Unimental Designs - T-Shirt Shop Inside News

Boogie Ninja

2006-09-23T21:13:00.000-04:00

Why Boogie Ninja? Because we can. And we did!

Apparently our ninja fetish has not yet subsided here at Unimental Designs. We've been hard at work getting ready for the holiday season and tweaking the shop over the past few weeks. So "hola" and thanks for reading, as always.

New Shirt Color!

2006-09-13T23:03:00.000-04:00

Hey now, the dilligent folks at Cafepress have released the new Cardinal T-Shirts today. We think it's great to have a new canvas to work on, especially with white ink. Click here for an example of the "Player One Gamer University" design on this new color.

New merchandise is always a butt-load of fun for us shopkeepers. Though we will say that "cardinal" looks more "crimson" than we expected. No complaints, just an observation. We've already started updating the various sections of the shop to reflect the change, so feel free to stop by and peruse at will!

Ninjas, what else?

2006-09-12T12:45:00.000-04:00

Well, whaddaya know... Unimental Designs has new ninja graphics. You might say we're obsessed with ninjas, but we prefer to say we're amused by them. Inspiration for ninja-related designs strikes often at our shop. We refuse to apologize for following our creative flow to fruition on such new looks as the Gaming Ninja Logo or the New York Ninjas dodgeball club.

The Gaming Ninja Logo looks sweet on either the Black T-Shirt or, in preparation for the cold winter months, a Hooded Sweatshirt. Fellow gamers (especially the retro gaming crowd) will easily spot the video game reference here. Wink.

As for the New York Ninjas, well, this was a successful attempt to merge our love of dodgeball with the mystique of "the ninja." Why not Boston or Tallahassee? Not sure, but New York just seems to sound right for our ficticious team. You may soon spot us wearing the Yellow Tee or the red-sleeved Baseball Shirt.

If this keeps up, we're going to need to dedicate a whole section of the shop to ninjas. Hmmm... that just may be the best idea of the year.

Unimental on the Wire

2006-09-06T20:46:00.000-04:00

We're pleased to announce that today's edition of the Cafepress Wire showcases one of our popular designs from the early days of Unimental Designs. We call it "Powered by Ramen".

There was a pick-up in sales for this design in August, likely fueled by college students getting ready to head back to school. You may also notice that the "What's Hot" links on the left side of the CP Wire shows "college humor" as ranking high in the past few weeks, which sort of supports our theory.

Anyways, we're always happy to pick up an honor from CP. They've really been great to our shop over the past few months between newsletter features (Geek & Gamers, Ninjas, Earth Day) and "The Wire" (Fourth of July, Sudoku, Top Shop designation).

Enough chit-chat... it's time to get to work on more graphics. Perhaps one may end up being our next CP feature item. We'll keep you updated.

Hello Again!

2006-09-02T10:04:00.000-04:00

We realize the blog has been lacking over the past few days, so we thought we'd stop by early on a Saturday morning and throw out a big Hola! to all of you wonderful people who have been starving for an update. Here's a quick rundown of our recent activities (of which there have been many):

- The new look of Unimental Designs has been live for over a week now and, following a few tweaks, is now complete. We've got some ideas on the back burner for the holiday season - stay tuned. A big thank you and hugs to all of our fans who provided feedback on our update. Now that the "new look" is official, this blog and the MySpace page need updates to establish a common theme. Hey, it's on the list.

- Plenty of new designs have been added, including the post pic, Dig U - Dept. of Archaeology. There's also new Retro Gamer and Ninja graphics. Stop by the shop for further browsing entertainment.

- The T-Slick daily Cafepress shirt award blog is settling into a smooth groove. Be sure to check it out often, or subscribe to the feed to ensure you don't miss any slick picks.

- August was a fantastic month numbers wise. Thanks for your help, valiant shoppers!

We'll be back with a new design later today. Until then, stay slick.

80's Street Racing

2006-08-28T00:34:00.000-04:00

Those of us who grew up in the 80's probably have some fond memories of the old "Big Wheels" style street cruisers. Or, if your mom wouldn't let you ride in the street, a driveway cruiser. Brings to mind one of our older designs. You may notice that we've recycled the graphic and created a whole new look on 80's Street Racer, the latest entry to the ever-expanding catalog of the Unimental.com RETRO section.

Quite simply, this one kinda shouts "old school" with a bit of distressing/cracking and the SUMMER OF '85 notation. We're ready to claim our 80's street racing champ status on the Yellow T-Shirt, with a Wall Clock for the office. It's not so much that we need it... it's more of a deep, somewhat insatiable desire for 80's gear. We hope you feel the same way.

Pluto... Dwarfed!

2006-08-25T23:18:00.000-04:00

So the news is out... Pluto has been officially demoted to a dwarf planet after the International Astronomical Union redefined a planet as a heavenly body that orbits a star, is not a star itself, and has enough gravity to pull itself into a nearly round shape and to clear its orbit of other cosmic stuff.

It's not that Pluto's too small... it's just that, well, Pluto is somewhat of a non-conformist when it comes to orbit. Truly a sad day for the former ninth planet and its legions of dedicated fans. The good news? Astronomy is getting some airtime (yeah, we're geeks for that stuff) and we get to shirt it.

Stay tuned for more... we're not done with this subject quite yet. There will also be an entry over at our T-Slick blog featuring our favorite Pluto design from the Cafepress marketplace.

