In the Wild

Here's a jaunty photo of Chris sporting his tiki pineapple whip shirt in the parks during this past holiday season. Chris told me that his first order of business was to grab a whip and snap a pic...he said a few minutes later he ran into someone else sporting the popular Designerland shirt. Thanks for shooting this my way and for the support! Mahalo!

 

Remember folks to keep sending in your pics for your chance to be featured here on Designerland!

Italy

Welcome back to another edition of the Retro '71 Apparel Line. This week we'll finally (LOL) continue our Journey around the World Showcase and visit the beautiful country of Italy.

As we catch sight of the colorful gondolas in the Venetian canal and a setting that is clearly reminiscent of St. Mark's Square, and we know we're in Italy. The bell tower, or campanile, is monumental, and we'll even find a replica of the Doges' Palace.

In the piazza there are classic sculptures to fill the eye; one - the "Fontana di Nerruno" - depicts the sea-god Neptune amidst playful dolphins. Here, too, we just might be fortunate to arrive fir a performance by the farcical players of the Teatro di Bologna in the open-air provincial theater.

There are some fine specialty shops here, and browsing can be fun. The shops of the Arcata d'Artigiani, for example, offer handcrafted terra-cotta pottery, glassware, and woven baskets.

 

Following suit, this week’s design incorporates Italy's logo in a similar fashion as the previous shirts. The colors are inspired by the Italian flag . Finishing the design is some slight wear and tear with a textured finish, which ties it into the branding and overall vision of the Retro '71 apparel line.

 

 

 

Well that does it for this week’s edition of the Retro '71 World Showcase shirts. Sorry it's taken me a while. . . but I'm glad to be back! Looking forward to seeing you back here next Sunday as we delve into another attraction typography case study from the Magic Kingdom. Thanks for stopping by and see you soon!

Disney Decor

Welcome back to the first post of the New Year. I hope you all had a terrific holiday season! I'm happy to report that Designerland will be back in full force with new case studies, new Retro '71 apparel design and some other fun surprises.

To kick off the New Year I'd like to present a series of prints bases on Disney and his parks.

The larger print entitled "One Man's Journey" is based on some of the key places Walt lived, visited and worked. The next two prints celebrate the opening of both stateside Disney Theme Parks. Each print shows various maps from their respective park.

 

 

 

So what do you think? Would you buy these to adorn your interior walls? Well that does it for this weeks Designerland post. Tune in next Sunday as we continue our tour around the World Showcase with the latest Retro '71 World Showcase Tee. Have a great week and see you soon!

Almost Back!

I'd like to thank all of you for hanging in there with me!

Christmas is quickly approaching and I'm happy to report that once this joyous holiday comes to an end, we'll find ourselves in the new year and Designerland will be back on it's normal schedule.

I have tons of goodies waiting in the wings: from new Retro '71 apparel designs to soundboard apps, random Richard music comps and of course our attraction typography case studies with a few other extra surprises in store.

I hope everyone has a great holiday and see you REAL soon!

The American Adventure

 

Welcome back to another edition of the Retro '71 Apparel Line. This week we'll continue our Journey around the World Showcase with our next stop being The American Adventure.

Stately Georgian architecture welcomes us to The American Adventure, which is proudly presented as "host" to the nations of World Showcase.

Inside, you'll find paintings portraying the Spirits of American, and in the main theater, a Disney theatrical production that tells the inspiring story of America. Here, on stage of sweeping dimensions, we can witness the pivotal events and meet the "dreamers and doers" who helped shape the American nation. Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain - two of America's most eloquent spokesmen - lead a cast of more than 30 historic figures "brought to life" to recount America's hard-won achievements and preview her boundless future.

Following suit, this week’s design incorporates The American Adventure logo in a similar fashion as the previous shirts. The colors are inspired by the United States flag . Finishing the design is some slight wear and tear with a textured finish, which ties it into the branding and overall vision of the Retro '71 apparel line.

Well that does it for this week’s edition of the World Showcase shirts. I'm glad to be back, even if it's only for a few short hours! Looking forward to seeing you back here soon for more fun Designerland posts. Thanks for visiting and have a swell week.

In the wild...continued

Here are a few more fellow Designerland followers sporting their amazing Tiki Pineapple Whip shirts.
Thanks for the support and sending these fun photos my way! Mahalo!

 

Back for a bit

Well guys I'm back for a short bit. I want to thank all of you've personally contacted me to see if I was okay since I hadn't been posting regularly. Things are good on my end, busy. . . but good.  You may be asking yourselves what's been taking up so much of my time? Well I can tell you all good things.

For starters I have been freelancing for the Design Design Group down in Orlando working on some killer new park merchandise that will soon be hitting shelves. It's been a blast. Don't ask what it is...you just have to wait. I've also been asked to join the amazing group of artists at the KC Sanders art gallery in developing new art pieces for both Disney and DreamWorks Animation properties. So hold tight you may end up seeing some of your favorite Designerland designs available to buy here in the near future. I've also been working a bit with the Disney Studios on a few side projects. Other than that, teaching typography and working my full time job.

I'm actually under the weather and took the day off and found myself having a bit of time to give you an update and a new Retro '71 shirt concept. I have a few more typography case studies left for the Magic Kingdom but not sure when we'll get back to those since they do take more time in researching, designing and writing about.

Thanks again for sticking with me!