And Now For Something Completely Different

It's hard to say what this blog's aesthetic is, but generally, it shies away from what I'd call "Emptees fare". There's a certain aesthetic the guys over there largely subscribe to that regularly fails to click with me, despite much of the execution being simply top-notch. Which I think is part of why I was tentative when I received an email from Emptees god Dan Mumford, and part of why I am consequently stoked to be bringing you this particular post. I hope you'll come along for the ride.

Today, we're talking about his newest brainchild, Submit and Remix, which operates on one of the most intriguing ideas I've seen in a while. Take two solid designers. Commission a design from each. Then let them loose remixing the other's design. The result is a quartet of tees that truly highlight how similar ideas can influence different minds dramatically. It's about finding inspiration without copying (hey now, there's a lesson MANY people could profit from), and pushing your own creativity. It's possibly the epitome of selling the fundamentals of art: creativity and inspiration, as opposed to whatever crap might sell hottest today.

Of course, all this is meaningless if it's not also coming with awesome shirts, but you probably knew that I wouldn't bother featuring a site that didn't. Series one brings us Horsebites (creator of one of my favorite Threadless selects) and Keaton Henson, whose remix is my easy favorite of series one. I've decided to dub this "The Pink Monstrosity," which seems like a fair title given the art. That bubblegum-pink is certainly a selling point... it's a bold choice, which plays perfectly with the otherwise basic colors... it provides a bright counterpoint to the blacks, and a loud counterpoint to the timidness of white. The flowing black bands shine like vinyl records, and the skulls are attractively rendered and, in a way, embedded in the pink, visceral mound herein, they become powerful. It seems to be, all in all, a unique circle-of-life piece. But above all that, c'mon, it's simply killer. If future rollouts can keep up this level of inspiration, this'll definitely be an indie to watch.