Online Vector T-Shirt Software

We often get asked, “What is the best software to use when designing for t-shirt printing?”. Our standard answer is that one should look no further than Adobe Illustrator, the industry standard vector software.

The key thing is, for quality screen printing, we need vector artwork (as opposed to raster artwork made in programmes like Photoshop). We have more detailed help on our artwork guidelines page.

However, web apps improve and there is now a new-kid-on-the-block which may save you from having to splash out on Adobe software. Part of the Aviary suite of online drawing tools, Raven is a free to use vector software which as the video below shows, is a very powerful piece of kit:

Aviary vector icons from mpeutz on Vimeo.

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Last Chance Printed T-Shirts at 2009 Prices & Free Screens

Here is a special offer valid until the end of Feb 2010:

Stedman Classic white t-shirts with 1-col screen print in one location:

  • 500 @ £1.55
  • 1000 @ £1.49
  • 2500 @ £1.32
  • 5000 @ £1.27
  • Screen @ FREE

Usual T&Cs apply.

If interested contact Jo Myronidis on 0800 061 2207 or jo [at] indigoclothing [dot] com

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On yer Bike

Returning from the Netherlands, you realise just how much the Dutch love their bikes. The streets everywhere are lined with them, and they’re not just for show. These are real bikes for real people.

But in the world of cycling there are some important considerations to make. Are you going to be a practical biker, or a super-styler? Do you roll up the right leg of your trouser and risk creasing or do you invest in some snug cycle leggings with a padded bottom? Are you going to wear a few well-positioned reflective strips here and there, or go the full whammy and get a disco ball jacket? Will you have an uber-cool short strap courier bag, or a 1930s schoolteacher wicker basket?

In the Netherlands, they know how to ride with the style, it’s something about being effortlessly European. But regardless of your nationality, you too can ooze Euro on your set of wheels with a Bagaboo, Hungarian slice of courier cool on your back.

Also handy for when you're not on the bike

Bagaboo were the sponsers of the 2009 European Cycle Messenger Championships, and are set to rise to even greater heights of cycle-fashion-fame in 2010, Budapest. Tearproof and water resistant, you can customize your Bagaboo and select your perfect colour combo, size, and any special little extras like laptop sleeves, key clips, and champion stripes.

Team it with one of these super cool Bern helmets (safety first), and you’ll look just like you’re from the Netherlands: Goede reis!

In case of accident

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Would you ever wear?

In January things can get a little heavy. The snow has stirred up some post-Christmas stress, everyone feels calorie dense, the resolutions didn’t really ever get going and it’s still really cold. So what we all need is a healthy dose of light entertainment, and I’m not talking charades. Let’s play a game of ‘would you ever wear?’ It’ll get the hearty laughs going (which by the way is a great form of cardiovascular exercise aiding the production of toned abs. See, you didn’t need to go to the gym).

Scenario Number One:
It’s a cold morning and you’re late for work, you’re not looking forward to the long commute into the city, so whilst eating breakfast you decide to wear something that will make you feel happy and cheerful, in spite of the Monday blues. You wander over to the wardrobe: do you get out a red sweater (happy colour), those patterned tights (bit of jazz), or, would you ever wear………….

Woof Woof

A Gimzo skirt in grey tweed with ‘ear-pockets’ and swarovski crystal eyes by Brian Lichtenberg?
It’s only $2,100, cheaps and cheerful. They’d love it at the office.

Scenario Number Two:
Your best friends have just moved into a new flat and invited you over for a casual dinner. The only problem is that they haven’t had chance to buy crockery yet, so it’s a ‘ bring your own plate’ deal. You haven’t done the washing up in days and can’t find a clean plate, and to make things worse you’re on the last minute. What would you do? And more importantly, would you consider wearing……

Chink, Chink

The Porcelain dress by Chinese artist Li Xiaofeng?
You wouldn’t need to find a plate, and the partial shorts effect around the thigh area is particularly attractive.

Scenario Number Three:
You have a romantic date organized with someone who you’re out to impress, but unfortunately its been a very bad hair day. The hair can’t be tamed with all the brushes and oils of Persia, and you know how important nice hair is in a date context. You need to find something to wear which will detract attention away from your mane, perhaps even some form of total head covering? But, would you wear…………….

Bad hair day?

The giant, black, feathered egg dress by Giles Deacon?
It would leave an impression for sure, and the hair issue would no longer be an issue. So, would you?

[And last but not least]
Scenario Number Four:
A rainy day, your nephew’s fourth birthday party, a trip to the farm wearing animal costumes. You have been assigned the role of child watch assistant, but you must adhere to the strict fancy-dress code, however, you still want to look stylish and chic (you never know, there could be model scouts there). Would you swap face paint and a makeshift tail for……………….

