Free t-shirt! Free t-shirt!

Earlier today I found the answer to the mystery of my most popular photo! (see previous post.) Apparently the people at Veer.com blogged it to toot their own horn for their limited edition "free t-shirt."

The Veer tee is actually one of those rare wearable free t-shirts. I just didn't take one because free t-shirts rarely come in a flattering fit for petite female frames.

Besides, working for a large company with a fun brand has already provided me with a regular supply of free t-shirts and tchotchkes. Back in the day, this was usually a treat. Sometimes I'd get something fun and useful, like a fold-up beach chair, sleeping bag, magnet, or light-up bouncy ball. (Well, okay that last one wasn't so useful, but it was entertaining for 5 minutes.) But the t-shirts were always too big and piled up in my drawer, usually saved for the gym or given away.

So as the years have gone by, I now dread the free t-shirt. At least make a cute t-shirt if you're going to expect me to wear the damned thing.

I mean, I like the products and services we create, and I believe that they contribute to people's lives, and I'm sure our engineers and developers are some of the best in the industry ("the Bauhaus of DHTML," as one engineer proclaimed), but I am not going to be jauntily walking around in public with a shirt that has PHP CODE scattered across it. You might as well just make me write "SERIOUS GEEK" in big letters across my forehead.

Can't they just humor me, since I am designer, to at least put some thought into designing the shirt? If they just make a cute, nicely designed one that fits me appropriately, I will wear it. My manager will attest that I said I'd join his team if he could get me a girly Messenger t-shirt. I was half-joking, but yes, I have worn the shirt from time to time. It's a shirt that fits a female, in a flattering light green color.

Lucky for me we have a healthy influx of excitable new hires at Yahoo, so they are happy to take my extra freebies off my hands. Someone else will be happily wearing the limited edition PHP-emblazoned shirt.

If you are in the market for a fun t-shirt, the NY Times reported on some interesting t-shirt retailers. I also would recommend Busted tees, Bang-On, Delia's, and Giant Robot. And I even like the occasional American Eagle tee.

Speaking of which, I'm supposed to design a t-shirt for my team! Hmm....