UPDATE: We've added another design for Pluto... kind of a retro tribute. Enjoy!

Unimental hits Malibu Beach

2006-08-24T19:34:00.000-04:00

The stylish retro kick continues at Unimental Designs, and today's offering is one of our new favorites. "Refreshing Malibu" combines an eighties style faded graphic of a sunset with some carefully detailed aging and the text (surprise!) "Refreshing Malibu."

This new style provides an original deep-down retro feel that came together so easily we wondered if we had somehow channeled a bit of 80's surfer magic in the process.

This design feels right at home on the Organic and Yellow t-shirts. Don't worry, we also added a Black Tee and will soon be debuting this graphic on a "Cardinal Red" shirt as soon as Cafepress gets the new merchandise update in place.

Party on, Unimental fans.

Year of The Dragon

2006-08-22T01:10:00.000-04:00

Sometimes things just come together. Like "plans" did for the A-Team. In our case, Hannibal would be proud with what just loaded to the Unimental Designs shop. We combined two slick dragon-themed vector graphics and out popped "The Year of The Dragon". It's a departure from all the geek and humor work we've been pumping out lately, which really helps to re-charge the creative batteries. Somewhat like watching an old Indiana Jones flick. Those really fire us up.

ANYWAYS...

Take a close look at the combination of the images and the application of a little aging (or "distressing") to the final graphic on the Organic Cotton T-Shirt and the Tile Coaster. We've added these products and more to the Stylin' section of the shop.

It's been a productive day, loyal readers. Goodnight.

The Way of The Dinosaur

2006-08-21T23:32:00.000-04:00

With all the talk of global warming and apocalypse in the Middle East, it's not hard to imagine mankind going the way of the dinosaur. Well, that's a bit of a stretch... but it leads perfectly into a recent unimental.com design: "The Way of The Dinosaur".

Combining a classic illustration of a Brontosaurus with the text "We're Next" results in a funny-but-serious-but-still-funny graphic on t-shirts and other items. We're happy to have in it our stable of offerings, and hope you get a few laughs from it as well. Check out the Black T-Shirt and the Mint/Avocado Jr. Ringer.

And hey, it's good to get some more green in the shop! (Seriously, we've been lacking on that side of the color spectrum for a while now.)

New Shop Section - "In A Word"

2006-08-21T18:41:00.000-04:00

As if the past weekend's shop redesign wasn't enough, we've gone ahead and added a new section to unimental.com entitled "In A Word". This idea stemmed from suggestions received from friends and fans over the past month. Hey, we listen to what you've got to say (especially if it's slick. We love slick.).

The theme of "In A Word" is, well, simple single-word designs in black text. We've embellished a little bit (yup, you know us!), but the words themselves really do stand out. The initial salvo of nine styles was launched today, with more to come based on demand. Check out the products available on "Homer", "Savvy", and our current favorite, "Tubular" for a feel for where we're going with this.

One more thing... if you've got a word that you would like to see in the shop, just comment on this post and we'll see what we can do.

T-Slick: A New Blog

2006-08-21T00:41:00.000-04:00

From the minds of Unimental Designs comes a new blog... T-Slick. The plan? Feature one slick design available on Cafepress each day, with a little write-up on the graphic and a shout-out to the shop that houses it. Want to know more? Head on over to T-Slick right now. A link has been added to our nav bar on this blog, and you can also get there by pointing your browser to tslick.unimental.com for easy recall.

Don't worry, we'll still be posting here and adding to the Unimental Designs shop as usual. And don't forget about the MySpace page, either. Whew. There's a lot on our plate... and we're lovin' it!

Shop Update - Storefront Facelift

2006-08-20T02:13:00.000-04:00

The Saturday project that spilled into Sunday is now complete. Take a look at the new Unimental Designs shop and let us know what you think. We're excited to be featuring a more "human" touch and many more designs on the front page. Intrigued? Then check it out!

There's still some tweaking to be done, and once we're completely satisfied we'll apply the color schemes to the MySpace page and of course, this blog. You can see the old shop page in Google's cache while it lasts.

Whew, that was fun. And now for some much needed rest!

Peace, Love & Ninjas indeed!

Two Button Driver

2006-08-18T23:34:00.000-04:00

We suppose it was only a matter of time before we expanded on our popular "Karate Is Easy" design, a tribute to the old days of two-button gaming. So, with the A and B buttons on our mind (retro gaming is always on our minds here at Unimental), "Racing Is Easy" is born.

We refer to the "law of racing controls" on the shop page, which can be explained as such:

For any game on the original 8-bit Nintendo which involves the use of a motorized vehicle (i.e. car, motorcycle or boat), the controls shall be A for acceleration and B for braking.

Yes, we totally made that up... but the law stands. Even in today's world of button-coated controllers, the button furthest to the outside of the controller tends to perform acceleration. Don't forget that, in what must have been a Nintendo inside joke, the B button actually came first on the control pad.

History lesson complete. Now for the shirts themselves, eh? We've got the Ringer-T and Black T-Shirt as usual. "Racing Is Easy" also looks slick on the Yellow Tee which really brings out the aged grey look of the graphic. Of course there's plenty more, so click on the post graphic for the full selection, available only at Unimental Designs.

