Hello everyone! Things have been chaotic lately, hence the lack of updates. On Tuesday I was at home in Illinois. I worked all day, went out to dinner (mmm Chinese), packed some clothes and hit the road at 8:30 pm with my lovely girlfriend, embarking on the 15 hour drive across the country to Louisiana. After a long night of random video taping and fun-filled stops at gas stations, we rolled into Baton Rouge around 11 am, just to be told that we had to hop back in the car and drive another hour to Lafayette! Once we got to Lafayette, of course I couldn’t relax or go to sleep, but instead spent the entire day helping my dad and his rock band, UNDUN, set up for their “Hooters & Hogs” concert, where they proceeded to rock out for a parking lot full of bikers. I got to sleep around 11 pm, completely and utterly exhausted.

Now it is Thursday, and I finally have a chance to sit down and relax. I have no plan and no responsibilities, and I LOVE it, but I’m sure I’ll be bored and working on something in about an hour! The long drive down to Louisiana gave me a lot to think about, so my head is totally rushing with ideas for Beetnik Aesthetics at the moment. Thanks for reading!

All orders placed between July 9th and July 19th will be shipped on Monday, July 20th.

-a guy named loren

This is one of the craziest websites I have EVER seen. The website is home to BooneOakley, an innovative marketing firm, and is made up entirely of youtube videos. The way they have interacted with the youtube layout is just amazing. I’m not sure if any other websites have been created in this manner, but I can hardly wrap my mind around it. The “buttons” on each youtube video link to other videos, acting as separate pages of the website. They even labeled sections of the timeline for quick navigation along with the zoom/volume buttons. Creative, huh!? Check it out here.

BooneOakley was also responsible for the huge Ruby Tuesday marketing explosion. I didn’t hear about it, but I literally LOLed when I saw the original explosion video, and the follow up apology video. I won’t go into details, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you have a few mins. See how they did it here.

Hi, I’m Loren. I’m just your typical college student with a hint of entrepreneurial spirit and a spark creative disposition. A few short months ago, I was driven to start my own clothing company - Beetnik Aesthetics was born. Beetnik Aesthetics, built upon dreams and passion, encompasses youthfulness by clothing you with quirky and refreshing tees, belts, and other nifty accessories.

As a resident of the northern Chicago suburbs, I would love to be able to get involved with the local scene. If you feel like you can help, let’s talk.

Have teenage kids or grandkids?
Chances are, they’d love a new tee from Beetnik Aesthetics. Check out the online shop.

Own a small business?
You have a lovely storefront and Beetnik Aesthetics has a strong web presence with steady traffic. Let’s promote each other.

Work at retail shop or boutique?
Become one of the few exclusive retailers of Beetnik Aesthetics (consignment = no upfront investment!). An honor, right?

Promoting a summer event?
People love free stuff, so how about some awesome tees from Beetnik Aesthetics for your loyal patrons?

In a sweet band?
We should do a collaboration tee. A tee for your band backed by a trendy clothing company - you know it’d be sick!

If one of these questions isn’t screaming your name, you probably know somebody who can help. Contact Loren by e-mailing loren@beetnikaesthetics.com or click here for a simple contact form. Help get the word out about your local clothing company, Beetnik Aesthetics!

- A Guy Named Loren

This post is intended for the owners of small clothing + tee companies who are looking to build their brand and connect with their fans on another level. Since the consumer base is obviously what will support your company and fuel the growth of your brand, it is essential that you cater to the needs of the consumer and know what to do and what not to do.

On twitter, I posed the simple question “what is the biggest factor for you when choosing a t-shirt?”. This list is based on the responses I have received, in no particular order of importance.

1) Fit
2) Exclusivity
3) Branding
4) Overall design

How the shirt fits and feels is one of the most important deciding factors. This, of course, depends on your target demographic. If your t-shirts are intended for the older crowd or urban market, they might prefer loose and baggy clothing. When targeting the young and hip, however, you might want to go with a more slim-fitting tee for your line. You should also consider the quality of the garment. Your customers will not be very satisfied with a t-shirt that falls apart after two washes! Although the prices are higher for quality t-shirts, it could be worth the investment. How the t-shirt fits is entirely dependent on the target market, so be sure to research this and order samples before having your shirts printed up.

In terms of exclusivity, Johnny Cupcakes says it best, “People want what nobody else has”. Johnny has built a multi-million dollar brand around this concept, and it is extremely important when developing a clothing company. Will your t-shirts be mass produced and sold in stores across the country, or will you print short runs to give your customers that special feeling that they have something that nobody else has? Would you rather have countless customers that think your brand is kinda cool, or do you want fewer die-hard fans that will be loyal to your brand for life? If you print limited edition t-shirts, your customers will feel like they have something special - and they do. They have something that nobody else has. You should decide which direction to take your brand from the very beginning.

