Behind The Screens

We are currently looking to hire that special graphic artist who Loves Vector Art on T-shirts!  You must be creative! This isn’t a job for you wanna be graphic artists who just graduated from art school with a piece of paper.  We are not making door hangers or menus here!

Your Cubical! You can decorate it how you want!

What type of artist are we looking for?

Look here:  http://www.threadless.com/interviews These are some of the best artist making vector artwork for t-shirts.

We need you to relocate! No Freelancers!

• We are 15 minutes from Jack Daniels.
• Cost of Living here is cheap!
• We have fresh air and stars at night!
• You must know how to float a river in a canoe!
• Must have a sense of humor.

Email your portfolio link(s) if your interested!

Thanks again for everyone coming out to make this year’s Run for Ella a success.   We had 267 runners in the 5k and 1 mile run on this extremely hot day.  We hope everyone had as much fun as we did.

The moment that made my day was to see Ella at the front of the group for the 1 mile run.  Only 1 year and 3 months after her accident she was showing us all her determination and strength once again.

I can’t wait until next year to see Jules do the same!

A special thanks again to the people that made this event possible.

New M&R 10 Color automatic press

We just had our New 10 color M&R automatic delivered and installed! This gives us a total of four automatics running in our shop!   I have to give credit to Pat and Matt who did the install.  These guys are first class.  Matt works for Screen Process of Alabama and is the only sales representative that I has  ever come out and help with the installation procedure.   He has been here in the past to help install all of our ovens and other automatics.  I guess you can say… “we do bleed  blue!”

Hello blog readers. I hope you are having a fantastic day. As many of you may or may not know, here at NDesigns, we have a line of Fight Like A Girl clothing to support breast cancer awareness. Recently, we decided to revamp our Fight Like A Girl campaign (which I am now going to refer to as FLAG; simply because I am human and FLAG is much easier to type) with two new designs, created by two local WOMEN artists. These shirts (and other handy items) proudly display the iconic pink ribbon in a dazzling design.

Our FLAG campaign really started to take in 2008, when we started working hand-in-hand with our local American Cancer Society. It was an especially eye opening experience. We attended several of their events, and it was so rewarding to see all of those people wearing the FLAG shirts. So, in order to spread the word more effectively (this is where those handy items come in), we have expanded FLAG to gloves, hats, visors, scarves, those nifty cinch top bags, jackets, and pretty much anything else you would like it on. Even a decal for your car! If you are at all interested in anything I have mentioned, please check out the Fight Like A Girl link on our homepage… Or click on the link below.
http://fightlikeagirl.bigcartel.com/

Whoa… Finally, a moment to breathe! The team here at NDesigns has been running full speed since the first week or so of March to help make baseball season happen for 4,000+ players! Though it has been a constant sprint for the past 8 weeks, this year’s ball rush went exceptionally well! Each year we get a tighter grip on things and improve our techniques on how to keep everything in line. This year, with someone on staff in each department through all hours of operation, the experience was virtually pain-free! So now that we’re slowing down in that aspect, we can bring our attention to the many other exciting bits in store for the upcoming months.

May 15, 2010—Who knows what that is? If you guessed Jeff’s birthday then you’re wrong!! It’s our fourth annual Dirt, Sweat & Gears event! If you aren’t familiar with DSG then you definitely owe it to yourself to check out the FaceBook page and the DSG site. This event is for the seriously competitive mountain bikers who will all share the same interest of finishing the 12-hour endurance race in one piece! Dirt, Sweat & Gears… pretty self explanatory, right? But don’t be mistaken, it’s all in good fun. After the race, everyone in attendance has the opportunity to indulge in good food, good beverages, and good laughter. Not to mention all the swag and prizes!

Free Swag!

Moots rider and his bike at last year’s DSG

Also coming up is the ever inspiring Relay For Life! Today, RFL is the world’s largest movement in the fight against cancer, where people team up into groups and walk for 24 hours to raise money for the cause. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated. We at NDesigns consider it an honor and a blessing to have the opportunity to be a part of this beautiful notion and to supply shirts for so many different teams who ultimately come together as one. We look forward to it and hope to see you take part in the fight!