Couples Skate @ The Roll-O-Plex

2006-08-15T20:04:00.000-04:00

What could be more romantic than an evening of holding hands and dancing... on wheels? Unimental Designs proudly turns back the clock and gets a little nostalgic for the days of couples skating at the Roll-O-Plex. Yeah, we loved the 80's. And this writer had his fair share of "couples skates" back in the day.

Check out the different looks available on the Ringer Tee, Black T-Shirt, Jr. Baby Doll, and even a slick retro-riffic Memento Box. Truly something for everyone. Hey, that's what we're here for.

Long live the memory of the local roller rink!

Issues, maybe?

2006-08-13T23:40:00.000-04:00

We surprised ourselves with this recent design, know as "Teddy Bear Trauma." Does it appear that we may have some unresolved childhood issues? Possibly. Either way, it's a whole lot of fun... and sure to get a few laughs out of your friends. You can almost hear the sound of the teddy bear's head popping off. THOK!

Check it out on the Yellow Jr. Ringer Tee and the Black T-Shirt. We also loaded up a special graphic for the Tile Coaster and a few other items.

8/15/06 Update: We were reminded by a faithful shop fan (thanks Steven J.) that this isn't the first time we've gone for laughs with a decapitation. See our first effort here. Perhaps counseling is a good route to consider.

"Baked" on a Plane

2006-08-10T00:12:00.000-04:00

Hey, man... stoners deserve their own "Snakes On A Plane" parody shirt, too. Unimental Designs is happy to offer up "Baked On A Plane", featuring unique vintage 70's styling in a slick three-color design .

Flight 420 is now boarding, folks. Also available on the black tee and more. Get one now and show it off at the theater on opening night, it's sure to be a "hit."

Not into the stoner humor? Check out the hundreds of other designs available at Cafepress, including our extremely popular "Snakes Not Included" shirt.

Beer - The Logo

2006-08-09T01:12:00.000-04:00

Unimental Designs is throwing our collective hat into the ring of retro-style "beer" designs. Vintage Beer Logo aims to please the discerning beer fan with a crisp, two-color logo that has some mighty "pop" to it. Not "cola"... "pop." And not that kind of beverage, either.

Of course, we put it on the stein and tile coaster to create magically delicious gifts for any beer drinker to cherish.

We like this look so much that it may inspire an entire "vintage logo" series. Any ideas from our fans as to what to conquer next?

Retro Computer Camp

2006-08-07T22:09:00.000-04:00

For those of you who have read through our previous posts, you might think we have a thing for old-school computing. Well, you've got us pegged. The days of measuring disk capacity in kilobytes and processor speed in megahertz passed by so quickly, and were really formative years for the minds at Unimental Designs. Sometimes it feels good to boot up that old Tandy and be greeted by the MS-DOS command prompt. It's that feeling that we're trying to capture with our latest design.

And so, we give you Computer "Boot" Camp, a clean vintage style computer camp t-shirt. The location? Redmond, WA... back in 1987. Home of Microsoft and so much of the innovation that helped bring personal computing to the level of today. We think it's a perfect geeky reference, and is likely to draw double-takes at the next Computer Expo in your hometown. Perhaps even some high-fives. Be sure to check out the Green T-Shirt and the Souvenir Framed Tile.

If you like this one, check out "Never Forget", which we mentioned briefly in a previous post. It's a memorial of sorts to the 5.25" floppy disk, and would make a perfect gift for that special old-school geek in your life.

A New "Old" Look

2006-08-03T00:42:00.000-04:00

Unimental Designs is happy to announce our latest retro look for our fans who love vintage styling but don't want to pay $50 or more at a vintage shop. Or deal with the sweat-stains. '70's Safari Style is sure to please, with a spankin' lion head and the word SAFARI splashed across the top.

Take a look on the black t-shirt or the tan organic tee. And be sure to view the enlarged product to see the magic of our aging (or "distressing") application to the graphic, which provides that special "cracked ink" look of an old well-worn shirt.

Inspiration for this graphic? We'd say Disney's Lion King or Apple's sweet interweb browser... but the truth is, we just kind of made it up. And we'll do it again, that's a promise.

"Ass-Clown" earns Shirt-Of-The-Day honors

2006-07-30T20:48:00.000-04:00

We've just learned that an old favorite from our desgin stable, "Ass Clown", has earned July 30th Shirt-Of-The-Day honors over at the Lamp8 Blog. We're tickled that we've tickled someone (doesn't THAT sound dirty?).

Check out their shop at Lamp8.com which features some of the slickest designs available on Cafepress. A few of our designs are featured in the mix, and they definitely are "thinking like us" when it comes to a sense of humor and old school geekish-ness.

Wow... July really has been one great flippin' month. We're hoping things stay this hot in August.

We're in a geeky way

2006-07-29T19:33:00.000-04:00

There's been plenty of updates lately to our popular geek section, and we've finally made some time to actually sit down and tell you about them. Ready?

First, there's the "Retro Gaming Champ" (as seen in the post title pic) for the gamer who loves to pay tribute to his or her 1980's 8-bit roots. We ran this one through our aging process, and the final product looks like it came from a t-shirt ad in an old Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine. When you get down to it, life really is all about saving the princess.

Up next is "Geek Like Me", a retro-chic geek pride look that any tech-nut can appreciate. We'll be wearing the Organic Cotton T-Shirt to out next LAN party. Maybe we'll even bring some extras.

