Greater>Than Clothing

When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.

–R. Buckminster Fuller

I came across this quote in a great article in GOOD Magazine* (which, incidentally, was founded and is published by a friend of mine from college). I thought this was relevant for Greater>Than because the article makes the point that Fuller was, above all, a designer. I love this quote because it reminds us that the “form follows function” idea doesn’t mean that we should settle for ugly, “functional” objects.

As Donald Norman argued in Emotional Design, attractive things actually work better. That book is very highly recommended, and I found that particular point both surprising and convincing. It’s not much of a slight to Norman to note that Fuller beat him to the punch by about 75 years, as most people are much farther behind.

For those of you not familiar with Fuller, here is a quick list of some of his notable achievements:

• The Geodesic dome
• The Dymaxion Car
• The concept of “Spaceship Earth“
• The Fuller Projection, a “one island in one ocean” map, which happens to be my favorite projection (I even have the poster):

Imagine living your life as an open-ended exploration for the betterment of mankind, with beauty as your compass.

*Look in the sidebar on the right for links to the rest of the Buckminster Fuller feature. The rest of the magazine is worth checking out as well. Its purpose is to chronicle and support the movement toward smart, sustainable business and life, a movement to which Greater>Than is similarly committed.

In this post, I’ll describe the second of two prototype designs that are currently in the works, as mentioned earlier. The first can be found here.

Continuing with a theme of learnings from other cultures (I now realize), this tee is inspired by the Bushidō code of the samurai warrior class of feudal Japan. I have long appreciated the stoicism, honor, and discipline that the memory of these legendarily deadly men continues to evoke. I think a big part of what I dig about the samurai, as opposed to other fighters respected historically for their effectiveness, was their lack of blood lust. Killing was their vocation, and they went about it with the utmost seriousness. Much of the Bushidō code revolves around preparation for death, which couldn’t help but remind the samurai of the gravity of ending someone else’s life.

In that context, it makes sense that one of the seven virtues of the way of the warrior was “jin”, best translated to English as “benevolence”. Far from dispassionate killing machines, they were trained to maintain a charitable disposition, to live their lives with kindness in their hearts. On the other hand, of course, they were called upon to kill without mercy when the situation called for it. It is this dichotomy that I hope to explore with this design.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is the first of two prototype designs that I have commissioned (as I explained earlier). I present the idea here as part of my attempt to demonstrate (rather than simply explain) what Greater>Than Clothing is about. I am also a firm believer in the power of creative cross-pollination; I’ll be ecstatic if this idea inspires you in your own creative work (whatever that may be). Greater>Than is also committed to being open to new ideas, so if you have something to say about this design, please get in touch with me by leaving a comment on this post or by visiting the contact page.

Huginn and Muninn were the ravens of the norse god Odin. They would perch on his shoulders and keep him informed by whispering in his ears. Huginn represented thought, news, learning; Muninn represented memory, wisdom. Odin relied on them, and feared that something would happen to them. Without them, he would be cut off from the world, without the knowledge necessary to govern his people. As Odin explained, as much as he feared the loss of Huginn, he feared losing Muninn more. Remembering what you have learned is more important than learning new things.

I think this lesson carries new resonance today, as the blessed Interweb has given us access to so much raw information. In an age of RSS-enabled hyper-throughput, Odin reminds us to be careful what we retain. Not all knowledge grows up to be wisdom (Wisdom>Knowledge). The shirt is about this idea, and the design uses the ravens to deliver the metaphor. Read the rest of this entry »

I have what you could call a cold-start problem here at Greater>Than. It’s hard to talk about what the company does, because it hasn’t really done all that much yet. I’ve been spending more time working on the company than I have working in it. Some would say that’s the right place for my efforts in the beginning, and I would agree, but honestly it’s just a tad frustrating that I run a company that doesn’t yet have any products.

I was out the other night and had occasion to tell an acquaintance about the company. She was encouraging, but threw me a little with her well-intentioned query as to why I wasn’t wearing any of my stuff. When I have something, I assured her, I’ll be wearing it every day. I’m looking forward to being able to both show and tell.

Toward that end, I’ve commissioned two designs. Ultimately, I don’t want to be the sole idea generator; I want Greater>Than to be a design catalyst, supplying a positive, rewarding environment in which designers can express themselves. First, however, I need to get the idea out there. Step 1: blog. Status: you’re looking at it. Step 2: prototypes. Status: In progress.

I looked at a bunch of print shop websites trying to find one that seemed like it would be a good fit for Greater>Than Clothing. I liked what I read at the Mammoth Printshop site, and started an e-mail correspondence (it helped that they list Johnny Cupcakes as a client - I dig a lot of their stuff). Mammoth does commissioned design work as well, so I sent them some descriptions to see what they thought and to gauge whether they could execute them for me. I liked the discussion; their responses made me feel like they knew exactly what I was looking for. Plus, the fee seemed reasonable, so they got the business.

