of sense in this case.

Thanks much!

By: Jezztek

Jezztek — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:55:54 -0800

Oh, and NikitaNikita I think that is a totally valid suggestion, and one I'll have to remedy soon. It's one of those things to where my intent was not to exclude women per se, but the original concept for that line was to take the stereotypes about scientists and embrace/explode them.

So the scientists in my shirts are all these bald, glasses wearing, socially awkward, men with interchangeable personalities exactly because that is the perception I got from a lot of normal folks. So I had avoided using female scientists because a female scientist by her very nature defies the stereotypes I was trying to poke fun at and reclaim in some way.

That being said, I've learned you just can't fall in love with your original idea so deeply that in the end your product loses something because of it. So yeah, I assure you there will be females included in forthcoming Science! shirts.

By: sambosambo

sambosambo — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:45:38 -0800

Noticed "Teach the Controversy" on the front page of Reddit today. It's at #21 currently, but I thought it was as high as #8 a while ago.

By: farishta

farishta — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:40:46 -0800

It's on BoingBoing, too. Congrats!

By: cowbellemoo

cowbellemoo — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:22:42 -0800

And iO9!

By: Jezztek

Jezztek — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:25:31 -0800

woot =)