The T-Shirt: A Collection of 500 Designs [Paperback]

Lou Lv (Author), Zhang Huiguang (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

Perhaps the ultimate icon of this generation, the T-shirt originated from tea and shirts. The history claims that seventeenth-century workers downloading tea boxes from boats in the harbor of Annapolis in the US wore a kind of short sleeve shirt that was eventually named the T-shirt in reference to the tea as well as form of the shirt, which resembled the letter "T:. By the 1920s, the word T-shirt appeared in official U.S. dictionaries. Over time, what was originally just a form of warm-weather work clothing has evolved and developed a life of its own. The T-shirt, in its simplist form, makes a statement about the wearer. Whether political, artistic, or humorous, a T-shirt displays a message that reflects the ideals of the wearer. T-shirts are one of the world?s most prolific forms of graphic message and personal statement, both commercial and personal. This collection looks at the T-shirt and its many forms. The chapters include The Legend of the T-shirt, Power of an Idol, Duplication of Art, Declaration, Mobile Posters, Simple and Fashionable, Design Element, and Technique. Altogether, this volume provides an immense catalog of 500 designs for inspiration and enjoyment for designers, crafters, and T-shirt enthusiasts.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Luo Lv is a freelance graphic designer and writer living in Singapore, Asia

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Rockport Publishers (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159253306X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592533060
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #979,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book filled with lots of ideas..., July 13, 2007

By 

B. Thedell "Technical Writer" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The T-Shirt: A Collection of 500 Designs (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. It had a historical overview, organized sections, and lush color photographs. It's a *great* book to browse through looking for inspiration; there's a totally unique or fun-n-strange idea at least every few pages. There were a few things which knocked it down to four stars, however:

The tips (and most of the text in general) were next to useless; their screen printing tip, for example, described the process with about as much detail as a dictionary entry.

A wider variety of shirts would have been good for some areas; the "counter culture" and corporate "logo" sections were bursting with material, but the "historical" sections seemed to fast forward from the early 20th to today, with a brief stop at the 60s and 80s. The "Design" section had some of the most interesting shirts of all, yet was a smaller chapter towards the end. They could have put in a wider variety of t-shirts, and could have found room for them by cutting out many of the repetitive examples (they had EVERY World of Warcraft t-shirt, even if it was just two different characters in the same pose as characters from the previous t-shirt.

Still, I'd recommend this to anyone interested in t-shirt making, or just fashion in general.

4.0 out of 5 stars I love this book!, September 1, 2009

By 

Gagandeep Johal (Fairfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The T-Shirt: A Collection of 500 Designs (Paperback)

This is a must for those who are looking for history of t-shirt art and be inspired by it.
I recommend this book to everyone.