Why T-shirts matter at tech companies(blog.adamnash.com)
blog.adamnash.com
Why T-shirts matter at tech companies
http://blog.adamnash.com/2010/11/29/why-t-shirts-matter/
147 comments
"Nor will we; a formal shirt looks and feels better than a t-shirt, regardless of the quality of the t-shirt."
Looks? Probably. Feels? That's absolutely subjective. I much prefer short sleeved shirts, and having lived most of my life with a warm enough climate to make that a viable clothing option, generally wear them when sensible. I have very few collared shirts that feel as good as a nice-fitting American Apparel T-shirt. Same with shorts, when whether permits.
"I think that the "t-shirts stick-it-to-the-man" attitude is pretty sad."
Why do you think I'm dressing casually at work to stick it to the man? I, and many of my coworkers, dress casual to be as comfortable as possible as work, which has the effect of improving my productivity.
"T-shirts seem like a rather poorly-thought-through immature act of rebellion to me."
And wearing dress clothes to work just to suck up to/impress your boss, even at the cost of comfort, seems like a rather poorly-thought-through custom to me. I have several friends who work at companies which have fairly strict dress code policies, all of whom would gladly switch to more casual wear if allowed.
Looks? Probably. Feels? That's absolutely subjective. I much prefer short sleeved shirts, and having lived most of my life with a warm enough climate to make that a viable clothing option, generally wear them when sensible. I have very few collared shirts that feel as good as a nice-fitting American Apparel T-shirt. Same with shorts, when whether permits.
"I think that the "t-shirts stick-it-to-the-man" attitude is pretty sad."
Why do you think I'm dressing casually at work to stick it to the man? I, and many of my coworkers, dress casual to be as comfortable as possible as work, which has the effect of improving my productivity.
"T-shirts seem like a rather poorly-thought-through immature act of rebellion to me."
And wearing dress clothes to work just to suck up to/impress your boss, even at the cost of comfort, seems like a rather poorly-thought-through custom to me. I have several friends who work at companies which have fairly strict dress code policies, all of whom would gladly switch to more casual wear if allowed.
"Looks? Probably. Feels? That's absolutely subjective."
Fair enough. Generally, though, you only get t-shirts in cotton. It's nice to wear linen, or the nicer cottons that you typically get with formal shirts.
"Why do you think I'm dressing casually at work to stick it to the man? I, and many of my coworkers, dress casual to be as comfortable as possible as work, which has the effect of improving my productivity."
I don't think that everyone does - but a non-negligible subset of people wearing t-shirts to work are doing it because of some misguided attempt to resemble the Big Lebowski.
The point of wearing something smart should not be to suck up to your boss! They're supposed to make you look and feel good. The most important person about this is you - having specific outfits that you associate with work can be a useful psychological trick to get 'in the zone'. If formal clothes are uncomfortable, you're probably wearing the wrong clothes - they either don't fit or are made of inappropriate materials. You need to spend a bit more to get that comfortable fit but once you do, formal clothes become as comfy as pyjamas. Except ties. I hate ties. So I don't wear them often.
Fair enough. Generally, though, you only get t-shirts in cotton. It's nice to wear linen, or the nicer cottons that you typically get with formal shirts.
"Why do you think I'm dressing casually at work to stick it to the man? I, and many of my coworkers, dress casual to be as comfortable as possible as work, which has the effect of improving my productivity."
I don't think that everyone does - but a non-negligible subset of people wearing t-shirts to work are doing it because of some misguided attempt to resemble the Big Lebowski.
The point of wearing something smart should not be to suck up to your boss! They're supposed to make you look and feel good. The most important person about this is you - having specific outfits that you associate with work can be a useful psychological trick to get 'in the zone'. If formal clothes are uncomfortable, you're probably wearing the wrong clothes - they either don't fit or are made of inappropriate materials. You need to spend a bit more to get that comfortable fit but once you do, formal clothes become as comfy as pyjamas. Except ties. I hate ties. So I don't wear them often.
Your view of formal clothing is still rather casual. I work in a professional setting where I always need to ware a tie and often need full suit. Both of them reduce my level of physical comfort and I would much rather avoid them. However, as a company we are among the more casual in our field and there is plenty of levels of formal above us.
PS: There is an old IBM story of a programmer sent home from training for being under dressed. He was wearing reasonably formal attire, but the instructor instructed him to lift his pants leg to demonstrate what your socks looked like if you did not use garters and then sent him home. http://www.pbs.org/nerds/part2.html
http://boingboing.net/2010/12/16/ubss-43-page-dress-c.html
PS: There is an old IBM story of a programmer sent home from training for being under dressed. He was wearing reasonably formal attire, but the instructor instructed him to lift his pants leg to demonstrate what your socks looked like if you did not use garters and then sent him home. http://www.pbs.org/nerds/part2.html
http://boingboing.net/2010/12/16/ubss-43-page-dress-c.html
Maybe if you live in a cold climate, then wearing a long-sleeved shirt and trousers won't be a problem. In Sydney, where I work for a company that permits casual dress, most of engineers show up in shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops for the whole summer. The formal suits that I see the bankers wearing to work are neither well suited to our climate, nor essential for the work most of them do.
When I walk to work in a t-shirt through a city of suits, I mostly think about how it's the freedom I like. Freedom to wear appropriate clothing, rather than being tied into wearing something to fit in, or to impress somebody.
When I walk to work in a t-shirt through a city of suits, I mostly think about how it's the freedom I like. Freedom to wear appropriate clothing, rather than being tied into wearing something to fit in, or to impress somebody.
Fair enough, although in that case I would wear linen trousers and a short-sleeved linen shirt. That combo works in Spain, Italy and North Africa in summer. Short-sleeved linen shirts feel really cool in hot weather, really nice.
You absolutely shouldn't wear clothes you don't feel comfortable in. However, wearing a t-shirt because it's an act of rebellion doesn't work for me at all. If you're wearing t-shirts because you want to, then fine.
Wearing smart clothes is not something I do, or my colleagues do, to fit in. I work in a university and often we are the only people (6?) in a department of 200 people under the age of 60 in formal clothes. They feel comfy and they look good. People also find them intimidating, which can be funny.
So long as you dress how you want, that's cool. I just find the idea of wearing free, logo-infested clothes a bit unappealing. I come across an attitude of 'I wear t-shirts because I don't have to wear a suit!' pretty regularly; I find it sad because it's being constrained in your dress by those standards in the opposite way to the suits but not even acknowledging it! Wear what you want!
You absolutely shouldn't wear clothes you don't feel comfortable in. However, wearing a t-shirt because it's an act of rebellion doesn't work for me at all. If you're wearing t-shirts because you want to, then fine.
Wearing smart clothes is not something I do, or my colleagues do, to fit in. I work in a university and often we are the only people (6?) in a department of 200 people under the age of 60 in formal clothes. They feel comfy and they look good. People also find them intimidating, which can be funny.