Clip-Clop

Alexander McQueen’s very reptilian, hoof-style “armadillo” shoes?
You would walk like a panther, and probably howl in pain when walking (maybe a bit like a wolfhound) – but on second thoughts, that might scare the little ones…in fact, I think they’re going to give me nightmares.

Looks like the Gimzo skirt is the least offensive after all, I’d better start saving up.

Happy January!

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Read-a-tee

The world of graphic literature, offbeat news, culture, art and debate is, by nature, always morphing into new modes of expression, and in the case of евтини мебелиT-Post, the shape and texture of its expression is via t-shirt.

Combining news and a graphic t-shirt, T-Post is the world’s first wearable magazine. Every six weeks subscribers to T-Post receive a new issue in the mail with a news story on the inside, and an artistic interpretation on the outside.

There’s something wholesome about T-Post, despite its cutting edge innovation. The content of T-Post, in the stories it selects to write about, aims to inspire conversation; stories to make people think and open up new ideas and opinions. With an environmental conscience, the production is strictly limited to the number of T-Post subscribers. In other words, they will print one tee per subscriber, no more, no less. This way there is no overprinting, no selling of shirts in stores, and no waste. So if you’re subscribed you’re going to get something available only in the present tense, the same tee won’t be around at any future time.

Since the idea was born back in 2004, T-Post have begun distributing to over 50 countries, and if you want to get your hands on the latest issue, in which you can read all about Chako Paul City (a town in the Northern Sweden Woods where all the residents are women and all the women are gay), then you’ll just have to subscribe. Looks like quite the read.

T-Post current issue

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Everyone has an Uncle who is Funk

Does everybody have a funky uncle? I’m trying to think about funky things my uncles have done, but struggling to come up with material…does balding count as ‘funky’ these days? I think the ideal funky uncle is a diverse character. He has interests which span agriculture and food, investment, media, time travel and fashion. Thanks to Funkuncle, now everyone has a shared uncle who according to this criteria, is indeed funkalicious.

Funkuncle dubs itself a ‘multinational corporation with diverse interests throughout the world, extending into the atmosphere and even right down into the soft underbelly’, something which every uncle with a desire to be a funcle should strive to achieve. The corporation was established in 1955 by Edward J. Funkuncle as a manufacturer of spandex, but has grown and expanded ever since to become what it is today. So perhaps it isn’t really anything to do with becoming a funky uncle.

With its newest expansion being fashion, Funkuncle now offer a delightful range of graphic tees. Funkuncle write that their textile division seeks to create high art at the same time as completely mechanizing the artistic process, this is mostly achieved as their production line is 100% robot.

Some of their most iconic tees are “Time Box” and “Game Face”, which fuse modernity and colour with a distinctly retro overtone.

Time Box

Game Face

And remember, to be a funky uncle…everything must be taken with a pinch of salt.

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You Don’t Need a Hood to be in the Hood

Heard of S.I.T.H? It could stand for many things:

Sizzling In The Heat….
or Super Igloo: Tremendous Home…
or Screaming Invisible Trampoliner Hurt.

But (fortunately) what it actually signifies is: Star In The Hood.

London’s Tinchy Stryder is not just a pretty face/rapping rapper/musical melody maker who likes to flash around with his S.I.T.H clothes shimmering, he is in fact the very fashion master behind this brand. Created a couple of years ago, Tinchy says: “RESPECT” and “I wear it every single day”. After listening to Tinchy’s touching lyrics, I have been inspired by ‘the hood‘ way of life and have decided to make it my quest to become a Tinchy disciple. So far so good, I’ve been congratulated on the authenticity of my walk, shades and rhymes, now all I need is some cutting edge stizzle [style]. Where better to stizzle myself up that with some bone fide Tinchy wear, modeled by the man himself. Since it’s chilly I’ve decided to go for the sweatshirt, a soft, fleecy lining sounds so appealing for when I’m snuggled at home with a cup of tea….oh I mean, I need to keep warm-izzle when I’m out on the streets all night in a freestyle rap-off. There are many designs to choose from. The neon green on black is attractive, but since I’m aiming to be more of a ‘baller’, I think I’ll bling it up with the diamante, black-filled, grey-marl sweatshirt. No expense spared.

Serious Stizzle

Serious Stizzle

Despite my steely exterior (you need it in the hood), I have to admit that this gangsta’ is really quite the softie. So when selecting some Christmas presents for my homies, I’m planning on splashing my baller cash on an ‘I Got Soul’ Tinchy-esque tee, because 100% of the profits go to War Child, an international charity that protects children who live in the most dangerous war zones of the world. Yeah Tinchy, that’s right – “Respect”.

