It’s bad enough in the design world when aesthetic trends lead to an over saturation of poor design and artistic style, but when it spills over into fashion it creates a whole new web of problems. We can characterize digital art trends as containing these items (if not all): Grunge art, medieval influences, Japanese pop, swirls, Latin text, skulls, and dragons (though we’ve long since moved past the time of tribal/dragon artwork). Not only is this current trend of digital artwork visible on artist websites such as Deviant Art (a social reject in the real art world but a haven for everyone with the false pretense that they’re an artist or designer), but it’s visible on the graphic tees commonly worn around places such as New York City, Chicago, and in major cities on the West Coast.
A large push behind the graphic tee movement is the wide spread ability to make your own t shirts. All a person needs is a graphical editing program, artwork, and then they can just ship off their digital files to a screen printer and viola! A custom made t shirt brimming with individuality. These graphic tees were soon capitalized on by major companies and used as a selling point. Over stylized and ubiquitous, this vector/grunge movement closely resembles what the internet would describe as the ‘web 2.0’ movement in terms of setting a style in which people conform to by the masses. Web 2.0 is easily recognizable by its glossy buttons, bright colors, and rounded cascading style sheets, it’s in your face, modern and minimalistic and it attracts much of the same crowd as vectors/grunge do.
This is not to say that there aren't amazing vector art pieces, artists, and designers because there are plenty and they deserve to be lauded with praise and respect for their personal style and innovation; however copycats whom try to mimic them without adding their own personality and aesthetic into their work are what is bringing the graphic tee down. It takes away a level of uniqueness and respect which the graphic tee once held.
A large push behind the graphic tee movement is the wide spread ability to make your own t shirts. All a person needs is a graphical editing program, artwork, and then they can just ship off their digital files to a screen printer and viola! A custom made t shirt brimming with individuality. These graphic tees were soon capitalized on by major companies and used as a selling point. Over stylized and ubiquitous, this vector/grunge movement closely resembles what the internet would describe as the ‘web 2.0’ movement in terms of setting a style in which people conform to by the masses. Web 2.0 is easily recognizable by its glossy buttons, bright colors, and rounded cascading style sheets, it’s in your face, modern and minimalistic and it attracts much of the same crowd as vectors/grunge do.
This is not to say that there aren't amazing vector art pieces, artists, and designers because there are plenty and they deserve to be lauded with praise and respect for their personal style and innovation; however copycats whom try to mimic them without adding their own personality and aesthetic into their work are what is bringing the graphic tee down. It takes away a level of uniqueness and respect which the graphic tee once held.
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