So long as you dress how you want, that's cool. I just find the idea of wearing free, logo-infested clothes a bit unappealing. I come across an attitude of 'I wear t-shirts because I don't have to wear a suit!' pretty regularly; I find it sad because it's being constrained in your dress by those standards in the opposite way to the suits but not even acknowledging it! Wear what you want!
It's even funnier for those of us living in the tropics (Darwin, in my case). From where I sit Sydney's summers are pleasantly cool and dry.
"Territory Formal" is a short sleeve shirt and trousers. No jacket, no tie, no long sleeves. It is just too damn hot and humid.
I can usually spot "southerners" in the CBD: they walk one way up a street wearing the jacket and tie. They walk the other way, beet read, with the tie loosened, sleeves rolled up and jacket over their arms.
"Territory Formal" is a short sleeve shirt and trousers. No jacket, no tie, no long sleeves. It is just too damn hot and humid.
I can usually spot "southerners" in the CBD: they walk one way up a street wearing the jacket and tie. They walk the other way, beet read, with the tie loosened, sleeves rolled up and jacket over their arms.
Darwin has a CBD?
Especially in hot weather I actually prefer short-sleeved shirts to t-shirts. The tightly woven, thin fabric of a shirt does not stick as much to the body as a t-shirt.
Though I have to admit, that I have never been to Australia in summer. And a suit would definitely be out of the question for me as well during the hot season. :)
"Australian summer" is a very broad term, given the size of the continent. I'm in the tropics, for example, and let me tell you: everything sticks when it's > 30C and > 70% humidity. You could make a shirt out of teflon and it would stick.
Geez, what university are you at? In my previous job (a Univ), we all wore t-shirts. If someone showed up in a collared shirt (or a suit), it was because they were interviewing somewhere.
If you wear T-shirts, that's a sign that you think the game is too crappy to be even worth noticing. That's why it's rebellious. Wearing a nicer suit might show up your boss, sure, but you're still playing the status game.
As long as you look good pulling cable and crawling between server racks.
This brings fun memories. Are Google t-shirts still a sought after commodity at Googleplex ?
The way the distribution worked was that a small cabinet used to be replenished by some 50 odd t-shirts at some random time in the week. Those who wanted a t-shirt (definitely all interns, but not sure if it was limited to them alone. More on this shortly) ran a manual poll or a select loop on that cabinet. If the word spread that the cabinet has been replenished there would a mad rush. It was not that the t-shirts were like no other, but the artificial scarcity made it fun to get one. We interns definitely fought for it like a trophy. The more prized ones were the Ts for women. Good gift for your girlfriend. My personal favorite was the Wienberger T. It was not Googly enough to attract unwarranted attention.
The vibe the t-sirts created was quite opposite of "here we all wear Google Ts". It was more like, "I got one and you didn't", a fun competition to humor each other with.
Soon some Googler figured out that one could set up a webcam to monitor that cabinet. The ip address of that cam was publicly distributed. I suspect a fair number of people really wanted these t-shirts because the cam would always clog up on the traffic, to the point of being almost useless. That's a shame because someone wrote an application to compare consecutive frames from that cam so that it will send out a message once it detected a change. Its a bit tricky, you do not want it to trigger whenever someone walked passed that cabinet. Particularly so because it was right on the way to the cafeteria. So one had to average out the frames so that any change that persisted roughly for the amount of time that is required to stuff the cabinet triggered the system but not others. A low-pass filter for t-shirt stuffing.
Not sure if anyone wrote a predictive model to figure out when that t-shirt cabinet will be stuffed. But I would not be surprised if anyone did. The culture inside seemed just right for these kind of things.
The way the distribution worked was that a small cabinet used to be replenished by some 50 odd t-shirts at some random time in the week. Those who wanted a t-shirt (definitely all interns, but not sure if it was limited to them alone. More on this shortly) ran a manual poll or a select loop on that cabinet. If the word spread that the cabinet has been replenished there would a mad rush. It was not that the t-shirts were like no other, but the artificial scarcity made it fun to get one. We interns definitely fought for it like a trophy. The more prized ones were the Ts for women. Good gift for your girlfriend. My personal favorite was the Wienberger T. It was not Googly enough to attract unwarranted attention.
The vibe the t-sirts created was quite opposite of "here we all wear Google Ts". It was more like, "I got one and you didn't", a fun competition to humor each other with.
Soon some Googler figured out that one could set up a webcam to monitor that cabinet. The ip address of that cam was publicly distributed. I suspect a fair number of people really wanted these t-shirts because the cam would always clog up on the traffic, to the point of being almost useless. That's a shame because someone wrote an application to compare consecutive frames from that cam so that it will send out a message once it detected a change. Its a bit tricky, you do not want it to trigger whenever someone walked passed that cabinet. Particularly so because it was right on the way to the cafeteria. So one had to average out the frames so that any change that persisted roughly for the amount of time that is required to stuff the cabinet triggered the system but not others. A low-pass filter for t-shirt stuffing.
Not sure if anyone wrote a predictive model to figure out when that t-shirt cabinet will be stuffed. But I would not be surprised if anyone did. The culture inside seemed just right for these kind of things.
I remember then that they had to put up a sign: "Don't be evil, please take 1"
Zoneminder?
Shirts are also great PR, prize rewards, and 'thank you' gifts for users who run into nasty bugs. We've had a lot of success and fun with our HipChat shirts. Our tips for others:
1. Buy high-quality shirts (American Apparel)
2. Buy small and women's sizes
3. Show some attitude, not company boilerplate
4. Buy from a local shop
5. Have a few different designs - people love having a choice
6. Make sure the shop saves the screens (cheaper to re-order in the future)
7. Quadruple check the spelling and capitalization :)
Great advice.
When I get free t-shirts from work or conferences, they're pretty much reserved for being something to wear when I'm painting or mowing the lawn. One such shirt never even made it out of the office; it's still been neatly folded up at the bottom of a desk drawer since the day they gave it to me a few months ago.
But this is because I have yet to receive a company or conference t-shirt that either properly fits me or has a tasteful or clever design I'd want to be seen wearing in public. If you print two dozen sponsor logos on the back of a free conference t-shirt, I'll probably toss the shirt and wish you spent the t-shirt budget on better booze at the afterparty.
I know I'm not averse to t-shirts in general, since my wife will take any opportunity to give me trouble about how many shirts I've bought from Woot and Threadless...
When I get free t-shirts from work or conferences, they're pretty much reserved for being something to wear when I'm painting or mowing the lawn. One such shirt never even made it out of the office; it's still been neatly folded up at the bottom of a desk drawer since the day they gave it to me a few months ago.
But this is because I have yet to receive a company or conference t-shirt that either properly fits me or has a tasteful or clever design I'd want to be seen wearing in public. If you print two dozen sponsor logos on the back of a free conference t-shirt, I'll probably toss the shirt and wish you spent the t-shirt budget on better booze at the afterparty.
I know I'm not averse to t-shirts in general, since my wife will take any opportunity to give me trouble about how many shirts I've bought from Woot and Threadless...