When you're in the hood, you're allowed to be grammatically incorrect

When you're in the hood, you're allowed to be grammatically incorrect

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Edible Couture

There are a lot of similarities between pastry chefs and fashion designers. Layers, cutting and construction. Colour, shape and matters of taste. It’s all about creating something that looks beautiful and makes you want it. Sounds like the ideal opportunity for a role reversal? Well that’s just what’s happened.

Alex Mabille has created this incredibly velvety looking yule log of dreams in a project with famous french tea room Angelina. Though it looks like my Grandma’s pin cushion, it really is good enough to eat. Expect chestnuts, candied apples, yuzu, lime, milk chocolate and caramelised pecans. This Christmas pud blows the raisins straight out of mine, though I’m not sure that I could realistically bring the fork to it come Christmas Day.

Log Couture

Log Couture

For the more dunkable designer coat, head down to The Berkley in Knightsbridge for a designer afternoon tea. Just make sure you don’t get your designer coat mixed up with the biscuit version. This Burberry Prorsum classic trench coat biscuit is quite out of the ordinary, with rich cinnamon flavours and caramel belt and buttons.

Coat Delicious

Coat Delicious

For real clothes, Cadbury’s can kit you out. Recruiting Giles Deacon to do the designing, the Cadbury’s Caramel Bunny now wears a strapless, ruffle, tulip dress with chocolate polka dots. Apparently this rabbit has been rated the third sexiest cartoon character, and now we all know why.

Chocolate Rabbit Fashion

Chocolate Rabbit Fashion

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Using Posterous for testimonials

Posterous

Posterous

Here at Indigo, the customer services team are often delighted to get testimonials and thank you messages from happy clients via email. The challenge was how could we quickly publish the testimonial to our website, twitter (@indigo) and Facebook (Indigo FB page)? Also, how could the customer services team member do this themself without asking the IT department to do it for them?

Our solution was Posterous – a blogging platform that can auto-post emails sent to it. Now, once someone gets a testimonial they just have to send it on to post@posterous.com and it will publish to our site and wherever else we need it to go! Sweet!

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How to be the Hostess with the Mostess

There’ll be mistletoe hanging around, you’ve got to look your best.

It’s party season, and though Nigella Lawson might be able to effortlessly carry off hosting a beautiful, candlelit, parmesan shaved party, it’s all a big fakie really. She has a TV crew to help out, is really good at rustling up a feast, and has the time to prepare in advance, luxuries many of us must live without. I always like to be the hostess with the slightly harsh streak. ‘Come to my party! It’s going to be amazing, and I can’t wait to see you! But bring your favourite drinks and food and music, and if you don’t, then….don’t come! See you then!’ It minimises the work front and leaves maximum time for home decoration and self-beautification. Sometimes you have to sacrifice your guest’s comfort to be truly fabulous.

The truly fabulous hostess has a jaw-dropping little Christmas number. Some of this season’s finest include the golden snowflake dress from Brit designers Dahlia. These ladies know how to craft a dress into Christmas bling at its finest. That said, I feel like I want to accessorise it with roller-skates for some reason. Perhaps some from here. Totally unique look.

GoldenSnowfallRollerBall

GoldenSnowfallRollerBall

If you’re a bit wobbly on the old roller skates, you might prefer to opt for a more understated glamour ooze. This dress from Reiss says: ‘She just threw me on, and I fit in all the right places. Look’ That’s just the kind of personality I look for in a dress. In pale pink and black, this will make you the hostess with a shprinkling of well positioned shparkle.

Not a Roller Skate in Sight

Not a Roller Skate in Sight

If you’re a man host, then wearing the perfect dress may not be so high on your agenda. But depending on your your guest list, you might still be out to impress. Why not try to pull it out of the bag in this B Store Buffalo Polka Shirt. The black on white is like an inverted snowstorm, radical yet also Christmassy. And I’ll tell you a secret…a contrast collar always makes the girls flock. Sssssshhh.

Dot to Dot

Dot to Dot

Most importantly, you must be on time for your own party. Always ensure that you’ve left a few extra minutes to slick some gel through your locks, construct an architecturally sublime gingerbread house, and slice some lemons. A party isn’t a party without sliced lemons. To keep you on time click this Firetrap White Alpha Watch around your wrist. Inkeeping with the wintery snow theme, white watches are what all the trendiest people have put on the top of their Christmas lists.

Snowy White Watches

Snowy White Watches

Remember, you don’t have to be Nigella to host the perfect party. Few slices of lemon, optional roller skates, the Pogues in the background, maybe some paper chains if you’ve got the time, and get the guests to do the rest.

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