There's more! "Girls With Guns" aims (we made a funny!) for the hearts of comic book and sci-fi fans and "Never Forget" pays a fine tribute to the golden days of the 5.25" floopy disk. Yes kids, computers didn't always have hard drives.

Egads! We HAVE been busy, eh?

Let us know which one of these new looks would look best on you (or as a gift for your favorite geek). And trust us when we say "there's more where those came from."

A Little Reward for Unimental

2006-07-25T22:06:00.000-04:00

This evening's update to the CafePress Wire brought with it a little surprise for us... we've managed to score a spot in the "Popular Shops" section. Perhaps we are doing something right after all, eh?

We're pretty sure that the formula that lands a shop this ranking has to do with sales and hits. Perhaps adding that MySpace page helped, or maybe it was our popular Italy Soccer Tribute that gave us the biggest boost.

Most of all, however, we want to thank you for reading the blog and shopping Unimental Designs. There's some real love there, man.

George Bush Hates Puppies!

2006-07-25T00:22:00.000-04:00

Don't believe us? If you've been keeping up with popular culture lately, you may have noticed that "Anti-Bush" gear is quite popular. A quick search on cafepress for "Anti-Bush" pulls up over 37,000 results. I'd say there's a market for that sort of thing.

We thought we'd throw our hat into the ring with "George Bush Hates Puppies", a stylish new look for the hardcore liberal pet-lover or even a conservative who wants to poke fun at the never-ending stream of anti-bush apparel. We don't discriminate, and want everyone to have a little fun. Check it out on the White T-Shirt or even a slick memento box.

Classes Start Soon...

2006-07-22T22:37:00.000-04:00

Just a quick reminder that Accepted, the movie, is due out in theaters 8/11/06... and we're still pumped for it. So very ready, indeed.

Hey, there's still time to stop by the shop and pick up a shirt for premiere night:

OPTION 1 - The classic look, based on images seen in the preview.

OPTION 2. - A little more flair, for those who don't just go for the minimum.

We'll be sporting this one to the multi-plex. And don't forget to check out our original post from earlier in July.

Hit the weights with retro style

2006-07-22T13:51:00.000-04:00

There's really two ways to look at the latest addition to our shop, "Vintage Powerlifting Champ." The first is as a slick and unique look for weight-lifting fans and bodybuilders. There's really no better way to show your love for barbells, dumbells, and benching twice your weight while the girls on the treadmills watch. Wear it to the gym with a Sleeveless Tee for that extra inspiration for perspiration. And it might be just what you need to get that cute Spinning instructor to spot you (and spot you, eh?)

The other way is, as always seems to be the case here at Unimental Designs, a bit of humorous irony. Imagine a cute, young blonde walking around wearing one of the Jr. Ringer T-Shirts. Or how about a skinny, geekish guy hanging out at the local Apple Store in a Black T-Shirt? There's so much fun to be had. Really! Take a look at the other options available and let us know what ironic combos you come up with for gift ideas or even yourself!

The review is in!

2006-07-19T23:15:00.000-04:00

We've been handed a wonderful little surprise here today at the Unimental Designs shop. No, it's not a puppy. It's even better (and cleaner) than a puppy...

What could be so amazing? So topic-worthy?

(suspenseful pause)

Our surprise is... our first shop review. Yes, the folks at Uber Guru posted a fine (and may we say quite accurate) review of our shop in their quest for the best in CafePress shopping destinations. We wish them all the best in their endeavor, and are both excited and humbled to be a part of it.

Check out the other detailed shop reviews here and be sure to visit often.

You've got a surprise inside!

2006-07-18T23:28:00.000-04:00

How many times have you seen this? "Free Surprise Inside!" is the ultimate in marketings come-ons, and is most likely to be found within your local supermarket. Usually on products that the kids might want mom or dad to buy. And hey, it still works on us... and we're definitely NOT kids.

But have you ever seen it on a t-shirt?

Exactly... We hadn't either.

That's where Unimental Designs takes over and says "today is the day." Yes, you can now own (and wear) your own fabulous piece of marketing history. We've taken it up a notch by adding our latest in vintage-style aging methods to bring some extra unique retro "pop" to the shirts and other items. Check it out on a ringer-T or, for a change of pace, a messenger bag that you can use for toting books, a laptop, or even highly classified documents within a secured government location.

Want to join in on the fun?

2006-07-15T22:47:00.000-04:00

So, you've been reading our blog for the past few months and at some point you've said to yourself: "Self, I wish I had a slick t-shirt shop." Well, you can. And the best part is... it's absolutely free. Interested? Check out the cafepress.com sign-up page for all the juicy details.

Still on the fence about it? You should jump. Here's why:

-=Cafepress is a monster in the market=-
Cafepress is the leading print-on-demand service on the web. And they're also one of the top 500 websites, with millions of visitors each day that could potentially see your products. Instant traffic for success in expressing your creativity.

-=Getting started is easy=-
The user interface on Cafepress is very intuitive, with plenty of online help to guide you towards your goals. There's a fantastic support community, complete with very active message boards and a staff dedicated to the success of every shopkeeper. An enormous amount of tips and tricks is at your fingertips whenever you need it.

-=You can make money=-
This is the most frequent topic that comes up whenever we discuss our shop with friends and family. No, you won't be earning thousands overnight, but with a little work you can build up a steady supplemental income. Some people make more... much more, but you have to get started first.

If you have any questions/comments/concerns, by all means please contact us.