Agreed, and thanks for bringing up women's sizes. I wish tech companies (and especially tech conferences I PAY for) would realize that men's shirts are not unisex. They're for men. Whenever a women's option isn't available, it definitely feels unwelcoming.
Depends on your taste, I guess. I know a lot of women and men that wear the same model of unisex shirts.
Unisex cuts of t shirts do not look good on women. Women may wear them, but they are not flattering. Turns out that American Apparel has a girly cut shirt with shorter sleeves that is more fitted through the trunk.
And I add:
8. Pony up for a not-white shirt.
And I add:
8. Pony up for a not-white shirt.
Fair enough, but even a men's small is too big for me - so it's not even really an option to wear it. Considering I'm a very standard size for a woman, it's hard to feel like the people behind the shirts are considering my gender. Taste is a secondary concern here.
2. Buy small and women's sizes
This one puzzles me a lot. The place I work recently ordered a bunch of shirts for everyone who wanted one in the dev team. The sizes went up to XL, and their "XL" was the same size as an "M" in some stores. Fully half the devs in our shop couldn't fit into the largest size offered.
Here's a tip, as someone who likes wearing t-shirts: buy larger sizes. Someone who can wear an "M" can just as easily wear an "L" or "XL", but the reverse is very much not true.
This one puzzles me a lot. The place I work recently ordered a bunch of shirts for everyone who wanted one in the dev team. The sizes went up to XL, and their "XL" was the same size as an "M" in some stores. Fully half the devs in our shop couldn't fit into the largest size offered.
Here's a tip, as someone who likes wearing t-shirts: buy larger sizes. Someone who can wear an "M" can just as easily wear an "L" or "XL", but the reverse is very much not true.
To be honest, as a smaller man (5'9") who prides himself on having a little style, the difference between giving me an 'L' and giving me an 'M' is not wearing it but feeling a little more comfortable, it's the difference between wearing it and not wearing it. I refuse to look that unattractive on purpose.
Also, if your T-shirt looks good and is really well designed (high quality, maybe fitted, good graphic design and color work) I might actually wear it other places, even though I don't usually wear T-shirts.
Also, if your T-shirt looks good and is really well designed (high quality, maybe fitted, good graphic design and color work) I might actually wear it other places, even though I don't usually wear T-shirts.
Agreed. I am 5'6", and small shirts fit me well. Wearing a medium or a large, I look like a moron in a smock.
So unless you want me to cut up your shirt and turn them into schmattas, give me a small and I will wear it on my body.
Otherwise, donate it to Goodwill.
So unless you want me to cut up your shirt and turn them into schmattas, give me a small and I will wear it on my body.
Otherwise, donate it to Goodwill.
Shrinking a shirt is easy, you throw it in the dryer. You can't make a shirt bigger though. That's all I think the OP is saying.
If you're buying high-quality shirts, they don't shrink in the dryer.
I pretty much only wear American Apparel t-shirts, and they don't shrink. I doubt printing your logo on it is going to change that :)
I pretty much only wear American Apparel t-shirts, and they don't shrink. I doubt printing your logo on it is going to change that :)
I am about 6ft 4 so I never dry anything but socks or towels because even when I dry something (like boxers or plain white tee) on low or medium heat I notice shrinkage. And as to high quality, I've had Gitman Bros. shirts shrink in the dryer over time because that's just what happens.
Cotton does shrink in the dryer. Yes, higher quality dryers cause this less, but they all cause shrinking to some degree.
Cotton does shrink in the dryer. Yes, higher quality dryers cause this less, but they all cause shrinking to some degree.
Of course it shrinks. I'm a medium size after the shirt has been shrunk. If I were a large after it has been shrunk I would have said that's my size.
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There's no way I'd wear a shirt that's too big.
It won't be too big if you shrink it... which was my point...
I'm loving that I got downvoted for stating something as obvious as cotton clothing shrinks when dried in a dryer. This is why HN is getting worse, a bunch of random fuckwad trolls who downvote people for no reason.
1. If your t-shirt is going to shrink from a large to a small the first time you wash it - you've got a poor quality tee.
2. If you've got a poor quality tee that doesn't fit, why would I wear it?
2. If you've got a poor quality tee that doesn't fit, why would I wear it?
1. non-sequitor based on false assumption
2. see above
I never said it would take one wash, it could take 5. I'm just saying giving out a shirt that's larger makes more sense than one that is too small, seeing as how clothing only shrinks once you own it.
2. see above
I never said it would take one wash, it could take 5. I'm just saying giving out a shirt that's larger makes more sense than one that is too small, seeing as how clothing only shrinks once you own it.
Cotton shrinks. Ink does not. Shrink a shirt with ink on it, you'll have a puckered mess.
> Someone who can wear an "M" can just as easily wear an "L" or "XL", but the reverse is very much not true.
It's that thinking that leads to skinny people (like me) having a lot of large t-shirts that they don't fit into. Just because it can physically go over your body doesn't mean that it "fits."
It's that thinking that leads to skinny people (like me) having a lot of large t-shirts that they don't fit into. Just because it can physically go over your body doesn't mean that it "fits."
Agreed, there are always way too many M's, never enough S. Offering a one-size-too-big shirt is a great way to get someone to take the shirt but never wear it because it looks sloppy.
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I have the same issue, but some of those huge T-Shirts can be really comfortable during a hot summer day, if the cloth is thin enough.
As another data point, I'm a pretty small guy (5'8" and about 150 lbs) and I can't stand wearing L shirts - I feel like I'm wearing a dress. Given the choice, I'd much rather a S than a L.
He didn't say only buy small shirts. But not everybody is fat and male, so you need to have some. And by the way, it's not 1993 anymore. T-Shirts should fit.
This goes double if you're going to a convention. Give a petite girl a men's large and chances are it will never make it over her head once. Be the only booth at the show that gives out fitted women's gear, though, and suddenly you'll find them on every girl in the place.
This goes double if you're going to a convention. Give a petite girl a men's large and chances are it will never make it over her head once. Be the only booth at the show that gives out fitted women's gear, though, and suddenly you'll find them on every girl in the place.
>Someone who can wear an "M" can just as easily wear an "L" or "XL"
Sure it is physically impossible, but that person will end up looking like a slob. Fit is the most important factor in style, so if you're going to "brand" your employees at least do not force them to swim in the clothing you give them!
Sure it is physically impossible, but that person will end up looking like a slob. Fit is the most important factor in style, so if you're going to "brand" your employees at least do not force them to swim in the clothing you give them!
Might be true for guys, but if you give me an L or and XL, I might use it to sleep in, but the chances that I'll wear it out in public are essentially zero.
When I see at least some smaller sizes (and I'm not a petite woman), I feel like at they least they were thinking of people like me.
When I see at least some smaller sizes (and I'm not a petite woman), I feel like at they least they were thinking of people like me.
Programmers come in two main sizes: too skinny, and too fat. If your engineering team is mainly "seasoned pros" you want to avoid american apparel altogether. If it's fresh grads you have a few years worth of size medium before 14 hour days and free soda catches up with everyone.