So, the first two Greater>Than designs are in progress, potentially as I write this, which is very exciting for me. Stay tuned for the design descriptions I sent. I’ll post them as part of my effort to “show my work” (something I always got dinged for in middle school math classes).

Great ideas can come from anywhere at any time. My vision is to make Greater>Than Clothing as idea-friendly an organization as possible so that we can take advantage of any and all the great ideas that come our way. Further, I hope to encourage people to send in those ideas by making interacting with Greater>Than as rewarding as possible. I’m all about giving credit where credit is due and I firmly believe that if you create ideas with value you should be able to reap tangible rewards. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to put my money where my mouth is. Intrigued?

Of course, it’s hard to create in a vacuum. How is one to know if his idea is a Greater>Than contender? First, I’ll say err on the side of inclusion. Greater>Than is young and still largely undefined. You can influence what it is and what it isn’t by letting me know what you think it should be. Second, I’ll be using this site to define the idea as I currently understand it and as it develops. It is in that spirit that I present an idea that I’ve been kicking around for a while, an idea that I think could easily make the jump from concept to Greater>Than product:

Sparrow>Snail

I have no problem admitting that I had a Simon and Garfunkel phase. Those two guys were really on to something for a while there. Plus, Paul went on to release Graceland a decade and a half later, and that album still rules. It is, however, important for me to make it clear that my S&G phase is behind me, and I realize that I’m risking that as I admit that as I started to think about Greater>Than, the juxtaposing lines from their song “El Condor Pasa (If I Could)” inspired me:

I’d rather be a sparrow than a snail.
Yes I would.
If I could,
I surely would.
I’d rather be a hammer than a nail.
Yes I would.
If I only could,
I surely would.

These lyrics carry an air of truth that transcends experience. This is a trivial point at first glance. Of course I’d rather be a hammer than a nail. Everyone would; you don’t need to have been hit with a hammer to come to that conclusion. But the song isn’t about choosing up sides, it’s about wishing you were what you aren’t. It’s the snail who’s singing, and we’ve all been there before. Read the rest of this entry »

Just after (like, minutes after) I received my degree in Philosophy, my mother remarked that I was the “cutest” out of the guys in the department. I didn’t accept the comment well. First, it was my mom, so, ya know, her impartiality is questionable.

Second, it felt something like damning through faint praise. I mean, what could be less relevant that what a philosopher looks like? At that moment I was trying to contain my intellectual jealousy towards those who had been tapped to speak at the departmental ceremony, and I was in no mood to be cheered by the idea that I was “cute”. Of course, my mom was just in a good mood and making what to her was a complimentary observation…

The t-shirt is immune to such confusion; it is quite comfortable as a vessel for both content and beauty. A t-shirt can always take the compliment. I think that’s a big part of why I’m drawn to the medium. The best t-shirts are both smart (or clever or funny or poignant or kitschy or subversive) and beautiful (or visually challenging/kitschy/subversive). There’s a synergy when these elements come together that I just love. This is what Greater>Than is trying to achieve with its designs.

The t-shirt is also an unabashedly commercial art form, which is freeing in a way. T-shirts are made to be sold, not hung in a museum (although if there’s a t-shirt museum I want to go). They are also made to be worn. So, essentially, you’re looking for someone to agree that what you have to say has some sort of merit, and (at least as importantly) that the way you are presenting that information is worthy of being displayed front and center on their body. That is kind of a lot to ask when you think about it that way. It certainly helps if the message and the method are mutually reinforcing.

There are plenty of clever t-shirt designs out there, especially on the internet. That is no longer enough to differentiate a design from the crowd. My plan is for Greater>Than designs to skew slightly towards the more meaningful side of the spectrum. I think there’s an opportunity to raise the level of discussion. I think there’s an audience for t-shirts with a little more behind them. We shall see…

By now, I hope that the Greater>Than concept is starting to make some sense. If you’re new to the site, check out the “What is Greater>Than” category to get caught up. Now that the idea has at least been outlined, I feel that I can start begging for help. What I need more than anything at this point is to add more designers to the conversation, for two main reasons:

1. It’s my goal to make Greater>Than as designer-friendly as possible, so want to get input from the design community early and often.
2. I can’t draw.

Specifically, I’m asking for at least 5 people who are interested in developing a t-shirt idea to contact me (joey [at] greaterthanclothing.com). I’m looking for people with some degree of comfort with Photoshop or Illustrator (t-shirt printing requires separate color layers), but don’t be shy about contacting me even if you’re not an Adobe whiz.

I have several ideas sketched out and would love to get some input on them, and I’d love to hear some new Greater>Than ideas as well (any design with a greater than symbol “>” will be considered). I want to get at least 5 t-shirt designs finalized and ready to manufacture so that I have some variety to offer when I start accepting pre-orders.

Greater>Than Clothing is in its early stages, but if you think I’m on to something, please get involved. I will try hard to make the experience worthwhile.

Don’t be shy about forwarding this either.

Thanks!