:: Hilary Leung ::: 2010

Thursday, November 4, 2010

10-10-10 contest

Threadless is currently holding a contest where they will award three lucky designers $10k each. The only criteria is "to design something iconic".

I immediately thought of two separate concepts... "Rock Paper Scissors" and "Wizard of Oz". I seem to associate iconic with bold and graphic, so here are my two submissions.

Weapon of Choice - The eternal battle between Rock, Paper and Scissors summed up in this iconic design. Be sure to check out the flash presentation!

Weapon of Choice - Threadless, Best T-shirts Ever

Forecast - Today's forecast includes periods of song, dance... and complete calamity! Be careful as this storm system will bring a chance of flying monkey poo as well - don't forget to pack an umbrella!

I could not think of anything more iconic than Wizard of Oz. This design captures the moment Dorothy and friends meet the Wicked Witch of the West and her team of Flying Monkeys. I imagined the quartet was not amused… not at all.

forecast - Threadless, Best T-shirts Ever

There have already been some fantastic submissions, including Raging Randa 2000 by the super talented Vince Chui!

Raging Randa 2000 - Threadless, Best T-shirts Ever

If you like these designs, please please support us! Simply log onto Threadless, create an account and vote $5 on our designs. It's fast and it's free!

We can also use your help to spread the word! The voting period is only seven days!

Please and thank you friends!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Who is Daruma?

Wow. Time absolutely flies. It was exactly a year ago, when my fiancée Steph was having one of the worst days of her life. She was pulling triple duty at work, wedding-planning and trying to schedule a date for her knee reconstruction surgery (torn ACL).

That particular evening, Steph and I were meeting for dinner after work. It was also the opening night for the "Lonely Robot" art show. Steph didn't go because she was on crutches but, knowing my love for art and robots, she insisted that I attend. Unaware of her highly emotional day, I quickly popped into the show before dinner.

There was some amazing artwork by 20 local artists, however my highlight was a delightful piece by Hyein Lee.

I picked up her promo postcard which featured a cute, but strange creature with only one eye that said: "Make a Wish."

On the back of the card read, "Daruma is a Japanese wish doll. It's a symbol of optimism, good fortune and strong determination. Your Daruma only has one eye. Make a wish or set a goal for the new year. Draw in the missing eye when you achieve your goal."

It was perfect. I don't remember what we had for dinner, but I'll never forget Steph's reaction to the Daruma. It was a huge emotional release for both of us. It was a light at the end of a dark tunnel. It was the promise of a better day. Steph closed her eyes tightly, made her wish, and set her goal.

Staying true to her goal, we worked hard at rehabilitating her knee after surgery. A year later, we are now happily married and Steph is back on the field competing again. Plus she got a promotion at work!

I never thought that a one-eyed Japanese doll on a postcard promoting a local Toronto artist would have such a profound effect on our lives, but it did. The daruma will always have a special place in our hearts. After drawing in our missing eye, I created a design that will allow others to find optimism, fortune and determination in the eye of their own Daruma.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

:: Sunshine Girls Flip Flops ::

If you love these flip-flops as much as I do, please send in your votes on Threadless!

This is last chance to help me make these designs into a reality :)

Signing up on Threadless.com is both fast and free! Thanks again for everyone's support!

Sunshine Girls - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

Thursday, April 8, 2010

:: Fantasy Havaianas Winner Picks ::

As the long (voting) season is coming to a close, a lot of fans like to predict who will be crowned the champion. There are always some clear contenders, some dark horses and of course some "Cinderella stories" in the mix. But there can only be one winn... er, I mean TWO WINNERS for the Havaiana's challenge!!

Please note that I am a total newbie on Threadless and this list is just for fun! I'm certain that I missed a lot of quality submissions - no offense was intended. In fact, I invite you to help me with this list. If you'd like to play along, please send in your favorites and we'll work out the brackets together. If not, you'll find my top 16 below.

I've assembled the brackets accordingly... Seeding went from membership seniority (oldest to newest.) Two design conferences were divided (as best as I could) by COLOR(ful) vs. MONO(tone)

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE!

