I'd just like to take a moment to thank Steez and MrPlump for all their hard work.
Without Rajah, we wouldn't be looking at this incredibly clean, eminently professional design. We wouldn't have custom embroidered sizing tags. We wouldn't have the experience to ensure that our design translated so precisely to an actual, physical product. Without Rajah, our apparel would not have an identity - much less an identity that so perfectly encapsulates our community and the styling cues utilized in our site design. Producing t-shirts on this scale is an incredibly expensive undertaking as it is. I want to make sure people recognize what an incredible luxury it is to have an experienced, professional designer actually volunteer his services. We could not have hired a better designer for this project. On top of every thing else, the man is a perfectionist. After creating a finalized, ready to use design file, more than once he's gone back and rebuilt the entire thing for scratch to make sure it lives up to his exacting standards. Not only did he craft scores of breathtaking designs, he often produces multiple variations of each design so that we, as a group, are able to zero in on the ideal choice. With all of his experience and success as a designer, you'd expect a bit of an ego - and, in that case, you would be dead wrong. His willingness to artfully incorporate various suggestions into his designs has been extraordinary. There was a palpable sense of excitement and anticipation whenever Rajah prepared to post his latest designs/revisions. It's like opening presents as a child.
Steez has driven this project from concept to reality. You may not realize it, but this t-shirt has been nearly two years in the making. Steez went out and forged contacts with screenprinters and apparel manufacturers. He solicited all of the estimates, he even purchased sample t-shirts at his own expense, sending them to a handful of staff members including myself for evaluation. Not only has Steez handled the grueling legwork on these shirts, he's selflessly (if not recklessly) volunteered to handle all of the order processing and shipping BY HIMSELF. We're talking about hundreds of packages in a very short time frame. Not only that, but Steez has even bankrolled the entire production run by himself. This is an enormous financial burden to shoulder, and we cannot thank Steez enough for his efforts on our behalf. Without his persistence, without his tenacity, without his determination, this project doesn't get done, period. If Rajah gave us the pieces, Steez put them all together. Because of Rajah, this is a work of art. Because of Steez, this is a real shirt - and one you can actually order and own. Printing up a dozen shirts for your intramural basketball team is no big deal. Printing up 1,000 shirts in your spare time, with a limited budget is a conceptual nightmare - and Steez took that on alone. No one has put in more time on this than Steez. If T-Shirts had credits, he'd be the producer, the director, the stunt coordinator, the limo driver, the studio marketing executive, on down to the dolly grip.
So, if you like this shirt, if you like the concept of NikeTalk t-shirts, you owe Steez and MrPlump a debt of gratitude.
Any additional t-shirts or apparel products we might possibly offer down the road will be a direct result of the foundation that these two have laid down for us.
Thanks for all your hard work, guys. I could not be happier with the way these shirts turned out. I hope our members enjoy them as much as I do but, more importantly, I hope they appreciate your efforts as much as I do.
I'm still not bumping you up to "admin" status, though.