Ready? Go!

Surf's Up, Nebraska. (what?)

2006-07-14T09:25:00.000-04:00

On a recent trip to the local "lifestyle center", a surfing related t-shirt caught the eye of one of our team members. We decided that we would put one together as well, but make it funny. There's nothing cool about a serious surfing shirt, unless you actually are paid to wear it (i.e. sponsored to surf).

With our unique retro flair and a signature twist of humor, we whipped up "Surf Nebraska?"... as seen in the post title pic. For the men, we'd recommend an Organic Tee and the ladies look best to us in a Yellow/Gold Jr. Ringer Tee. As always, there's plenty of other options in the Unimental Designs Shop. Take a look around and let us know what you think.

Hang Corn, dOOd.

Myspace or yours?

2006-07-13T10:50:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to say that we've gone ahead and joined the throngs over on myspace.com. Check out our profile page and feel free to post comments and/or add us as "friends". We'll be blogging a bit over there as well, but posts will continue as usual here on blogspot. Don't fret, constant reader.

One observation to add here: The whole "friends" thing over on myspace reminds us vividly of the practice of "trading balloons" in The Sims Online, of which this writer played like mad for about three or four months back in 2003. For those that may have played the game, he went by the name of "Bond Thomas" and was a master of the maze game. Fond memories, indeed.

Michael Scott for President

2006-07-13T08:59:00.000-04:00

The latest addition to our young but growing politics section is our humorous little tribute to "The Office". Scott/Schrute 2008 aims to take the (mis)management of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch all the way to "The Oval Office" in the next election. Some would say that this is no worse than the current administration, only funnier.

Take a look through all the products available (t-shirts, stickers, bags & more) and show your support for these comedic candidates. We like the Trucker Hat and plan on proudly displaying our Scott/Schrute 2008 Coffee Mug around our actual office. Yup, we're geeks.

And we'll leave you with this final thought... would Dwight Schrute end up being "Assistant to the President" rather than VP?

Italia Vittoria!

2006-07-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Unimental Designs is proud to pay tribute to Italy's fourth soccer world championship with our latest design. This retro-styled graphic is done up in Italian red and green and displays each championship year (1934, 1938, 1982 & now 2006) under the bold text "Vittoria! ITALIA".

We want you to show off your Italian soccer pride in style! And, hey, it's not too early to pick up a t-shirt, magnet, tote-bag, etc. as the perfect Christmas gift for the soccer fan in your life. Just make sure they're not French... this might hurt too much.

The Dark Side of the Pillow

2006-07-10T23:55:00.000-04:00

Here's one that popped up in conversation today and immediately went on the "must make for t-shirts" list. And being the productive folks we are, the final design is already in the shop! "Cooler than the other side of the pillow", the classic and hip catch phrase, comes alive at Unimental Designs on a variety of items. Our favorite is the Jr. Baby Doll, since we think it makes a great gift for that "cooler than cool" girl in your life. Want one for yourself? OK, try it on a black t-shirt. What could possibly be cooler?

Japanese Dodgeball

2006-07-07T00:16:00.000-04:00

Is there really anything cooler than a faux Japanese dodgeball shirt? We really can't think of anything else to say here. Check it out and let us know if we're way off base, but we think it's hella cool. (how would one say "hella" in Japan?)

Aspen, California

2006-07-07T00:01:00.000-04:00

One of our favorite little nuggets of humor from the movie Dumb and Dumber is brought to life on this new product line... "Visit Beautiful Aspen California". We've done it up in a very slick retro style that we hope will satisfy our fans, and hopefully add some more.

There's nothing better than getting those "delayed reaction" laughs that start with a confused look and end in a knowing smirk with an "Oh yeah, I got that" expression. As an added bonus, you may even shake the foundations of some observer's world views... as they run back to their PC (or hopefully Mac) to Google "Aspen" because they are almost positive it's in Colorado.

Think of this new design as a little trick you can play on the public every time you wear it. Totally our type of humor. Check it out on the yellow t-shirt.

Coming soon: G'Day Mate! Greetings from Austria!"

A Major in Fiction

2006-07-05T22:09:00.000-04:00

A recent viewing of Superman Returns provided us with some rather unexpected inspiration. During the previews, no less. Yes, we are now at level 11 excitement (we go to 11, don't you?) for the upcoming August release of Accepted, the plot of which involves a college-hopeful who has been rejected for every school he has applied for.

In a stroke of mad comedic genius, he decides to create a fictional school of higher learning in an attempt to avoid the eternal dissaproval of his parents. Some friends join in the fun, and South Harmon Institute of Technology is born. And yes, the acronym for the school is SHIT, no doubt leading to plenty of word-play throughout the film. The preview contains a brief scene with a banner stating "Welcome Shitheads" hanging above the school as students flock to the doors.

For those of you who are excited as we are, we've created some South Harmon inspired gear... perfect for wearing to the theater on opening night. The first option is a classic look, based on images seen in the preview. The second has a little more flair, for those who don't just go for the minimum. Either way, you'll be racking up major geek stats. We're putting our order in for one of each, so look for us in August.

Repulse The Monkey

2006-07-03T10:33:00.000-04:00

We made a reference to the movie Heavyweights back in an earlier post and hoped that someday the perfect design would surface for the classic "Repulse the monkey" quote by Ben Stiller's character, fitness guru Tony Perkis.