Day 1 - Finalize the top 16 fantasy picks! Voting period runs from now until April 9, 2010 23:59:59 EST

Day 2 - Conference Quarter-Finals Match-up (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs.6 and 4 vs. 5) Voting period runs until April 10, 2010 23:59:59 EST

Day 3 - Conference Semi-Finals Match-up (1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3) Voting period runs until April 11, 2010 23:59:59 EST

Day 4 - Conference Finals (1 vs. 2) Top 2 are technically already winners! Voting period runs until April 12, 2010 23:59:59 EST

Day 5 - Finals Match! COLOR CHAMP vs. MONO CHAMP Just for kicks - we'll see who will win it all!! Voting period runs until April 13, 2010 23:59:59 EST

Here are my top 16 personal picks:

MONO Conference:

1. "Flip Flop Rabbits in a T-shirt", by JuliaBk - Those flip-flop wearing rabbits are absolutely adorable!

Flip Flop Rabbits in a T-shirt - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

2. "Deep Blue Sea", by pilihp - Gorgeous illustration and let's face it, everything Phil touches is gold.

Deep Blue Sea - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

3. "Sandcastle" by Recycledwax - Fun, friendly and beautifully rendered design. Perfect for the beach!

Sandcastle - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

4. "Typecast", by BLXMAN77 - Clean and clever! This delivers a fantastic message too! Love it!

Typecast - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

5. "Shaka", by quister - I know it's not really monotone... but, I'm a sucker for both "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa" and the spirit of Shaka. Perfect beach design!

Shaka - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

6. "L'irrésistible", by rodrigobhz - Super charming characters with a irresistible appeal! Both expressions are absolutely priceless!

L'irrésistible - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

7. "Brain vs. Brawn", by TangYauHoong - A delightful design that seriously kicks ass! Seriously, this is absolute genius!

Brain vs. Brawn - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

8. "Popsicle fail vs. pass", by mchenwears - A brilliant design that works wonderfully on both t-shirt and flip-flops!

Popsicle fail vs. pass - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

COLOR Conference:

1. "It's a Good Day to be a Sea Monster", by valorandvellum - Cute Sea Monster + Beautiful Textures & Patterns = a Winning Combination!

It's a Good Day to be a Sea Monster - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

2. "Burger, Fries, and a Shake Your Booty", by pilihp - Delightful dancing characters that we all know and love speaks for itself. Beautiful colors too!

Burger, Fries, and a Shake Your Booty - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

3. "Sounds of the Ocean", by alexmdc - Beautifully-rendered design with so many intricate details! I personally prefer the mono-tone version, but it is definitely a top contender!

Sounds of the Ocean - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

4. "The Fungus is Among Us", by Walmazan - Hope you like mushrooms, because this is a feast for your eyes! Absolutely an amazing piece that you will want to look at over and over again!

The Fungus is Among Us - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

5. "The Road", by joaolauro - A wonderful design with delicate line-work that will totally sweep you off your feet! I really really want this one to win!

The Road - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

6. "Let there be TACOS", by nickv47 - Fun, festive and super contagious! I challenge you to take a look and not smile:)

Let there be TACOS - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

7. "Sunshine Girls" by hilaryleung - I know I know, I'm lame for voting myself, but I really like these designs (and so does my mother!)

8. "Everybody Loves Havaianas", by maatdias - High form, high function and gorgeous colors to boot! Plus there are hidden luchadores!

Everybody Loves Havaianas - Threadless T-shirts, Nude No More

There you have it folks - my personal top 16! I'm completely open to discussing reworking this list, so please post your nominations below!

Voting closes on April 9, 2010 23:59:59 EST.

Thanks!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

:: threadless ::

I'm a huge fan of t-shirt design, so naturally I love Threadless.com. Unfortunately I just never found the time to register and submit any designs... until this past long weekend!

Upon visiting their site, I discovered that Threadless teamed up with Havaianas for an amazing design challenge. Designers were challenged to create both a sandal design and t-shirt design before April 4, 2010 11:59:59 CST.

I have two design submissions. The first one was based on the Flying Monkeys from the Wizard of Oz (gotta love their monkey suits!) That's when I noticed that the sandal straps were obscuring my design. So for the second submission, I designed with the straps in mind. And I might add - with very pleasant results!

If you like what you see and want these designs made into actual sandals and t-shirts - please take a moment to comment and vote for them.

Thanks for your support!

Friday, March 5, 2010