Riding with a driver

Intoxicate- 1. To stupefy or excite by the action of a chemical substance such as alcohol.

This word is thrown around, but what does it mean exactly. Definition-style. As a self-proclaimed word-smith, I enjoy breaking down words into their meanings. When words get used over and over again, I think sometimes we get numbed to them.

So basically, when you get in the car with an intoxicated driver, you are in 4000 pound vehicle, moving at a speed between 25 and 65 mph, this person is literally 'stupefied'.

Something to think about? Methinks yes ...

Gold star for you!

I must congratulate you. No, really, this is not a trick.

You, my fellow Iowans, are a whopping 9 percent above the average! If you remember from throughout middle school and high school, being above the average is looked upon fondly.

Check out this safety fact sheet (pdf). If you look closely, you will see that in 2009, the national average for those who wore seatbelts was at 84 percent, whereas an average of 93 percent of Iowans take care to snap that belt. That is the highest use rate in the history of the state!

93 percent! In grade terms, this is an A-. Not too shabby guys. However, wearing your seatbelt is the number one prevention method you have, and a simple way to ensure protection. That fashion forward polyester-nylon blend strap keeps your body and head in place. We know we are above average, but is it too starry-eyed to ask for more? An A or even A+? Methinks not, I believe we can do it.

Design Dilemmas

I have way more respect now for the process that goes into design.

I'm the kind of person that either likes or dislikes something. If I want to buy a shirt, I try on 7, and immediately know which one I want.

You would think that the design process would be similar, right? Ooh, lets just pick a pretty color, slap some pretty lettering on it, and botta boom botta bang, we have ourselves the coolest shirt ever.

Close, but no cigar.

There is font, and color, and shade. There is the placing of the imprint, the imprint itself, the ulterior unintended messages that could accidentally happen, oh my!

The end result, of course, is fantastic. However, who would have guessed that six color choices for background, ink choices, paying attention to gender considerations . . .

It makes me tired just thinking about it. So, when you take this shirt after it's printed, wear it with pride. A lot went into its creation. Mwahahaha.

The miracle of a designer!

texting while driving

see past the illusion

face 2 face is the solution

The process - We have gained a designer to our group who has created the wonderful image on the back of the T-shirt. Our job was to come up with a slogan, T-shirt color, imprint color, and think about cost and shipping. After a plethora of discussions we decided on the slogan "texting and driving, see past the illusion, face 2 face is the solution." We chose this slogan because it is catchy and ties our message and image together (stop texting and driving and have that conversation face 2 face).

The next step was the color choice. We decided to choose navy because the white image really popped out. Also, navy is a fairly gender neutral color.

The next problem to tackle was cost. The price of the shirt varies and is dependent on the color, the number of shirts ordered, the number of colors on the shirt, and whether an image is on both the front and back. Production (plus shipping) usually takes 10 days.

Interview with 'The Designer'

Who are you, 'The Designer'?
I am a graphic design student. I like design because for me personally, I am a very creative person. I like all sorts of design. Even designing clever phrases, creating things in your mind. I have a lot of ideas, and I feel like design is the way that I show them. It is the way I communicate.

I think that design is universal, it is up to your own interpretation-- you don't learn it, you look at it and it means something to you. You want people to see what you see in the end. You draw them in with 'this isn't so scary, it's familiar.'

What part of the challenge of designing messages interests you?
I think with any design you want to have big ideas, but you have to simplify your ideas in order for people to understand. You have to understand your audience in order to be able to communicate with them.

What do you think you can contribute to our team?
I think I can contribute unique designs. I like to push the envelope, start off crazy and calm down.

Great, any last words for us?
Nope, that's it!