And so it has. The yellow t-shirt featured on this post is our favorite look, but make your own selection on the full product page. Lightning bolts symbolize the repulsion of a rather crazed monkey silouhette. Set in a two-color format of orange and brown, this is quite the modern and stylish look.

OK, OK... we're tootin' our horn a little early considering the design just got loaded. We'll let you know what the consumer reaction is. And feel free to comment yourself, whether or not you're planning to buy.

And if you've got no idea what this post is talking about, please do yourself a favor and spend a night curled up on the couch with the movie (available on DVD) and a delicious fruit smoothie.

A Baloo Is A Bear...

2006-07-02T00:21:00.000-04:00

Remember this one? A majority of kids educated in public schools during the 80's and 90's were required to take a standardized test which was used to evaluate the effectiveness of teachers and school districts. We took it in Pennsylvania every couple of years starting in middle school.

The test itself isn't really important (and no, it won't go on your permanent record)... it's the three examples that started the exam that we're focused on. The first one, which haunts us to this day, was "A baloo is a bear." You actually had to pick "bear" from a list of options which can't be recalled at this time. The other questions/answers were "To wuzzle is to drink" and "A yonker is a young man."

It's truly amazing what nonsense we learned in school, and even more amazing just how much of that nonsense we actually remember.

As a tribute to this childhood memory, we present the A Baloo is a Bear design for your enjoyment, approval, and linking on high-ranking forums and web pages. Hehe... we're just kidding about the last part. Maybe.

Anyone else remember this?

Captain Obvious VS. The "Obfuscator"

2006-06-30T08:58:00.000-04:00

With all the hoopla surrounding the new Superman movie, we've had the whole "superhero" topic on our minds lately. Combine that with the Captain Obvious shirts that seem to be popping up everywhere, and the minds at Unimental Designs get inspired.

So, without further ado, we present you with Captain Obvious VS. The "Obfuscator". We couldn't imagine a better villian for Captain Obvious to match up against. This new look is inspired by the "good vs. evil" comic book match-ups of the 80's (when we were playing with G.I. Joe figures and reading Spiderman comics) and has what we feel is the perfect dash of geekiness.

We'll be ordering a blue baseball shirt to wear to the next comic book convention that comes to town. Hopefully we won't be the only ones. Click the image above to pick one out for yourself or as a unique gift for the comic-book geek in your life.

Sooper Shirt

2006-06-28T15:12:00.000-04:00

How good do you feel today? Well, if you're feeling good... and we mean REALLY good, then this new design is a retro-fabulous way to share your joy. Looks great on the green ringer-tee, eh? (click the pic to see a larger version) "Feelin' Sooper!" is available on a wide range of other shirts, as always.

We've snapped

2006-06-25T02:38:00.000-04:00

Before you say anything, please realize that we know that last thing the world needs is another "Oh, Snap!" shirt. But we did it anyways. And we liked it! So there.

Now, as for the inspiration on this one, I think it's popping up so much in general entertainment lately that when we saw the retro pic of the smiling/snapping guy it's the first thing that... um... "snapped" into mind. Sheesh.

Anyways, this quote from Dodgeball pretty much says it all:

Dwight: [as Kate kisses Joyce] I told you she was a lesbian.
Peter La Fleur: Wow. Good call.
Kate Veatch: Hey! I'm not a lesbian.
Peter La Fleur: You're not?
Kate Veatch: No. I'm bisexual.
[kisses Peter]
Dwight: Oh! Snap!

Classic.

Napoleon Dynamite Draws Unicorns

2006-06-23T10:09:00.000-04:00

We've decided to throw our hat into the "Napoleon Dynamite inspired" t-shirt ring with this design entitled "I Like Drawing Unicorns". Please note that there is absolutely no reference to voting for Pedro on this tee. Or Ligers. Just Napoleon Dynamite, unicorns, and (in the pic to the left) a ringer-t.

We (of biased opinion) feel that this new look really stands out in the Cafepress marketplace, and has a very "hip geek" feel. A friend noted that this one would be right at home on the shelves of Hot Topic or Urban Outfitters... quite a compliment! And again, we've done it without mentioning Pedro.

So, if you're a Napoleon Dynamite fan clamoring for a fresh new look to show off (or know someone who is), check out this design. Kip would totally disapprove. Drawing unicorns takes away from online chat time... but doesn't run up grandma's phone bill.

Know This Shirt

2006-06-19T14:23:00.000-04:00

A recent viewing of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story inspired our latest retro-styled addition to the Unimental Designs stable, "Hit Me With Some Knowledge." Ben Stiller's character, White Goodman, has dozens of great lines in this top-notch comedy flick, but our favorite is "let me hit you with some knowledge." Yes, the movie itself isn't really "retro", but the line itself has a distinct 70's feel to it. We'll try to get something from Vince Vaughn (who plays Peter La Fleur in the movie) into the shop in the near future.

On an informational note, if you loved Dodgeball, please check out the movie Heavyweights from 1995. You'll notice a huge similarity in Ben Stiller's characters between the two. Repulse the monkey!

Sparklers Are Hot!

2006-06-14T14:54:00.000-04:00

We've got "the buzz" for this Fourth of July, and it's all centered around the design you see on the left (as always, click to see the product page). It all started back in late April when we decided to put together a few 4th of July designs for the shop. "Sparklers - 30 Seconds of Patriotism" made its way onto some products with artwork of a hand holding a lit sparkler... all in a patriotic red, white and blue color theme.