It's different if you are buying shirts as schwag. I once worked for a startup where the t-shirts were more popular than the product and the most important sizes were mens and womens size medium.
It's different if you are buying shirts as schwag. I once worked for a startup where the t-shirts were more popular than the product and the most important sizes were mens and womens size medium.
There is some data to back up this fattening-over-time thesis: http://imgur.com/OjWoz
There are way too many variables for that to imply "programmers get fatter over time."
1) Maybe t-shirts sizes themselves are not the same between 1999 and 2008 2) Maybe the average age of the attender has not changed, so there's really no age component 3) Maybe a different demographic is now attending the conference 4) Maybe all Americans are fatter on average and programmers are just part of that trend
1) Maybe t-shirts sizes themselves are not the same between 1999 and 2008 2) Maybe the average age of the attender has not changed, so there's really no age component 3) Maybe a different demographic is now attending the conference 4) Maybe all Americans are fatter on average and programmers are just part of that trend
Interesting data point, but it doesn't support the thesis that programmers get fatter the more they've programmed unless you can show the attendees at the Linux symposium are older/more experienced now than in the past.
You'd probably also want some external data as I'm pretty sure people as a whole are getting fatter.
You'd probably also want some external data as I'm pretty sure people as a whole are getting fatter.
Valid point, but _fit into_ and _wear_ are different things. Most skinny people don't like swimming in their clothes.
Right, and that's what the topmost poster meant by "buy small and women sizes" -- if you really care, you won't have to say "we don't have anything smaller than a large."
People used to hearing that line really appreciate when you go the extra mile:
http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/1...
People used to hearing that line really appreciate when you go the extra mile:
http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/1...
That Webstock t-shirt is pretty nice. I think you could take it a step further and make a stylish / designer / funky t-shirt that a reasonably large subset of people will actually want to wear. Not just a blatant ad for your company.
Our awesome admin has a spreadsheet with all our sizes in them, so our t-shirts always fit :) (barring production variations in size, I suppose).
excellent idea however this too has a way of failing.
T-shirts are listed not by inches or cms, which would tell you exactly what you getting.
hence the recent posts of different definitions for different sizes by different mfg. If they listed the actually sizes like they do with most suits. Then you have a reasonable chance of a good fit.
T-shirts are listed not by inches or cms, which would tell you exactly what you getting.
hence the recent posts of different definitions for different sizes by different mfg. If they listed the actually sizes like they do with most suits. Then you have a reasonable chance of a good fit.
My company tends to get t-shirts from the same supplier most of the time. So keeping a size on record for everyone would be a great idea for us.
the thing of it is, most places charge you one setup fee... you don't have to pay extra for getting more sizes, so there is no reason not to get the XXXL and the XS. I know developers come in both sizes, and as so many other people in this thread have said, people, generally speaking, have a preferred T shirt fit, and if the T shirt doesn't fit that way, they won't wear it.
If you are buying for employees, it's easy enough to ask employees what their preferred sizes are. We all have a few tradeshow T-shirts at home, so we know how the various sizes of various brands fit us.
Buy some extra; some people will want two, if you have leftovers, mix them in with the next iteration, or leave them on the 'free' shelf in the break room, you know, for when your employees feel like upgrading out of their old copy that has developed holes.
If you are buying for the general public, well, you plan to run out, right? it doesn't really matter if you run out of the big sizes before the little sizes. keep track of what runs out of last and adjust accordingly next time.
If you end up taking home leftovers, mix them in with the next batch of shirts you give away.
If you are buying for employees, it's easy enough to ask employees what their preferred sizes are. We all have a few tradeshow T-shirts at home, so we know how the various sizes of various brands fit us.
Buy some extra; some people will want two, if you have leftovers, mix them in with the next iteration, or leave them on the 'free' shelf in the break room, you know, for when your employees feel like upgrading out of their old copy that has developed holes.
If you are buying for the general public, well, you plan to run out, right? it doesn't really matter if you run out of the big sizes before the little sizes. keep track of what runs out of last and adjust accordingly next time.
If you end up taking home leftovers, mix them in with the next batch of shirts you give away.
Plus, American Apparel t-shirts (recommended in the article) are notoriously undersized. An American Apparel "large" is more like a snug "medium".
But they are high-quality shirts (even if Dov Charney is a lecher).
But they are high-quality shirts (even if Dov Charney is a lecher).
Only in the U.S. is an AA large a snug medium.
Yeah this has always puzzled me. Everytime I order an AA t-shirt (I live in Australia) I get warned to order a size up because they trend slim. After getting bit once or twice by this, I just order my regular size or even one smaller now and have no issue.
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That's especially a problem if you follow the "buy American Apparel" tip. Their women's sizing is miniscule; my wife tends to wear medium-to-large shirts in other brands, but has to go up to their XXL before they'll fit her.
Why not buy sizes in some proportion to the sizes of actual employees? There's really no other answer unless the company has grown to the point where the size curve approaches a normal distribution. If you plotted sizes where I work now it would look nothing like a normal distribution (our plot would be a lot flatter).
Some people (myself included) look awful in anything bigger than an M. Clothes are about more than just covering one's skin, and conferences and businesses are about more than just one body type. They should buy all sizes, and they should make sure all the sizes look good.
I immediately throw away any free shirt that is L or larger. I think the best thing would be to order multiple sizes.
Why not donate or give it away?
The PBS TV series "Independent Lens" had an episode ("T-Shirt Travels") about groups in Africa that import American thrift store t-shirts by the bushel and resell them. Very interesting (and economical).
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/tshirttravels/film.html
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/tshirttravels/film.html
I don't get it, are you saying become some groups might misuse the clothes donated to the Salvation Army or Goodwill I should never donate my clothes and that I should just throw them away? I really don't understand what point you're trying to make. Donating clothes to thrift stores helps people everyday if you don't believe me just go hang out at one in Chicago during January or Minnesota, people would literally die in these places without thrift stores.
Sorry for not being clear. <:)
I agree that people should donate clothes they no longer need or want. I was referencing the documentary about Africa as an example of just how far the benefit of donated clothes can reach.
I agree that people should donate clothes they no longer need or want. I was referencing the documentary about Africa as an example of just how far the benefit of donated clothes can reach.
T-shirts are achievement badges for tech employees, with the interesting restriction that you can only wear one at a time.
This is why every programmer has about 5-10 times as many t-shirts as years of work experience.
I would love to see a photo essay about the story told by the "t-shirt timeline" of a programmer or other tech figure. Definitely more colorful than a resume.
In fact, that would make a great site. I remember there used to be a great site cataloging the early shirts of Apple. I would love to use a site where I can catalog, compare and (yes) show off my tech t-shirt collection without having to actually wear them daily. Maybe others would want to catalog their rare rock band shirts. And everyone is curious about the black YC shirt, right? You could easily monetize with promoted orderable designs. Pleeease, LazyHN?