Just to show a few team designs.

I wanted to write about a local organization here in Lincoln County that is dedicated to providing immediate assistance to members of our community that are in desperate need of food. Last month, I had a good friend send me a message on Facebook telling me that this local food bank was running out of food supplies. Since I had never heard of this organization, I personally wanted to see for myself if they were really in need of help, or if they were just another non-profit organization trying to make a dime. Let me tell you; I was moved. Not only was I moved by the people who waited for 3 to 5 hours in the cold rain to receive food, but I was also moved by the amazing volunteers who took their personal time that Tuesday afternoon to help prepare and pass out the food.

I decided for the following week to have all 23 of our employees, as well as my wife and little girl, to volunteer at Provision Port for Tuesday night food distribution. I really wanted them to not only be thankful for what they have, but I also wanted them to show compassion to others as well. I really believe that this world could become a better place if only we would stop and take time to help out others that are in need around us. I think nowadays, we can sometimes have a tendency to overlook showing compassion towards the needs of others. However, if each one of our employees would go home and tell a friend or a family member what they witnessed at Provision Port…. then I believe that IT WAS WORTH IT!

Provision Port is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide individuals and families with clothing, food, and emotional support. Provision Port specifically targets community members that are classified as homeless, low income, working low income, and the elderly.

When you ship out shirts to your customers, it’s your last chance to make a positive, professional and lasting impression. Beyond the obvious – shipping good product that’s neatly folded and arrives without being all beat up – there’s a lot you can do to go above and beyond and make your customer’s purchasing experience truly memorable. This in turn increases the chance they’ll buy again, or recommend your shop to a friend.

To help you get started (and inspired) we’ve compiled a list of tips (with links for resources) for packaging your tees and some samples of really remarkable stuff that other folks have done.

Tips for shipping your shirts in style:

1. Invest a few extra bucks in plastic bags to individually package your t-shirts. This looks especially pro when you are shipping multiple tees out to a customer.
2. Order some hang tags to attach to each shirt. Some of the most memorable shirts I’ve received had tags that are as well designed as the graphics on the tees themselves. Put your company name, website URL, and some amazing artwork on your tag. There will be people who keep them just because they look cool.
3. Throw in a few stickers (here or here), buttons, or other trinkets with each order. These are cheap to produce in bulk, make sweet little freebies, and are great for promotion if they are cool enough that people will use them. Don’t mention it on your website – just do it without saying anything and be a hero.
4. Find a way to say THANK YOU. Whether it’s a hand written note, or a pre-printed message, let your customer know you really do appreciate their order.
5. Include a coupon code good on your customer’s next purchase. Many big-boy retail shops follow this policy to lure shoppers back and turn them into repeat buyers. Even if it’s just 10% off an order, you can easily increase your chances of getting that next purchase.

Really Creative Packaging Ideas

Of course, one of the best ways to stand out is to make your actual packaging unique. If you’re on a budget, just getting some pre-printed mailers is a great way to start. But here’s a few examples of some out-of-the-world packaging to inspire you:

Johnny Cupcakes is a juggernaut in the world of established t-shirt brands. Their packaging, and this is just one example, is always creative. (via lovely package)

Oddica has been around forever, and has always had custom printed flexible shipping bags. The design has changed over the years, but the branding is always consistant. (via notcot)

Butchrd Apparel, actually packs their tees in styrofoam meat cases. The idea is perfectly inline with the concept behind their line which is an example of really smart marketing and branding.

Here’s another example of packaging matching up to the brand. Creative + cheap + easy to pull off = a true winner. (via flickr. ldandersen)….

We had less than 60 days to organize the race.  Our initial goal was to have 250 people sign up.  We exceeded and doubled that number by the end of the day.  I can not thank the volunteers enough for all their help and support.   The day of the race I did not expect Todd and Sara to show up.   When it came time to give out the trophies,  it was so emotional to see Ella with her Daddy next to me,  I forgot to thank all the volunteers.   Everything I wanted to say, went down my cheeks with my tears!    Please forgive me!

Every penny we raised has gone back into the account that we set up for this event.  We had less than $400.00 in expenses to put the race on.  Toilets, and timing!  Other than that, everything else was donated by our wonderful sponsors.

