Is QC gone forever?
Okay, so was I asleep the day Quality Control left the fucking building or something? I am just recovering from food poisoning for the 2nd time this month (that’s an entirely different post of complaints and explanations I’ll save for another day), but this is inexcusable, and certainly not helpful to my recovery. Before anyone asks, no, this is not the work of Colorcubic, thank God. So now you might be saying to yourself “then who cares?” Well, I do. Unfortunately I can’t tell you who kicked these… designs out (if I can call them designs at all), because I just don’t know. What I can tell you though is that these are for the ELECTRONIC MUSIC SENSATION OF THE CENTURY… YACHT! Yes, that’s right, YACHT. You know, the guy who wears a handkerchief over his face, carries a sword, and looks all hipster while ready to pounce. No? You don’t know him? Oooh baby! Rolling On The Floor, Laughing!!!!!!!! Laugh Out Loud, blah blah blah!!!!!!
Let me quickly move to explain our (being Colorcubic’s) position on this matter. We, (Christy and I) aren’t just passionate about the work we do, but the concept of design in all facets, by all people. Call it Aesthetic Bliss™ if you will, but whatever you call it, we’re defending it, and it’s a shame that the people who would call themselves the designers of this MARVELOUS work would allow something like this to hit any printer. I apologize if what I say next comes off as being somewhat “fascist?”, or tyranical, (yeah right, far from it), but one has got to take a stand somewhere.
For example, I like taking a fishing pole out to a lake on a yacht (no pun intended) and attempting to fish occasionally when the weather is good. I’m absolutely horrible at it. The worst ever, and because of that I’m not about to call myself a fisherman. Just because I have a fishing pole DON’T MAKE IT RIGH’!.
Real fisherman go out to sea on rickety ass cold boats for months on end, catch large amounts of beautiful, mouth watering fish (you know, the same fish that we all love for sushi), bring it back to port, and sell it off at great rates after they have risked their lives, and that winds up on someones table as food. Now, wouldn’t it be a real slap in the face if someone just came along and said, “hey… hey, I’m a fisherman. Yeah, yeah buddy. I’m a fisherman, I fish all the time. Wanna buy some fish?”, and they then proceed to open some gnarled burlap bag full of some of the worst specimen that couldn’t possibly be mistaken for fish, but before the atrocity could be prevented, some poor, uneducated fool buys into it, and then proceeds to convince all of his other cronies / lackeys / friends to buy this shit peddling rank sea bass. I don’t know about you, but I would feel obligated to step in and say, “take your 2 bit scam and beat it!” At that very moment, Michael Jackson would magically appear, and moonwalk all over that hustl’n ass. Hustle n flow baby, hustle n flow!
This scenario is exactly that, RANK SEA BASS trying to be passed off as my next roll of hamachi nagiri sushi. Sorry mutha fucka, but I ain’t buyin’ it, much less swallowin’ it. And Sorry to all you “die hard YACHT fans” out there, but this (in an ideal world… or my world of QA and perfectionism) wouldn’t peddle peanuts for poop, let alone exchange hands with an overzealous buyer. Unfortunately, nowadays, people have forgotten the measure of quality to shit (apparently). People are actually buying these five second run off to the screen printer, got no raisins in my brain-case, looks just like crappy, wannabe, rip you off and skimp yo momma Urban bullshit Outfitters t-shirts. Am I mistaken, and is shit suddenly the new gold? I’m sorry people, but this is wrong, stealing is wrong, and if you’re buying this, you’ve been robbed and left with what’s left at the bottom of some nasty barrel.
On a side note I must say, I’m especially moved by the “fucking positive” shirt. Great man, thanks, brilliant, a completely original slice of freshly baked pound cake. Seriously? Do FAUX witty catch phrases actually do anything for anyone anymore except make people angry? Maybe just me?
Here Yacht, how about printing this on a t-shirt instead, “With music to match, Yacht to trot. Just say no to faux!”
This is, of course, just my subjective opinion.
Enjoy 
- m / Colorcubic™
May 29th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Well tell me how you really feel!
I have to agree though. But I was there during the 80s so I can tell you first hand that design for pop culture was just as lame, redundant and boring then as it is now. Not that there wasn’t good design in the 80s. Between 23 Envelope(4AD) and Factory Records there were plenty of examples of cutting edge design.
I’m also not sure why concepts like irony or kitsch are even being used. I mean if you can buy a Mr. T t-shirt in the mall than to me it’s all over. Don’t use 80s anything anymore. But the kids seem to love it so some ‘graphic designers’ just go with the flow I guess.
But this is not design here. These shirt designs are just thrown together relying on the 80s bright color thing to get the initial attention.
I have to disagree on the stealing issue if you were referring to the ‘Cats’ t-shirt. I personally like toying with things that to me have obtained 100% media saturation. To me it’s not stealing if it’s been shoved down your throat for 20 years straight.
Still I don’t think I would use an image like Cats in an ironic way in order to promote myself. Maybe the Amazing Technocolor Dreamcoat though.
May 30th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
The stealing issue was aimed towards Urban Outfitters and not Yacht. Yacht’s shirts just remind me of the poor quality that Urban Outfitters deems worthy of stealing.
No no, hands down, Yacht’s shirts are nothing but “original”, but I, among other hard working designers believe that design, (or designism if you will) involve the responsibility of being innovative, and not the run of the mill that finds its way into hot topic (if it still exists anymore), or UO, etc… This is just fast food design, and we all know what fast food does to you. It makes you sick, and I don’t believe in paying $15.00 dollars for a piece that clearly shows an intentional lack of effort put forth for the sole purpose of promoting kitsch concepts. What does that do for anyone?
I’m a product of the 80’s as well, and I agree with you completely, there was a load of shit swamping about then as it is now, but there was still (like you said) great works to be seen (as there is now). Just look at all the Graphis Annual books from the early to late 80s. Beautiful. Some of the best work I’ve ever seen, and it’s finding its way back into modern design (which I think is great), but people aren’t just taking it for face value. People are molding it to accommodate the high expectations of the elite. We did a post about it, and as you can see, the best work wound up featured in those prestigious publications, and the shit remained where it was, left in the dregs.