This is why every programmer has about 5-10 times as many t-shirts as years of work experience.
I would love to see a photo essay about the story told by the "t-shirt timeline" of a programmer or other tech figure. Definitely more colorful than a resume.
In fact, that would make a great site. I remember there used to be a great site cataloging the early shirts of Apple. I would love to use a site where I can catalog, compare and (yes) show off my tech t-shirt collection without having to actually wear them daily. Maybe others would want to catalog their rare rock band shirts. And everyone is curious about the black YC shirt, right? You could easily monetize with promoted orderable designs. Pleeease, LazyHN?
Why not focus on actual achievement instead?
Too ephemeral for signaling to other programmers.
Keep an eye on what Jason Scott gets up to http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/2731 He's notorious for having many irons in the fire, so no idea when this will actually lead to something though. Maybe he just needs someone to help get it started?
I really like the idea of a site where I can put my memory shirts online. Right now they just sit in a box and nobody sees them. Some of them mean so much to me that I never wear them because I don't want them to wear out.
Frankly I'd almost rather wear what Neo wears as a 'slave to the man', if it was all a matter of symbolism (a hot climate makes suits impractical).
But seriously, celebrating the fact that we dress like 22 year olds might have a teeny tiny bit to do with the fact that programmers are typically PAID like 22 year olds.
The false consciousness is epic. We'd do a lot better if we put on a suit and admitted that we're going to a place where we work. We'd do a lot better if we demonstrated on a regular basis that we have no real problem putting on a suit and walking out the damn door into a bank if pay or conditions go to shit. We'd do a lot better if we demonstrated that we think we're going to a place of work rather than a place to hang out with friends and do 'cool stuff'. We'd do a lot better if we conveyed regularly to our employers that paying us properly and treating us well is more important to us than playing stupid 'tribal identification' mind games (this stuff should come organically from below, not be created by management).
Apparently we're celebrating our individuality and difference on one hand with our tshirts, while also having 'tribal cohesion' and advertising our company in our spare time. We're showing how flat our organization is in one way, while collecting t-shirts as merit badges on the other.
It's all a bit eyerolling. Combine all this with the non-existent standards for programmer qualification, and the vocal minority of GPL people who claim that it's actually _immoral_ to be writing closed-source software, and I feel like I'm working in a field that has a 'anti-guild' (that works in the reverse direction from a traditional guild, ensuring that its members are paid less and treated worse than their qualifications should imply).
But seriously, celebrating the fact that we dress like 22 year olds might have a teeny tiny bit to do with the fact that programmers are typically PAID like 22 year olds.
The false consciousness is epic. We'd do a lot better if we put on a suit and admitted that we're going to a place where we work. We'd do a lot better if we demonstrated on a regular basis that we have no real problem putting on a suit and walking out the damn door into a bank if pay or conditions go to shit. We'd do a lot better if we demonstrated that we think we're going to a place of work rather than a place to hang out with friends and do 'cool stuff'. We'd do a lot better if we conveyed regularly to our employers that paying us properly and treating us well is more important to us than playing stupid 'tribal identification' mind games (this stuff should come organically from below, not be created by management).
Apparently we're celebrating our individuality and difference on one hand with our tshirts, while also having 'tribal cohesion' and advertising our company in our spare time. We're showing how flat our organization is in one way, while collecting t-shirts as merit badges on the other.
It's all a bit eyerolling. Combine all this with the non-existent standards for programmer qualification, and the vocal minority of GPL people who claim that it's actually _immoral_ to be writing closed-source software, and I feel like I'm working in a field that has a 'anti-guild' (that works in the reverse direction from a traditional guild, ensuring that its members are paid less and treated worse than their qualifications should imply).
I'd upvote you twice if I could. Much of management-ese seems to be thinly disguised attempts to get employees to work harder for the same pay, and creating loyalty via T-shirts is one of the more transparent ones. I get really strange looks at work when I tell people I'd prefer to be recognized by my dress as a smart, qualified, but independent professional, rather than "I am assimilated to the hive of company X". I also find it strange that in a capitalist society nobody bats an eye-lid when the Communications Manager talks about employees "living the brand". I'd better go buy my copy of the Little Red Book.
Plus, I might add, most tech people like like absolute crap wearing a t-shirt, due to the fact that most of them are sedentary as hell and thus either skinny, fat, or sometimes that horrible combination of both.
TFA seems to think wearing t-shirts helps you keep the man down which is weird.
I'm not so sure I'm fighting the power while working in my my nice office in a good part of town in an engineering job. The fact that this guy works at linked in, a business built around yuppies networking, makes that assertion even more cringe-worthy.
Not to knock linked in, but they aren't exactly 'rebels'.
I'm not so sure I'm fighting the power while working in my my nice office in a good part of town in an engineering job. The fact that this guy works at linked in, a business built around yuppies networking, makes that assertion even more cringe-worthy.
Not to knock linked in, but they aren't exactly 'rebels'.
My take on the subject when reading was "If you think wearing a T-shirt is a bit of an FU to the man, you're almost assuredly already the man"
One thing I've noticed is that the upper classes live in a world where dressing down is an act of rebellion, and the lower classes live in a world where dressing up is similarly defiant.
On the lower end, you have everything from the skinhead/mod cultures wearing tailored suits and high end polos with work boots, to inner-city kids spending a ton of money on FUBU and Nike, to middle-aged black women wearing extravagant church hats and Italian-Americans wearing flashy chains and jewelry.
On the upper end, you have the Bohemians, trashy hipster fashion, "derelicte", slumming it, and articles like this, about how great it is to get to wear a t-shirt to work (not so great if you're making minimum wage).
The middle classes seem to bounce between the two.
On the lower end, you have everything from the skinhead/mod cultures wearing tailored suits and high end polos with work boots, to inner-city kids spending a ton of money on FUBU and Nike, to middle-aged black women wearing extravagant church hats and Italian-Americans wearing flashy chains and jewelry.
On the upper end, you have the Bohemians, trashy hipster fashion, "derelicte", slumming it, and articles like this, about how great it is to get to wear a t-shirt to work (not so great if you're making minimum wage).
The middle classes seem to bounce between the two.
My take on it. We're programmers, and when I code I could give fuck-all as to how I look. And I say this as a person who enjoys dressing up and buying nice clothes.
Wearing t-shirts is just one less level of bullshit, and it's cheaper as well, I save my nicer clothes for non-office occasions.
Wearing t-shirts is just one less level of bullshit, and it's cheaper as well, I save my nicer clothes for non-office occasions.
In fact, I've found company t-shirts to be a little too "Stepford employee" for my tastes. It's part of a dangerous train of thought where you assume the goals of the company you work for are the same as your goals, or your personal goals must be completely aligned with the company's. Very dangerous thinking for salaried employees, IMO.
On the other hand, sometimes a t-shirt is a t-shirt.
On the other hand, sometimes a t-shirt is a t-shirt.