First, we got a great mention on The Liberated, a political blog, which generated a few visits to the Unimental Designs shop.

Then, the folks at Atheists-Online were nice enough to feature our design on their landing page (right next to the fantastic "Cafe Clash" entries for their first ever showdown). We never thought we'd end up with a design displayed on a url that contained the word "atheist", but there's a first time for everything, eh?

And to top it all off, today we received an e-mail from a fan who noticed that the CafePress Wire had been updated with an Independence Day section, and whaddaya know... we've made it! Hitting this page has been a goal for the shop from day one back in March, so we're super excited to "check that off our list", so to speak.

And that's "the buzz" in a nutshell!

Why bike when you can trike?

2006-06-14T13:02:00.000-04:00

Tricycles and t-shirts, a fantastically retro combination. We've created a new design entitled
"Trike Style - PEDAL HARD" as a tribute to the tricycle and a twisted take on the whole "play hard" fad. Trike shirts are popping up everywhere these days. Perhaps the popularity has something to do with the added stability of the third wheel... you know, as reassurance in these troubled times.

Our new design is both modern and retro, and should bring a smile to anyone who has experienced the joy of the tricycle at some point in their life. That's a lot of folks when you think about it (ourselves included). So, pedal on over to the store and have a look. And leave a comment here to let us know if we're on the right track (or street).

2006-06-12T21:00:00.000-04:00

Today's designs (uploaded only minutes ago to the unimental.com shop) are t-shirt tributes to one of the most influential video games of all time... "The Oregon Trail." Nearly everyone who grew up in the 80's remembers this classic educational challenge, usually played out on an Apple IIgs. Who can forget the thrill of starting a new adventure, naming your party, stocking up at the general store, and then heading out into the wild west?

There was plenty of fun along the way, including the classic "ford the river" option and hunting for food (and depending on your savvy, killing way too much to bring back). Don't forget the morbid tombstone writing and subsequent reading. Wow. Brings back some great memories on this end, that's for sure. Hopefully you feel the same, and love saying "I Made it to Oregon!"

And, for those of you who didn't enjoy the journey, we've created "Oregon is Overrated" as a humorous jab at the Oregon Trail obsessed (us included). Just don't ever say we don't present both sides of an issue, K?

80's BMX Treat

2006-06-04T12:29:00.000-04:00

Remember "Rad"? The word... the movie? Well, we sure do. And it's on our mind enough of the time to have inspired a t-shirt design. It's a pretty simple look: The word "RAD" next to a slick illustration of a BMX biker. Now, we're not saying that this shirt is a movie tie-in. We are saying that 80's BMX is RAD. Take from that what you will. Movie-inspired? Perhaps.

The movie "RAD" has been on our minds a lot lately. And what a fantastic flick it was. This was one of those PG-rated VHS tapes that so often found it's way into the VCR when our generation wasn't ready for the PG-13 content quite yet. As any guy in his late 20's if he's heard of this movie and we're willing to bet you'll get an energetic "Yes!"

We'll leave you with this thought: Lori Laughlin (of Full House fame) riding a BMX bike at the high-school dance with the song "Send Me An Angel" playing in the background. Cru Jones was one lucky guy.

The Black Dragon Pub

2006-05-29T02:09:00.000-04:00

Old English Pubs rock, and we decided to pay tribute to these fine establishments by inventing our own... The "Black Dragon" pub. This design is also inspired by our love of fantasy fiction, and the process of putting the "Black Dragon" logo together brought back memories of Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" novels, and of course: The Lord of the Rings. Perhaps an older "established" date would fit the fantasy fiction genre better, but hey, 1832 was a pretty good year, right?

Imagine wearing this while sitting at your favorite old-style Irish Pub with a Guiness or single-barrel scotch. Seems like a perfect match. Huge bonus points to any reader who sends in a pic of this scenario while wearing said design. We'll dedicate a full entry to the first person to submit a photo.

Oh yeah, don't forget to click the design photo to see it on a Jr. Baby Doll shirt... and don't forget to check out the remainder of the product line as well!

"Pi" On My Shirt

2006-05-24T20:38:00.000-04:00

The latest original design from Unimental brings an artistic interpretation of "order from chaos" with the mathematical symbol "Pi" and some crazy sweet artwork in the background. We love it, and an order is going in tonight just before the cut-off on the Cafepress shopkeeper's sale.

A short novel is written regarding this design on the product page, so we won't go into detail here about the design itself. We want to hear what you have to say about it. There's way too many hits on this page without any comments, so this is us calling you out: End this dastardly lurking and show (errr... write) yourselves!!

And pick up a piece of "Pi" on the way out, ya hear?

Unimental loves "The Princess"

2006-05-23T22:32:00.000-04:00

If it's not obvious by now, we here at Unimental Designs love any gaming character with the label "the princess". Whether it's Zelda or Toadstool, she melts our heart. And, since she's on our mind, here's one more design: "I Saved the Princess Today!". There's great timing on this, since Nintendo just released the new Super Mario Brothers on the handheld DS platform this week. We added a little vintage aging to this one and used some great 80s coloring. The result is worthy of a spot on Napoleon Dynamite's chest.