Branding, in essence, is a unifying concept for all of the t-shirts + clothes + accessories that you produce. Branding means building something that your customers trust and are familiar with, and something that they can recognize immediately. Let’s face it - anybody can make a cool t-shirt, but that doesn’t mean it will sell. As equally important as the t-shirt design is the brand behind the design and what the brand represents. An original logo and catchy company name will help with branding, but to really build a brand takes time, effort, and dedication. Integrating your brand name and logo in your t-shirt designs, packaging, and anywhere else will make your brand more prominent and recognizable. You should also consider getting involved with what your company represents. If you are building a brand around skateboarding, for example, you might want to sponsor a skate demo. This will expose your brand to the target demographic and make very obvious what your brand stands for.

When designing a t-shirt, you should shoot for consistency with the rest of your brand. A t-shirt design that is original and unique yet connects to your other designs in some way will go much further than a random design that just happens to be super cool. For smaller brands, you should try to integrate your logo or brand name into the design, but you might not want to make this the highlight of the t-shirt. Since your new brand probably doesn’t have a huge fan-base, nobody wants to be a walking advertisement for your unknown company. A successful t-shirt will have a healthy balance of design + branding. Be creative, and ask yourself if the design has been done before. Don’t forget to try out different colors in the design itself and create digital mockups to see how the design looks on different color t-shirts. Remember, once the shirts are printed up there is no undo button!

Loren
Beetnik Aesthetics

If you’ve been waiting on a feel-good song for the summer, this is definitely the one! I heard this catchy tune on the radio earlier today, but didn’t know the artist or name of the song. When I got home, I rushed right to the computer and Googled it before I forgot the few lyrics that I stored up in mi cabeza. Turns out the song is called “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas, a hit from their latest studio album, The E.N.D, released earlier this month.

This song is just one of those that makes me want to get up and move, to do something and live out the summer to the fullest. ENJOY!

(The music video on youtube had embedding disabled… lame!)

-a guy named loren

Let’s face it, you don’t have to be rich or famous to make a difference. Ordinary people, like you and I, are the ones that change this world. It has to start somewhere, and regular people are making a difference everyday.

Beetnik Aesthetics is all about enjoying life with a positive outlook. I want to know what YOU are doing to make an impact in your community. Are you running a soup kitchen? Do you volunteer at a homeless shelter or a nursing home? Have you started a campaign to raise community awareness about a cause you believe in? The list of possibilities is endless and creativity is encouraged!

Leave a comment briefly describing who you are and what you are doing in your community. If I decide to use your story, you will be given a free t-shirt and a featured spot on the Beetnik Aesthetics website. Together, we will let the world know that anybody can make a difference. It starts with us!

-a guy named loren

I just came across We Bleed Design, the portfolio site of Bryan Katzel. While I’m no design expert, I’m definitely a sucker for a creative and original website design, and this one falls right into that category! The site utilizes a vertical navigation structure, and scrolling down the page to navigate to another section gives the illusion of falling paint. In reality, however, it is just a collage of transparent .png images overlayed on a fixed background image, but the illusion of motion is incredible! I spent a few minutes scrolling up and down to admire all of the great work that went into this. You really have to see it for yourself to understand, so what are you waiting for? Go check it out - www.webleeddesign.com.

-a guy named loren

I’m sure you are already celebrating and recognizing the awesome achievements of the father and/or father figures in your life, but I just thought I’d show a little bit of appreciation through a blog post as well. Without dads, we’d be nothing… literally! They are always there for us when we need them most, and for that, we love them immensely =)

Other than that, no cool updates or anything besides the new background. You like it? I sure do. I feel like it adds a lot of personality to the website. I liked the purple, but it was plain and boring.

COUPONS! They’ll be coming soon. I’m so excited.

The blue “ROAR!” shirt has been featured on IAMTHETREND.com as one of the top 10 tees for of the summer! If you’re looking for a few new tees for the summer, you should totally check out the list.

I think this is the first time a Beetnik Aesthetics tee has been featured on a top anything list, so I’m pretty excited about it. The recently released tees have received a great response thus far, and this feature should definitely give some nice exposure. Other brand names in the list of summer tees are Thriving Ink, Exalted Clothing, Kill Brand, 410 BC and more. It feels good to be alongside those awesome brands! Thanks for the feature, Bo + I AM THE TREND.

New tee designs are in the works, so stay tuned =)

-a guy named loren

I knew I hadn’t written a new blog post in a while, but TWO WEEKS? Wow, I suck! I’m on summer break from college right now, and I was hoping to dedicate my time to working on the brand + website. Why is it that every time I come home from school I always end up with huge lists of things to do that are typically not beneficial to me? Ughh! Unfortunately, I haven’t done very much of any sort of development thus far, but I do have big plans. Although it may not seem like it, I’m constantly thinking/planning/creating - that’s just what I do!

Something positive: I’m earning a little bit of money working a summer job, all of which will be invested in Beetnik in order to produce new shirts + other cool things! I am hoping to have one or two new shirts designed and sent off to the printer by the end of the week. Are you excited? I KNOW I AM!

-a guy named loren