I wouldn't want to wear the t-shirt of the company I work for (even though I like said company), because it feels too "rah-rah-rah, we're so great!" to me. But I love to wear t-shirts of vendors and platforms that are awesome (GitHub, for example, or Twilio, if I used Twilio.)
And man, I would never wear a LinkedIn t-shirt. Pinnacle of lame (no offense, LinkedIn people, your product is very useful! But not cool.)
And man, I would never wear a LinkedIn t-shirt. Pinnacle of lame (no offense, LinkedIn people, your product is very useful! But not cool.)
Yes, a LinkedIn shirt would be lame, because everyone uses that service, and (in my perception) people who talk about leveraging synergy were on it before geeks were. So it's neither a cool group nor an exclusive one. Whereas a Github t-shirt says, to other coders, "I am a coder who works with open source." And to non-coders, it means nothing.
Coolness is mostly about exclusion, I think. Or to put it more nicely, it's about identifying with people you like.
So if a coder can honestly say "I think Brand X is awesome, and those whom I want to impress also think that," he/she might wear a Brand X shirt to a conference. Otherwise, no.
Coolness is mostly about exclusion, I think. Or to put it more nicely, it's about identifying with people you like.
So if a coder can honestly say "I think Brand X is awesome, and those whom I want to impress also think that," he/she might wear a Brand X shirt to a conference. Otherwise, no.
The data science and scale involved are pretty cool. I'm not at LinkedIn but they've done some really cool stuff there:
http://sna-projects.com/sna/
http://sna-projects.com/sna/
Actually, I miss wearing "work clothes", I like changing out of shirt and tie into jeans and t-shirt when I got home, it drew a line under the working day. Now it all blends into one (including working after hours...)
I used to feel this way for a long time actually. I had to have something to demarcate 'work time' from 'home time'.
What I found that worked for me, however odd, was the notion of 'work shoes'. I'd wear a pair of 'work shoes' when I was working, and swap them out for sneakers when I was finished working, and it achieved the same effect.
That worked well until I discovered Johnston & Murphy loafers anyway, which turned out to be actually more comfortable than my sneakers, but now I'm pretty much working all the time anyway, so it's .. okay?
What I found that worked for me, however odd, was the notion of 'work shoes'. I'd wear a pair of 'work shoes' when I was working, and swap them out for sneakers when I was finished working, and it achieved the same effect.
That worked well until I discovered Johnston & Murphy loafers anyway, which turned out to be actually more comfortable than my sneakers, but now I'm pretty much working all the time anyway, so it's .. okay?
This is an oddly compelling case for something that I would have written off as superfluous. I love the little things you learn here on HN.
Witty, off-beat, beautiful, thoughtful t-shirts can be a lift to morale. The fact that you settled for just slapping the crappy product logo on a t-shirt with fabric that feels like ass wipe and was probably made by child-labour in a Latin American dictatorship doesn't motivate me nearly so much.
Want the t-shirt from the 2007 company picnic? You had to be there to get one.
T-shirts as badges, or achievements (as in gaming). Never thought of it that way.
T-shirts as badges, or achievements (as in gaming). Never thought of it that way.
It's probably the greatest motivator, pound-for-pound, that I've come across.
Status signals are important and useful in tribe-sized groups of people, and they work best when they can't be bought or faked. It doesn't really mater what form they take.
Status signals are important and useful in tribe-sized groups of people, and they work best when they can't be bought or faked. It doesn't really mater what form they take.
I've just realised the t-shirt I'm wearing today is from the 2007 "volunteer day" for a company I used to work for
[deleted]
I know most here seems to love t-shirt but personally I am a fan of a suit, or at the very least a nice shirt (Not a cheap one that looks like a tent please).
I see the points the author of the blog post makes but still, is it so bad to want to wear 'typical' business wear at a tech company?
Note: I love a witty t-shirt just as much as the next guy, but preferably on my free time.
I see the points the author of the blog post makes but still, is it so bad to want to wear 'typical' business wear at a tech company?
Note: I love a witty t-shirt just as much as the next guy, but preferably on my free time.
is it so bad to want to wear 'typical' business wear at a tech company
Want to, no. Try to force everyone else to out of some misguided sense of "professionalism", yes.
Want to, no. Try to force everyone else to out of some misguided sense of "professionalism", yes.
I'm also more comfortable in a tailored suit. Yet I dare not wear one to work, lest I be accused of pretentiousness or trying to take over the business. It's an interesting dynamic...
I wear collared shirts 365 days a year and as soon as it's warmer again I will trade my peacoat for a casual sports coat again. I went to work like this in startups and huge corporations even if it meant I was the only one not wearing a t-shirt at the office.
The good thing about being a hacker is that you can wear whatever you want. :)
The good thing about being a hacker is that you can wear whatever you want. :)
Here in Uruguay, I've worked at a software factory (Urudata) that expected us to use a suit. I'm used to suits, so I didn't mind (I also like looking professional, and a suit signals that).
Now I work for a financial institution, so a suit is expected.
The US seems to have a much more lax attitude with respect to attire (especially for professionals, a University graduate is expected to look smart here). The "stick it to the man" point the article makes is beyond me.
Now I work for a financial institution, so a suit is expected.
The US seems to have a much more lax attitude with respect to attire (especially for professionals, a University graduate is expected to look smart here). The "stick it to the man" point the article makes is beyond me.
T-Shirts work for -everything-. Non-crappy t-shirts (if they're actually witty even better!) will boost the morale of almost any group. See the group of grumbling engineering students. Now see them happily putting on and wearing their purple engineering t-shirts, temporarily forgetting the tortures that the faculty unleashes on them. They might even -like- the faculty for a while. If only so they can make sure they'll never -ever- be confused for an arts student.
"The best analogy I can think of is to put yourself back in time, to when you were between 8 – 12 years old. Now, think carefully about the things that 8 – 12 year old boys like (at least, the geeky ones)."
Overall I thought this was an interesting article with a surprising amount of insight into something seemingly insignificant like t-shirts. But, I have to admit that, as a female founder, I was a bit frustrated by the assumption that the reader was a male. While it's certainly true that the industry is heavily male, we shouldn't forget about all the awesome women in tech!
Overall I thought this was an interesting article with a surprising amount of insight into something seemingly insignificant like t-shirts. But, I have to admit that, as a female founder, I was a bit frustrated by the assumption that the reader was a male. While it's certainly true that the industry is heavily male, we shouldn't forget about all the awesome women in tech!
While the pronoun isn't inclusive, the sentiment isn't exactly gender specific. My Barbies raced around on Lego mindstorm cars ;)
I agree.
But, as a guy, I LMAO'd, because it felt so true.
But, as a guy, I LMAO'd, because it felt so true.
I don't like wearing t-shirts with logos on them. Bands, brands, companies, nothing like that.
I'm not the only one! I just don't like feeling like a billboard. Just plain color, please.
The use oft-shirts as achievement badges is interesting, but I don't like storing things that I don't use.
The use oft-shirts as achievement badges is interesting, but I don't like storing things that I don't use.
