They say if you want to write, read a lot. If you want to draw, draw all the time. If you want to become a Jedi, go to the swamp planet Dagobah and seek out a small green elf-ish man (creature?) for lessons. The point? Sometimes before you start your shop, create your social media channels, or grab that lightsaber, the best thing to do is to pause and look to those who have done this before, and learn from them. We talkedRead more
Pricing: How Much is Too Much?
What’s the price of pricing too high or low? Because on the one hand, you want to charge low enough that people won’t look at your price and go, “pssh I could use that on beer instead.” On the other hand, you don’t want to charge $5 a t-shirt and end up making negative moneys. Much like internship experience, you can’t pay for food with negative moneys. You could risk it and price too high or low, but at whatRead more
Overused Designs: Avoid Them or Embrace Them?
Overused designs can be kind of like exhausted memes, or even fanart at a convention – been there, seen that. But here’s the thing about overused designs – they can also sell. I talked to a few of our artists and product team members, and while the product team members told me about designs that were way overused, artists said that while that’s true, those same designs can bring in some serious money. Sure, there are a ton of “KeepRead more
February Wrap-Up!
In honor of spring creepin’ just around the corner, we decided to get a jump on some of our spring cleaning by organizing some helpful links from around the interwebz for ya! The internet is vast. And it can be hard to filter through which posts are helpful, which are redundant, and which are straight up BS. Sometimes we find resources (blog posts, articles, the occasional funny) that we share amongst ourselves because we find them helpful or insightful. And now, atRead more
The Best Times for Social Media Posts
So, the road so far: we’ve looked at social media channels you should be using, how to frugally use those sites for advertising, and how to make your posts on those channels super engaging. But WHEN are the best times for a social media posts? Minor details, right? If social media posts are published and no one is around to see it, does it make a sound? And by sound I mean internet buzz that translates into sales, fans and followers. Believe itRead more
What Does Triblend Mean?
A triblend t-shirt versus a regular t-shirt is one of the choices that will come up when creating a t-shirt business or when you’re shopping. When I first started working at Threadless and didn’t know the lingo yet, I kept wondering: WTF is a triblend? If you were to ask me, I’d tell you that a triblend tee is the softest thing you’ll ever touch. In fact, you’ll want everything in your life made out of triblend. But that’s notRead more
How to Build a Consistent Brand
There are many reasons why brand consistency is key. On the one hand, it breeds trust in your audience and, put bluntly, shows you’ve got your shit together. We’ve all come across people who are inconsistent or don’t carry through with what they say – do we ever really trust those people? Of course not! Same with brands. But it goes both ways. Brand consistency also shapes the perception of how your audience sees you by showing them that hey,Read more
How Many Products Should I Have in My Shop?
This is a question that is a surprisingly easy thing to overlook until you’re actually getting your PNGs ready and thinking, “wait…how many products should I have in my shop?” Truth is, there is no one magic number of how many items = the perfect amount of items for your shop. From the audience to the product to the parent site, there are a ton of variables that come into play when deciding the right amount for your shop. So, to cutRead more
Ideas for Creating Engagement-Worthy Content
It’s one thing to say that you have to make your content creative. But how do you actually do that? It’s easier said than done. The key is getting your audience to actually engage with what you’re posting. And there are ways to make your content stand out and to get people coming back. Here are a few ideas to get your brain storming: The Coffee Shop Tip Jar Method Have you ever been to a coffee shop where theyRead more
The Anatomy of an Awesome Logo
Creating a logo seems pretty easy. But after staring at a blank sheet of paper for a few hours waiting for inspiration to hit, it becomes clear that creating a logo is actually pretty dang hard. The Point of an Artist Logo A logo isn’t just an image – it represents your art style, your vibe, your tone, you as an artist. When you google “logos,” most of what you get are company logos. But your logo isn’t just illustratingRead more
7 Tips for Creating Creative Social Media Content
Marketing yourself can be the classic “left brain, right brain” balance. On the analytical side, you have a mission: to build your brand. On the more artistic, right-brain side: you want to have fun with it and do it in a way that’s creative. You want your social media to work for you from a seller aspect, sure. But you’re also a creative – not a corporation whose one goal is to shove their product down people’s’ throats. So how do youRead more
How to Social Media
Shockingly, social media isn’t just for sending tweets that say “omg i love u plz retweet or ill DIE ?” to celebs (they love that, trust me.) It’s also an insanely good – and crucial – tool to promote your product and yourself. Let’s look at 1: what sites create the most sales, 2: which to use, 3: how to use them and 4: how to get creative with them. What sites create the most sales? Facebook is the leaderRead more