This week, we bring you a creative project by poet Austin Kleon. Using strategically crossed-out newspaper articles, he creates short yet powerful poetry. This project started as a book and he has since made a t-shirt to compliment his work on the page. The phrase ‘Creativity is subtraction’ is motto that drives the entire series of poems, taking away the extra words to create new meanings. The hand-scribbled black on the shirt makes the design feel heavy and draws the eye instantly. You almost have to lean into the design to read the phrase. For more on this project and to read these delicious poems, check it out at http://www.austinkleon.com

Dan Hunnel! Look below to see his winning caption!

“The line to join the Jamaican Bobsled Elves moves TOO slow.”

Congrats, Dan!

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Also, check out events we’ll be at this week!

Friday, April 30th at 8pm! The Pocono Community Theater!

Sunday, May 2nd
“The Annual Village Fair”

New York, New York

We’ll be located on Broadway between Broome and Grand Street! Come give us a hug!!!

This season, it’s about more than just t-shirts. Coming in May.

Dear Frankenstein’s Monster,

with all of the hype surrounding vampires and werewolves, where’s the monster love? You are probably the most likable supernatural: a brute with a soft spot. Isn’t it bad enough you didn’t get any love from your father? You would’ve done better giving the role of “Dad” to Federline, rather than Frankenstein. I think it’s time the media start paying attention to monsters sewn together. Not even Martha Stewart could compare to such craftsmanship. Only amateurs crochet. By the way, I heard Sally was single.

I digress. We here at the People Like Me office want you to be our new mascot. You are unique–one of a kind! I mean, you ARE made up of many different people, it makes perfect sense. We’re all about the people. Plus, aren’t we all more than just the sum of our parts?

Sincerely,
People Like Me

PS I hope they’ve taught you how to read by now.

2010 marks the 75th Anniversary of DC Comics in publication. Throughout the year, the company has licensed the likeness of their superheroes on many pieces of merchandise. From rings, lunchboxes, action figures, and (our all-time favorite) T-Shirts!

Trunk LTD, known for their high quality & vintage style prints, have collaborated with DC to make a “classic” line of superhero-inspired t-shirts. Available only at Bloomingdale’s, the shirt designs themselves are actually reprints of early comic book covers featuring heroes such as Green Lantern, Superman, and Batman.

This Batman shirt pays homage to the Detective Comics series, a title which has starred Batman or a member of the Bat-Family for almost the entire run. The background of the graphic looks like a chipped off paint collage, with crackles of the images missing. An old school Batman logo can be seen up top, with some variations of the Dark Knight placed behind the big black and white drawing over most of the shirt.

Another Fanboy-worthy item from this anniversary celebration are these AWESOME cufflinks! The third ones are a BOOM/WHACK combo! How amazing is that?!?!

Visit your local Bloomingdale’s to check out the rest of their comic-inspired merchandise!

Hello!

Some of you may have seen my interview on the Agar Apparel blog two days ago. One of the things I discuss (other than the hardships of fame) is my favorite graphic designer and hero, Chip Kidd. Today we bring you a clip so that YOU can get to know him and love him as well. Don’t you just want to steal his entire Batman collection?

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Also, as you know, we’ve gor our photo caption contest currently going on and even though I’m not eligible to win (sad face), I wanted to take a stab at it myself. Okay, here it goes:

“A Michael Jackson Christmas Special: We Do It For The Kids”

To see the photo and learn more about this contest, click here. Do you have a better caption? E-mail it to us! Info@peoplelikemeshop.com

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Also, don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list and get a coupon for 15% OFF + FREE SHIPPING. I know, we love you too. Now go tell your friends.

Dear Ke$ha,

I think you’re going through an identity crisis. There are things that cannot coexist in the same performance. We, consumers, know that most of the image you put out is a front. It is manufactured and designed to cater to what you THINK we wish to buy. Like any true american, I understand this fact and still bop my head to your song in my car. It’s sort of like pro wrestling. We know it’s fake, but that doesn’t make it less enjoyable.

But your performance on SNL this weekend was just…not okay. Essentially, you were being marketed as a watered-down Lady Gaga, who is already a watered-down Grace Jones. Don’t get me wrong, I love Gaga. She’s COMMITTED to her weird: something you aren’t. You can’t go around singing about how much you don’t care and that you’re a drunken mess that rolls out of bed from a disco nap just to get to the next party and THEN wear an outfit that obviously took you two hours to put together. Not to mention matching outfits for the backup band. You can’t be Grace Jones and Iggy Pop at the same time. Salvador Dali would never hang out with Courtney Love. It doesn’t work that way.

I’m not mad at you though. The economy is rough. Get that money. Sit down with your record company and plan your next few outfits. Do what you have to do. All I’m saying is that maybe if you get your personas together, we’ll believe you the next time you show us a mask and call it your face.

Sincerely,
People Like Me

P.S. Was the dollar sign in your name really necessary?

This week, we’re featuring a design by Agar Apparel. The company is comprises solely of Mark Garcia, a graphic designer that I actually went to school with. Coincidentally we both graduated to create t-shirt companies (there must be something in the water). This young entrepeneur has fun and funky designs that’ll add a dash of sugar to any wardrobe. Here’s a snippet of their manifesto off their site:

In science, Agar is a jello like substance used to cultivate things in petri dishes. In Japan, it’s a delicious desert. In fashion, it’s the newest in street wear that experiments with contemporary style and turns it on it’s head.

One standout design is their “Parasite” hoodie. It features the name of the company (“Agar”) on it in a modern sans-serif font. But upon further inspection, you can see that the letters are made up of tiny cartoon-like bacteria and parasites, which fit perfectly with the brand.

It’s exactly this kind of layered design sensibility that we here at the People Like Me office drool over.

We here at the People Like Me office love movies. We also love design. This makes today’s featured video all of our favorite things wrapped up into one smile-inducing package. Today we’re showcasing the title sequence from the film Thank You For Smoking. The typography and design of this is amazing. It’s got that vintage feel, all the right fonts, and it flows flawlessly.