Designerd

I have a friend that thinks that because I work on computers all day that I'm the world's biggest nerd. Sure I may have some nerdy aspects, but I'm not a programmer, web developer or network administrator so I think I'm far from nerdy. Still she insists on introducing me to other "nerds" as "this is James, he works on computers too!"

Then when questioned about my nerdiness I have to explain that I'm a graphic designer... which is normally when the other guy says something like "I'm a systems analyst - you're not a nerd." So I end up with no nerd-cred either.

Anyway, I have come to accept and embrace my nerdier elements including my fondness for kerning, my obsession with pantone swatch books, my unhealthy relationship with Photoshop and my never-ending need to make sure vector paths have as few points as possible... (ok, so maybe I'm uber-nerdy...)

Luckily for me the mega-design-nerds at Chopping Block have a sweet little shop cutely titled the Chop Shop which caters for those of us who dedicate way too much thought to things like leading and resolution. The site has a good range of shirts for guys and girls and even has a downloadable Chop Shop song by They Might Be Giants. Could it get any nerdier? If yes let me know!

Concrete Hermit

As if it wasn't easy enough to spend your money already, what with concert tickets, wii's, iPods, sneakers etc etc. Then along comes a store like Concrete Hermit that not only has amazing tshirts, but lures you into spending more of your pocket money on delightful goodies such as designer prints, books and badges. Adorned with images from leading designers including Jon Burgerman, Kate Moross and Richard May, the Concrete Hermit stuff may be hard to resist. It would also be perfect for presents for people like... well... me.

People Like Them

Ok, so if you're one of those people who can spend a bit extra on a shirt just because there's something about it that you really love you've got to visit People Like Us, because they have a knack for creating those shirts. But don't worry, you get plenty of bang for your buck, including some of the hottest designs on awesome quality shirts, and - if you go for the packaging option - you also get a printed library bag, postcards, a toy, stickers and lollies. Yeah! The collective has been getting quite a bit of attention in the press recently, and all for good reason, as their shirts bear stunning designs from a cavalcade of leading artists including Jeremy Somers, Jan Avendano and Inksurge.

urbnkila

I don't know much about urbnkila, but i do know that they have some pretty tight shirt designs. Their shop has a fairly large array of graffiti influenced apparel, with a similar styling to 123Klan. On a side note, Urbnkila is the product of Obeko, which is also a nice place to head for some stunning eye candy (of the graphic sort!)

Waste Yourself

You want limited edition? How about 1 of 10? Waste (aka. Danial Lowe and Norman Hayes) are producing some cutting edge design work and have just released some new shirts and hoodies that are mega-stylish and mega-limited. You can grab them at the Waste Shop - if you're lucky!

CRAP

Crap. That's what the new line of tshirts by Dutch artist Parra is called, which, somewhat ironically, are sure to sell really quickly. Parra's clothing label Rockwell has been around for a while now, and the website doubles up as Parra's online art-space. Hours and hours of visual treats!

MojiZu

Does it ever feel like characters have taken over the world? It's as if everyone from accountants to adhesive companies seems to have a cute little character to help promote their business and increase their likeability. Yay! I really like good character design, and so does everyone at Mojizu - a contempary character design community. Mojizu enables users to submit their own "moji," download heaps of stuff, participate in forums or even moji battles and enter the mojizu tshirt competition... to name but a few. Speaking of tshirts, I just remembered this is a tshirt blog... and these shirts are fine. Damn fine. Created from member's art from the site, these numbers (J Luv and Programmed to Destroy are pictured) are supercute and available from the moji shop. Moji-rific!