Why Good Design (Alone) Won’t Cut It Anymore
by Michael Essek · Updated: July 21, 2026There’s a lot of AI ‘cope’ coming from artists and designers – as they try to deal with the upcoming AI armageddon. But it’s not all bad news – because…
Snowclones For T-Shirts: Smile If… (X)
by Michael Essek · Updated: July 8, 2026For several years I’ve been using the term ‘Plug-In Phrases’ to describe simple, fill-in-the-blank phrase templates. Phrases like: I’ve written about them extensively – including many emails giving examples of…
3 Reasons To Create Things That Make You Laugh
by Michael Essek · Updated: July 8, 2026Last week I created a particular design purely because I thought the concept was funny. And as I was putting it together I could hear the voice in my head…
Funny Acronym Ideas (FAI)
by Michael Essek · Updated: March 28, 2023One of my most-frequented websites when working on new ideas is OneLook.com It’s basically a big ol’ dictionary that displays related words, phrases containing certain words, and a whole lot more….
One (Easy) way to come up with better pun ideas
by Michael Essek · Updated: February 10, 2026Today – I have a website to share that can help you come up with better ideas. So – if you’re just getting started creating designs for products – and…
Why T-Shirt Designers Should Put Faces on Things
by Michael Essek · Updated: March 28, 2023People love faces. We’re naturally attracted to things with faces. (take for example the ‘faces in things’ instagram account). It’s why mascots and characters are so popular, and why they show…
