Today marks a new day for Wizeguyztees as it has been given a brand new face to show off in 2009. You may also notice a few new changes like on every inch on the website. I have been unavailable for the past couple months as I was in the redesign mode. I hope you like the new look. I am amazed at how it turned out.

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The Ryde is a very interesting t shirt shop that has declared itself a surf brand. While the designs do not all feature a surfer like the one below, it is very clear that surfing is a way of like for the designers of this shop and have added some cool features to get their surf fans involved. They have added gold pieces that you can earn by sending them photos wearing their t shirts. While most shirts are $24, they pick a different t shirt everyday to sell for $12.  They call this the insanitee deal. They also have a blog and they have a unique sidebar where they post something for the moment. Right now they are talking about Surfer Magazine. It is a really cool concept and I like how they have decided that surfing is the company niche and they seem to be sticking to it very well. I do not have any doubt when I visit the site that surfing is the backbone to what they are all about. If you are looking for something outside the box then check out The Ryde and you just might find that never seen before design that will put a smile on your face.

With all the software that is on the open market today for graphic art it is no surprise that there is no shortage of graphic artists out there in cyber world.  However, there still is a big difference between a graphic artist with God given talent and just another graphic artist who knows how to make a banner add for you. Many aspiring artists have found their niche in the t shirt world and there are some major websites that have developed a business model that can provide a win-win situation for both sides.

So you want to be a well know graphic artist but you have no idea how to get started?  Well there are t shirt websites that run contests where they let the users log in and vote on the designs that they like the best. The winners then get paid either a prize or a royalty for each t shirt sold with their design on it and the t shirt website takes a cut as well. Sounds like a waste of time? What if I told you that there are some sites out there that pay 3-5k to the winners of some contests and the artists who win on these sites become famous within these communities that have thousands of members. Now I think I have your attention so I will take you by the hand and lead you to the promise land.

The first major t shirt site that you have to check out and submit your designs to is Threadless. The story behind the owners of this company is incredible but to shorten it up lets just say that they had $500 to their name when they launched Threadless and it is now a multi-million dollar a year business. They have contests running non-stop and they have different pay outs for each one.  Some of the contests get into the 3-5k range and the graphic artists who win on this site are instant superstars in the underground t shirt world.  Not bad considering it costs nothing to sign up and submit your designs and you will get paid and become somewhat famous if you win.

Another site you should visit is Design By Humans.  The concept is the same with this company yet you will notice a slight difference in the designs on this site. In my opinion this site is more of a detailed design where Threadless will have some detailed designs mixed in with some funny designs as well.  DBH is really all about cool designs and the payout with this company is in the same category as Threadless. They operate with a community focus and allow you to submit your designs for the community to vote on and will print the designs with the most votes. If Threadless is the giant in this industry, Design By Humans is the little brother that is growing up quickly.

Another really cool site to submit your designs to is Uneetee. They run a similar competition style format as the other two above, however, they only feature one design each day for 24 hrs. and then it is gone forever. This is a very unique concept for a t shirt site to use but it is working very well for them and they are fast becoming well known by anyone who keeps up with online t shirt companies. As a young aspiring artist, getting your designs voted on by the community of any one of these three sites would be a great step forward even if you do not win the contest. Thousands of people log in daily between these three sites and you are putting your designs in front of all of them with zero money out of your pocket. The winners gain instant recognition and get to compete against other winners usually every 6 months which have much larger payouts.  Win one of these contests and you will start getting people emailing you left and right for freelance projects.

In the world of Web 2.0, it is very important to use free resources to get your artwork in front of as many people as possible as many artists have made a career for themselves simply by getting involved in contests much like the ones above and t shirt sales are doing very well right now despite the condition of the economy.  If you are an artist and would like to share your experiences with me please email me at wgwear@gmail.com.