In more Princess news, our original phrase "Saving the Princess Since 1985" may be catching on with the gaming community. Check out the title of this game review from the "Daily Texan" (feed from uWire). Awesome! I plan on e-mailing the author to see what the inspiration was for this phrase.

We're pretty sure it was our shirt. :)

Seattle Avocados

2006-05-21T21:06:00.000-04:00

Inspiration struck this evening, and we invented a fictional semi-pro sports team named the "Seattle Avocados." This, of course, only a few days after listening to the new Pearl Jam album known simply as Avocado. The new vintage aged design (seen on the left in, yes, "avocado green") could be a real hit given the new CD and current concert tour.

Whatever the result, it's more practice with our new artistic aging process in PhotoShop. This is, for folks keeping score at home, the third graphic we've run this alteration process on. More to come, to be sure.

i8bit - The new favorite

2006-05-21T15:40:00.000-04:00

Numerous designs have been added to the shop this weekend, but the most exciting is the simple "i8bit" (shown at left on a ringer-T). Done up in the vintage grey, red, and black of the original NES, this iPod spoof just begged to be done.

We can't wait to get ours in the mail. And of course, a picture of the actual shirt will be posted for all to see.

So what else is new in the shop? Lots of random stuff:

"Shark Floss" for the shark lover or dental professional.
"Talk Radio" makes a hip Father's Day or birthday gift for the dad who's always tuned to the AM spectrum.
"Retro Gamers Do It..." has a "distressed" or "creased" appearance that we're rather proud of.
and
"US-V8"... a tribute to the mighty American engine just in time for Fourth of July festivities.

You may have also noted that the frontpage to Unimental Designs was finally updated as well. This will hopefully be a monthly update going forward.

Picture Pleasure

2006-05-19T21:18:00.000-04:00

As promised, above are pics of actual products bearing the Hip Ninja and Bounce With Me designs. The links take you to the exact items we just received.

We're extremely pleased with the results, and wish our meager photographic skills could convey this. A nod also must be given to Cafepress for quality printing and super-speedy shipping. Oh yes, and our models for... modeling so well.

More pics of other designs are forthcoming. Let us know if there's something in the shop you really want to see.

Girls not included

2006-05-19T11:26:00.000-04:00

I'm confused. The design you see on the left is entitled "Bounce With Me" and can be seen in our shop here. We think it's hip and retro enough to be a big seller, but have thusfar been disappointed with the response. Are trampolines officially out-of-style? Is black and white too boring? Does it need girls?

So, an experiment is in the works: We're going to create some slick custom HTML for the header of this design's section in the Unimental Designs shop with a picture of "Bounce With Me" on an actual product. That is, once the post-office gets it to us. Then a little promotion on this blog and the cafepress message boards. Then we wait (hopefully not long, as we are an impatient bunch).

What say you, loyal reader? Keywords for the image have been edited, and re-edited, etc... so something is clearly amiss. How shall we get this into the hands of buyers?

Hip(?) Ninja

2006-05-18T10:11:00.000-04:00

Everybody loves a ninja. There's thousands of "ninja" items on Cafepress. Add one more... the "Hip Ninja". We here at Unimental are rather pleased with the results of this somewhat experimental t-shirt design. Not that it's selling (yet), it just has a special slick something quality that we just can't put our fingers on.

We'd like to do more designs in this style, but there's a limit to just how creative you can get with the printing style and the 10x10 printing area. Imagine the ninja at the very bottom corner of the shirt with the throwing stars going up over the shoulder.

A sample order is on the way, and real-life pictures of our official Unimental Designs model (me) will be posted ASAP. For now, you can see it on t-shirts in the store.

On the Wii-wagon

2006-05-17T13:03:00.000-04:00

When Nintendo announced that their upcoming console would be officially named "Wii", you could literally feel the giant question mark forming in the minds of the gaming community (followed by, in some cases, muffled laughter).

"Wii" were not impressed... but after the initial shock wore off the pure genius of the naming scheme became apparent. OK, so "genius" is a bit much, but conceptually "Wii" is getting cooler each day.

Cool enough, in fact, to inspire three new designs at Unimental:

we play
iiGame
sWiit

This whole "ii" thing could get out of control, but it will be interesting to see if people start reading it as "we"... so that "iiGame" is read as "we game". I think Nintendo should have just dropped the "W" to begin with.

Tiime wiill tell, iiSuppose. :::groan:::

Severely "geeked"

2006-05-17T12:51:00.000-04:00

Since the inception of Unimental Designs on cafepress, we've been featured on a few promotional e-mails (Earth Day and "Math"). But nothing can compare to yesterday's release of the Retro Gaming Geek promo. See the promo here

Our best-selling "Saving the Princess since 1985" design is on there, along with TWO other retro-gaming graphics: "Karate is Easy" and "Expert Level". Shocked, grateful and lucky come to mind.

Thanks to this promo we've now made our first sale to the UK. Some little British kid is going to be running around with a white Karate is Easy shirt in about a week. Yup, they've got Nintendo over there, too.

We're in.

2006-05-17T12:42:00.000-04:00

I won't assault you with the standard "here's our new blog... yada yada" post. We'll cut right to the chase: this blog is focused on updating you (the public) on new designs, products and general goings-on at the Unimental Designs shop.

Haven't seen out shop? Take a few minutes and point your browser to unimental.com to see our wide selection of geek, retro and vintage-style designs.

Back already? If you liked what you saw, keep checking both here and the store for updates.