I generally feel the same way, but will make exceptions for things I really like. Generally the question for me is "if a conversation started about the message on my shirt, would it be a good one?" If the shirt conveys "I went to Spain" or "I am silly" or "I like this band," probably so. If the shirt conveys "I buy Brand X t-shirts," I can't imagine how that conversation would be interesting.
Depends on the band. Pick the right one, and it can convey a lot about your personality. I'd strike up a conversation with anyone wearing a K's Choice t-shirt, because I've been to their shows, and I know their fans are generally a self-selected group of wonderful, wonderful people who had remained fans throughout their decade-long hiatus.
It's hard to make similar generalizations about someone wearing a Led Zeppelin or John Lennon or flavor-of-the-month-superstar shirt, but even that implies a probable bit of information about their personality.
It's hard to make similar generalizations about someone wearing a Led Zeppelin or John Lennon or flavor-of-the-month-superstar shirt, but even that implies a probable bit of information about their personality.
Same. I'll wear conference t-shirts at conferences, but that's about it.
Any printing? What about a joke or a picture of a panda bear or something like that.
Nope, nothing, nada. I make an occasional exception for very small embroidered logos on polos.
Let me work on something really cool without undue interference and I don't care if you give me a t-shirt, coffee mug, water bottle or anything. Schwag is nice, but building something useful is better.
This article reminded me of the employee-only Facebook hoodie, which (according to some commentors) sold on eBay for over $4k
http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/05/join-the-cult-facebook-hood...
At a number of places I've worked at, people did not want t-shirts. They preferred a free meal instead. Mentioning that a t-shirt lasts a lot longer than a meal had no sway.
Providing free gourmet meals (along with snacks, drinks, etc) is a standard startup perk these days.
Free T-shirts would be in addition to the free meals at funded startups/companies.
Free T-shirts would be in addition to the free meals at funded startups/companies.
I've been to Palantir a few times for dinner, and almost everyone there wears Palantir t-shirts. They give out one for each release, and it looks like they're each themed around an element of the periodic table. The critical part is that they are nice shirts (American apparel), and really nicely designed. They also seem to order women's sizes.
Why is this stuff unique to tech companies? MBAs, despite being constantly accused of it by nerds, aren't idiots. Neither are accountants, neither are controllers, neither are middle managers.
Everybody does their best work when they're most comfortable. Why haven't many traditional companies figured this out yet?
Everybody does their best work when they're most comfortable. Why haven't many traditional companies figured this out yet?
What your dress code is also sets how you want to look as a company. I would presume that many investment banks are on the more formal side of dress -- partly because formal clothing tends to cost more and banking is a profession which wants to see itself as cultured, upper class, and wealthy.
However, I would ask if you have worn a nice tailored suit. It's really very comfortable. The quality of the material is pretty far above what most casual wear is made out of. The main cost seems to be in the time getting dressed in the morning and the extra care needed to not damage your outfit, not necessarily in comfort.
That said, I personally hold my own style to a little higher standard than many tech companies (generally long pants, collared shirt, closed-toed shoes).
However, I would ask if you have worn a nice tailored suit. It's really very comfortable. The quality of the material is pretty far above what most casual wear is made out of. The main cost seems to be in the time getting dressed in the morning and the extra care needed to not damage your outfit, not necessarily in comfort.
That said, I personally hold my own style to a little higher standard than many tech companies (generally long pants, collared shirt, closed-toed shoes).
It kind of depends. I see nice clothes as a way to win customers; if you are not customer-facing, then you need to wear what lets you do the job most comfortably. You don't want to be pulled out of the zone because your suit is too hot.
I wear jeans and a t-shirt and keep a sport jacket in my cube's closet. Then I can be dressy if it's needed for some reason. (I stole this idea from Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm. :)
I wear jeans and a t-shirt and keep a sport jacket in my cube's closet. Then I can be dressy if it's needed for some reason. (I stole this idea from Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm. :)
I work at a non-"startup" company, and I really appreciate the t-shirts my company gives us. When I joined the company, I got a plain white one, and every so often they sell the "generic" shirts for fairly cheap (at cost I believe). At some of the company events, there is generally a t-shirt given out celebrating some special event (shipping a new vehicle), or sometimes a "funny" shirt that everyone at the event gets. A few years back, they gave out a shirt that parodied the west coast choppers and orange county choppers. I've gotten a few comments about how cool my company is that they'd give out those shirts. The fact that they are really comfortable t-shirts and last a long time helps too.
This article really hit the nail on the head.
This article really hit the nail on the head.
The words "high tech" were used 7 times in that article.
T-shirts were one of the ways that I could tell the culture at Apple was changing.
When I started interning there, there would be a new T-shirt for every new project we would ship. The engineers in my group would all where T-shirts from projects past.
By the time I started full time,and my entire tenure there, the T-shirt culture was over (at least in hardware). Whenever someone would bring it up, or request one for the project we were working on, the answer would be "That's not a priority any more" or "We just don't have the budget for that."
Thankfully the new company I work for has some very cool t-shirts!
When I started interning there, there would be a new T-shirt for every new project we would ship. The engineers in my group would all where T-shirts from projects past.
By the time I started full time,and my entire tenure there, the T-shirt culture was over (at least in hardware). Whenever someone would bring it up, or request one for the project we were working on, the answer would be "That's not a priority any more" or "We just don't have the budget for that."
Thankfully the new company I work for has some very cool t-shirts!
Tech T-shirts, Like Military patches, are basically gang colors.
Gang colors are basically like Tech T-shirts and Military patches. Framing works both ways :D
In a link from the comments of this article I found another article about a company's t-shirt development process:
"Yes, we are giving them away. Login to your [...] account and click on the feature request button at the bottom of the page."
Seems like a good approach.
http://www.myintervals.com/blog/2011/02/01/submersible-dirigible-the-new-intervals-shirt-design/
"Yes, we are giving them away. Login to your [...] account and click on the feature request button at the bottom of the page."
Seems like a good approach.
Wrote a post just yesterday about the power of advertising through T-shirts. Referenced a local restaurant, The Salty Dog Cafe, whose entire identity is based on a t-shirt. Has worked well for others also.
http://bfginteractive.com/blog/travel-tourism/2011/04/06/the...
http://bfginteractive.com/blog/travel-tourism/2011/04/06/the...
Majority of these points are also valid for why you often get free tshirts at events, from small gaming events up to huge expo events.
What about target market? Most tech companies are targeted towards the tech crowd and younger men. How about custom ties for companies targeted towards businessmen?
The difficult part would be designing a custom tie that looks great, but still represents your brand. Does it have to be on the outside? Can a tag in the back of the tie be enough? I'm just not sure...
The difficult part would be designing a custom tie that looks great, but still represents your brand. Does it have to be on the outside? Can a tag in the back of the tie be enough? I'm just not sure...
How about custom ties for companies targeted towards businessmen?
Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. There are more than enough hideous looking ties in the world already. Let's not encourage them...
