It’s been too damn long! Here’s a little peek at what I’ve been up to at work lately.

When we design for certain events, such as NCAA National Champions (basketball), we need to get artwork in the hands of our sales-force as quickly as possible so they can get them in front of contending customers who may want to place contingency orders based on what their team’s realistic chances of winning said event are. That’s why a few of these designs do not correspond to the actual winner of the event, such as the Kansas Jayhawks championship design. It turned out to be the UConn Huskie men that cut the nets down recently, but I enjoy designing for Kansas and they were one of the top teams in the nation throughout the year. If the buyer at UConn (be it campus bookstore, off-campus shop or online retailer) likes the design and the salesman is on the ball, the salesman would send us a request to ‘namedrop’ the design for the Huskies; we would change the logo(s) and verbiage to create a new design that UConn could order mere minutes after their team is victorious.

There have been occasions where salesman have gambled on an event, printing two versions of a single championship design, one for each team in the final(s), hoping to sell enough of the eventual winner (which is quite possible because they are one of the first ones to have shirts available, and demand drops precipitously in the days following a win as the fans rabid thirst for new merchandise wears off, meaning the traditional route of ordering, printing and shipping to the customer could take too long to reap the full benefits of the insane demand available shortly following a win) to offset the cost they have to absorb from having a large number of both printed. Where do all the shirts from the losing team go? Usually to charities in  under-privileged nations who could care less about the decoration and are more interested in having a clean, quality shirt on their backs. In that respect it turns out to be a win-win.

My job here at Cotton Exchange is a lot of fun, and I’m very fortunate to be able to combine my love of art and design with my passion for sports, and make a decent living at the same time. I’m grateful everyday. What are your passions? Are you able to make a living doing what you love? Because if your dream is on the back-burner, start taking some baby steps everyday to make it come to fruition; we only get one crack at this life. Thanks for stopping by!

Although many things have changed in my life throughout the years, two things have not; my love for art and passion for sports. I’ve always enjoyed drawing and painting, as well as observing others creations. There is no right or wrong when it comes to art, and I’ve never been much for rules. Art allows people to express themselves and their ideas, while enriching others everyday lives through works of architecture, furniture, packaging, advertisement etc. as well as traditional mediums like paintings and music. We all benefit in many ways from our neighbors simply being their creative selves and sharing their gifts with the world.
Sports serve a similar role of bringing deeper meaning to our lives. Number one, they encourage us to get out and exercise. This is important for anyone interesting in developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and the relationship between mind, soul and body; and especially us creative professionals who spend a large amount of time in a seated position in front of a computer. They also help promote the competitive spirit, teamwork, individual responsibility, determination, perseverance and a host of other beneficial traits and values. Plus, they are social events that gather people from all walks of life together for one common cause-either to pull together and win on the field or to cheer for our favorite team on the sidelines.
I am lucky to be able to enjoy both of my passions on a daily basis in my work at The Cotton Exchange, a national leader in custom-decorated sports and casual apparel here in America. I have learned much since I traded in the Chef’s hat for a Wacom Tablet (a glorified mouse) two years after studying Graphic Design in college. In my nearly two years with the company I have strengthened my skills in Illustrator, especially with regards to type. I have also been able to do some nice drawing work, create more vectors than you can shake a stick at, work with color relationships, and occasionally crack Photoshop open, all while learning the ins and outs of a large screen-printing business. It’s been rewarding to do what I love and call it work, I’m thankful every day.
All work/images copyright © 2009 Lucas Albrecht