I also have to give Mike Johnsey a big old hug!  In our first brainstorm meeting about the race, he mentioned that his company has a special charity that out of every payroll check of his, he personally donates a little money to this charity.   Mike decided to take the initiative and write a letter about Ella.   He never expected to hear anything back from them, but it was worth a shot.    Yesterday,  we got a check for $2500.00!!!! from Christian Foundation Inc, which is located in  Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

With this final check, it brings the total amount raised to $15,000!

We are also pleased to announce that this will become a yearly event to help raise money for other families that are in need of help!    For more information please goto:  http://runforella.com

I have decided to take on a new project to help raise money for the American Cancer Society.   I just lost my mother a few weeks ago to this disease. I don’t think there is a person out there that hasn’t been affected by cancer. The t-shirts are only $10 each and all proceeds will goto ACS  (American Cancer Society).

You can read more about it here: http://fightlikeagirl.bigcartel.com/

Fight Like a Girl - Chocolate T-shirt

1. Purchase advertising through Project Wonderful.

Project Wonderful allows you to buy advertising auction-style and many of the per-day bids are under 50 cents. With most of the major t-shirt blogs using these guys, along with tons of niche bloggers, this is one of the best ways for small companies to purchase affordable traffic.

2. Participate in the forums of popular t-shirt communities

And by “participate”, I don’t mean spam the site with the URL to your store. Here’s how you do it right:Set up a link to your store in your signature with some creative and/or descriptive copy (things like “Click here to see my work” or “Click here to see awesome urban designs” seem to work well). Write relevant responses to other people’s posts and try to really get involved in the community.

The more valuable your posts are, the more curious people will be about who you are, and what you do. You’d be surprised how many great networking connections you can make through forums.

Here’s a few forums to get you started: emptees, t-shirtforums, teefury, and cameesa. (most of the major contest sites have pretty lively forums)

3. Set up an affiliate program with shareasale.com

This is another advertising site that targets smaller retailers and blogs. Affiliate programs work by offering people a percentage (or fixed dollar amount) per sale that’s made by following banners to your site.

You choose the amount you want to offer, provide a selection of banners that people can put on their sites, and then approve or deny affiliates that apply to your program. This is a great way to get sales without paying for per-click advertising. Click here to get started with them.

4. Submit to the major t-shirt blogs/sites

Start with PopCultureTees, and then submit your store/new t-shirt to all of the major industry blogs. Most of us bloggers are more than willing to feature new designs. Make sure you get an email address from the sites you submit to and build a mailing list. You can use this list later on to notify en masse about new t-shirts, specials, or important news.

Check out this BIG LIST of t-shirt blogs to help you get started.

5. Create an etsy store and sell a select number of your products through their site

Etsy, a worldwide marketplace, is the hottest thing right now in the world of handmade/indie goods. Setting up a store here has a couple of advantages: there’s a huge amount of existing traffic on the site to tap into, there’s great options for low-cost promotion in their showcases, and many of their built-in search functions offer opportunities for free promotion.

Setting up a store takes just a few minutes, payment is handled through PayPal, and there’s a place in your store description where you can include a link back to your main site.

6. Start a blog (or write more, if you already have one)

It’s common web-wisdom these days that having a blog for your company is a great way to encourage repeat visitors to your site. Not sure what to write in your blog?

Talk about the experiences you’ve had as a designer/store owner. Talk about finding the write printer for your t-shirts. Talk about your successes, your failures, and what you’ve learned along the way.

Encourage readers to subscribe via RSS, work to create great and interesting content, and then use your blog as a platform to announce new ventures, products and sales.

7. Compete in one or two larger design competitions on sites like Woot, Threadless or Cameesa

Ultimately, selling your products is all about exposure, exposure, and then more exposure. Even if you don’t win, submitting a design to one of the larger competition sites buys you some additional exposure and buzz via comments.

It can be a great way to get people talking about your work, reading your profile, and gives you an opportunity to engage more people.

Check out our REALLY BIG LIST of contest sites for an idea of where to start.

Thanks to http://www.popculturetees.com !