The difficult part would be designing a custom tie that looks great, but still represents your brand.
I don't believe it can be done, but more power to anybody that can pull that off. :-)
Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. There are more than enough hideous looking ties in the world already. Let's not encourage them...
The difficult part would be designing a custom tie that looks great, but still represents your brand.
I don't believe it can be done, but more power to anybody that can pull that off. :-)
Anyone want to jump the gun on the author's promised future post, about how to get great shirts, with recommendations here?
(SFBay vendor recommendations based on personal experience would be especially valued. Where does YC get its "[make|made] something people want" shirts, and are they as high-quality as they are high-cachet?)
(SFBay vendor recommendations based on personal experience would be especially valued. Where does YC get its "[make|made] something people want" shirts, and are they as high-quality as they are high-cachet?)
The article is so True !.Consider even universities, Wearing a Harvard or MIT T-shirt is like a badge of honor . It identifies you as a member of an exclusive community .
I try wearing a dress shirt now and then, but if the building temperature isn't lowered a few degrees, I just perspire in them all day. With a t-shirt, I don't.
I agree, I work at a company where they try to sell us $30 shirts with the logo on it... Nobody buys and it makes you feel shitty.
more comments about t-shirts than most posts! guess they do matter. Blekko may set a record for free t-shirts. giving them out to anyone who asks
http://blekko.com/ws/+/blekkogear
I always hated wearing the company T-shirt - I felt like a drone. Also at Sun they never gave women sizes - 8 years - not once. Tons and tons of night shirts for me.
Plus the damn logo is right across the chest - yeah that is exactly where I want people to look when talking to me.
My husband wears his as yardwork clothes especially the long sleeve ones since they are made of poor material and look crappy after several washings.
At another company the receptionist (a woman) bought extra tight shirts for the women - all 3 of us decided to throw them away - no way in hell were we wearing that. It was degrading. Then we were taunted by everyone why we were not showing company spirit.
If you want to give swag - give something useful like a electrostatic-free strap. That always comes in handy.
For something to display - how about a baseball hat. Sun gave jean jackets and other jackets - all too big - can not wear but at least it was different. I love the PR suggestion - put your benefit statement and then your logo and your URL.
Plus the damn logo is right across the chest - yeah that is exactly where I want people to look when talking to me.
My husband wears his as yardwork clothes especially the long sleeve ones since they are made of poor material and look crappy after several washings.
At another company the receptionist (a woman) bought extra tight shirts for the women - all 3 of us decided to throw them away - no way in hell were we wearing that. It was degrading. Then we were taunted by everyone why we were not showing company spirit.
If you want to give swag - give something useful like a electrostatic-free strap. That always comes in handy.
For something to display - how about a baseball hat. Sun gave jean jackets and other jackets - all too big - can not wear but at least it was different. I love the PR suggestion - put your benefit statement and then your logo and your URL.
>If you want to give swag - give something useful like a electrostatic-free strap. That always comes in handy.
Oh god. do you know someone who will print my logo on a ESD wriststrap? that would be /perfect/ for my company.
If you can find a vendor I'll send you one once I have 'em printed!
Oh god. do you know someone who will print my logo on a ESD wriststrap? that would be /perfect/ for my company.
If you can find a vendor I'll send you one once I have 'em printed!
here is an idea for all those people who only write across the chest of t-shirt which make some women uncomfortable wearing.
Why don't you write the company name on the bottom center of the short - and then everyone can stare at your crotch - this at least will make both sexes uncomfortable. And if you are guy and did not understand the above, perhaps you do now. Before anyone gets upset - I am trying to be funny.
Why don't you write the company name on the bottom center of the short - and then everyone can stare at your crotch - this at least will make both sexes uncomfortable. And if you are guy and did not understand the above, perhaps you do now. Before anyone gets upset - I am trying to be funny.
That is funny... but it's a valid point.Upper chest (e.g. towards the top edge of a high-necked shirt), shoulder or arm might be more workable, no?
The worst company t-shirts have two lines of text, one on the upper chest ("FooCo...") (typically on the upper parts of women's breasts) with a second, smaller font, tag-line of text ("leveraging X for Y") below - so people who read the text (kind of reflexive) look like they are giving someone a good, comprehensive ogling. I saw a lot of shirts like that at the last tech conference I was at...
Add "booth babes" (at a business-to-business oriented show, yet) to the mix and you've got the perfect environment for making women in tech feel real comfortable... :-<
The worst company t-shirts have two lines of text, one on the upper chest ("FooCo...") (typically on the upper parts of women's breasts) with a second, smaller font, tag-line of text ("leveraging X for Y") below - so people who read the text (kind of reflexive) look like they are giving someone a good, comprehensive ogling. I saw a lot of shirts like that at the last tech conference I was at...
Add "booth babes" (at a business-to-business oriented show, yet) to the mix and you've got the perfect environment for making women in tech feel real comfortable... :-<
For us, the PR value is more important than any of these reasons...
FeeFighters wore shirts at SXSW that had "YOU are getting RIPPED OFF on your credit card processing" on the back
This led to a number of fantastic leads, including some huge companies that we were able to help.
We also got several requests for shirts including from some notable folks... we came with extra and sent them out!
FeeFighters wore shirts at SXSW that had "YOU are getting RIPPED OFF on your credit card processing" on the back
This led to a number of fantastic leads, including some huge companies that we were able to help.
We also got several requests for shirts including from some notable folks... we came with extra and sent them out!
While this is on the front page - can we ask the question...
What is the best place to get small runs of high-quality shirts printed for low prices?
What is the best place to get small runs of high-quality shirts printed for low prices?
In your city there will almost certainly be some punk or goth kid with all the equipment for screen printing who'd be delighted with the business (so long as you aren't some megacorp). If there is a record store that does vinyl, they'll know who they are.
Me - I can take or leave T-Shirts.
I'm a sucker for beads. Shiny shiny beads that sparkle and shimmer.
I'm a sucker for beads. Shiny shiny beads that sparkle and shimmer.
good article, i wish my company would give out free t-shirts.
When the professor bought us t-shirts for one particular project, it felt a bit like we were being put in our places - "Hey kids!". None of us have worn them to work. Nor will we; a formal shirt looks and feels better than a t-shirt, regardless of the quality of the t-shirt.
I think that the "t-shirts stick-it-to-the-man" attitude is pretty sad. No organization ever felt threatened by a subordinate wearing a t-shirt. Try wearing a better suit than your boss, try wearing a tailored shirt or better shoes. Rather than dressing like a rebellious teenager, try dressing like his/her boss. T-shirts seem like a rather poorly-thought-through immature act of rebellion to me.
Interestingly, the older guys in the group (40+) all wear (occasionally stained) t-shirts and claim to be completely uninterested in how they look. They also spend a lot of time taking the piss out of those of us who wear smarter clothes, telling us that we don't have to wear them. They also spend quite a bit of time (somewhat) desperately trying to convince us to dress down.
The head of the group, the professor, unfailingly wears a formal shirt and sports coat, of course.