June 28th will mark exactly one year since OurBasements first official post, DarBar’s Polaris Long List Playlist for those of you that would lie to reminisce.
We thought it might be a good idea to release some limited edition shirts to mark this “auspicious” occasion, with the four images above being the first generation mockups for your consideration, any and all feedback is welcome.
Top Left (black shirt)
This is the first names of the R3 hosts in schedule order and is based on a style seen all around the internet. I’m not sure about the font choice but it works as a placeholder to show the overall layout.
Top Right (White shirt)
This is based in one of the many logo’s Wendy Hagan created for us before our launch.
Bottom Left (red shirt)
This in not only based on another of Wendy’s logo ideas, it is an actual logo she sent us (minus the comic sans). If this does come out on top I’d like to see if Wendy would like to rework it. As for that font, it started out as a bit of a joke with the intentions of changing it later but now I’m not so sure because I have heard it is a very good typeface for people with dyslexia to read.
Bottom Right (blue shirt)
When I posted a couple of preview shirts (the top row) for comment on Friday, the most common remark I got was about adding our domain to the shirt which led to this shirt.
Please keep in mind that the these are only intended to be proofs of concept so everything from text style/size to shirt colour is up for debate.
If you have any t-shirt designs you would like to share let us know in the comments below and we will add them to the list for a vote next Monday, with the most popular shirt going for 2 weeks on the following Monday.
I like the red, raccoon one the best. I wonder though if the words “Canadian Indie Music” shouldn’t be placed somewhere though.
And good morning!
Hi Benoit, I don’t know how or where I could fit it in to be honest and if we are not careful we could end up with a paragraph of text at the bottom of the shirt.
Happy Monday! I like the blue or red shirt best, but I do think it would be nice if we could include somewhere that ourbasement is a site for Canadian Indie Music. Would it be possible to have a smaller raccoon on the red shirt to make room for another line of text? Or maybe something on the back?
garf, I agree. I was actually thinking much along those lines when I wrote, still, without a clue-in, the people will be clueless. Hah.
How many band or radio station shirts do you see that have a strap line?
When people know it’s a band or a station, there’s obviously no need for a tagline. But the red shirt could be a promo for cookies, or maybe raccoon rentals. Or feeding ‘coons crap. O.k., maybe not, but there’s still no indication of what’s being referred to.
but that’s my point, if the people know this is our shirt, they don’t need more text just like a band shirt
Are these the only ones we’ll be voting on? I’d like to have a crack at designing one if there are no objections or if it’s not too late! No offense Garf.
@Wynnzie
No, please, I should have asked other people to come up designs for the shirt
Actually so far, the Red one is my favourite, my only critique would be -> can we use the stylized “our BASEMENT” logo like it is on the site though?
Oh, I like the stylized logo on the shirt!
@Wynnzie, we could, but how many people would think to add .ca to the end and how many would just think we renovate basements?
I know very little about design, could we have the stylized logo, followed with .ca at the end?
Good morning!
You can rent a raccoon?
@Russ, you need to checkout Raccoon’a’rama on 42nd and 13th
@Janet, I tried that and I found the chance from the had written to typed text too jarring
@Garf, well we could add a .ca or just have it in smaller type “ourbasement.ca” as well.
An opposite point (where people would think we just renovate basements) for the red maple leaf with overlayed trebleclef is it says nothing about OurBasement at all, not even that it’s a music site, it just says “Canadian Music” to me – if that.
If I didn’t know, I’d think it’s some kind of music related gov’t thing.
So I think the best shirt for me will have “Ourbasement” with the .ca somehow and relate that we are a site that supports Canadian Indie music somehow – the trick is what’s the best way to do this. The racoon is pretty close, just don’t see the music connection in it yet.
This is very tricky.
The plan for the t-shirt was to have a limited edition item for us to mark the sites first anniversary. I never intended for it to be an advert for the site.
I only ever planned on selling around 10 of them if that.
There is nothing stopping us from creating a different shirt for the site and having it all sale all of the time.
OK, understood, I have an idea then that I’d like to put up too, if possible, with the one year anniversary in mind. And it won’t be a generic “ourbasement” shirt.
yes please
The host line up t-shirt is a nice look back but looking forward the wild racoon has my vote, even though I look terrible in red. On the back would be “our basement” in the same style as we have our logo with a “.ca” at the end.
We are a small group and we don’t need to explain ourselves. If you know who we are then that is great. If you want to talk about what this shirt means that is great too.
Nice commemorative piece!
looking forward to seeing what Mr Wynn creates too …
I am listening to Friday’s playlist.
Thank you for keeping me in the loop for Polaris @darbar!
Good morning everyone!
Hi Morgana & Justin
I still vote for the white one, with OurBasement.ca clearly spelled out. So.. .have this (logo), OurBasement.ca – Canadian Indie News, by Canadian Indie Fans. I like the maple leaf as it instantly makes clear that we (at OB) are about *Canadian* music.
Hi all! Good discussion on the t-shirt. My fav is the red but the white with OurBasement on it would be good too. I don’t feel we need everything spelled out on the shirt but do feel strongly about OurBasement being on there somewhere.
About that first post, it feels like a good circle for me. I wasn’t a part of the initial group that started this page but am now. I also wasn’t a Polaris Music Prize Juror yet either. To have one of my playlists about Polaris to be part of the first post for this site is pretty great!
@morgana – Enjoy! The survey link is here if you want to let me know your favs. I have to finalize my vote tomorrow.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RGKVGVK
Thanks for the chance to contribute @darbar. Please remind me of the release date perimeters.
this fest is so close and not expensive …
http://www.tinylightsfestival.com/schedule2017/
i hate my job that has me working nothing but weekends!!!
Eligible albums are of at least 5 tracks or 20 minutes long released between June 1, 2016 and May 31, 2017.
Damn work getting in the way of festivals. I need to go buy a lottery ticket.
Rose Cousins, Jenn Grant, Lou Cannon, Little Scream, Begonia, jean michel-blais, lief vollebekk, moontricks (may have to remember them for next year …), a tribe called red, winter sleep, sarah neufeld,
I am sure more will bubble up as I am gardening and shop vacuuming out the cold storage room.
hard to pick so few @darbar! you have your work cut out for you ……
It is so hard! Good choices. Wintersleep and Sarah Neufeld have great albums but were released early 2016. They would have been on my ballot last year.
My garage was broken into again apparently. Good thing I haven’t replaced my stolen bike yet and returned the borrowed bike back to my friend last week.
SCOWL!!
@darbar I think your play lists may be getting too popular; far more advertisements than I am used to.
@garfielduk HI! I think I was blinded by t-shirt options and didn’t notice your greeting.
PS here is a photo that represents another part of my world. if you can handle something not at all related to music feel free to click
http://andrewsnucins.ca/clients/springthaw2017
@morgana – Interesting. I am not sure how Spotify works things. I started paying for it at the start and don’t have to deal with those ads right now.
Those are some great images.
we are the car in pic #38
OK, ear plugs in!
Ready to fire up the shop vacuum and deal with the oh so dirty, dusty, cobwebby cold room in this old house.
I have to qualify my previous t-shirt comments because I have yet to find a t-shirt that fits me in any pleasing form so it is unlikely that I will purchase one. I would totally go for a fob though.
Hello everyone, Red one!