SANTA MONICA, CA – NerdyShirts has enlisted the über-talented Oliver Barrett to design a Limited Edition T-shirt that merges one of the coolest looking presidents in U.S. history with one of the best sci-fi films of our childhood.

The collaboration marks another one of NerdyShirt’s The Rule of Thirds philanthropic efforts, which splits profits evenly between the company, the artist, and a charity of the artist’s choice. The first was Dean Haspiel’s T-shirt that aims to SLAM Juvenile Diabetes. Profits from Oliver Barrett’s kick-ass design will go to the American Cancer Society to help in the ongoing fight against cancer.

When interviewed about his diverse body of work and what he’s most proud of, Barrett responded, “I’m proud of anything that gets results. Whether that’s moving some posters, helping a brand increase their online presence, whatever. I’m most proud of a project where I’m happy with what I’ve done AND it achieves a specific goal, whether it’s for myself or a client.”

With his collaboration with NerdyShirts, the goal and client is a significant one. Having lost several family members to cancer and with an uncle currently battling the disease, Barrett feels compelled to do whatever he can to help. “I’m not a scientist, I’m not a doctor. I’m a creative person (and I f***ing hate that term). I normally use my talents to work on stuff that really doesn’t matter in the long run, so if I have the opportunity to do something that’s actually going to help someone, I’m gonna do it. So if me doing a stupid drawing can have a positive effect in this fight, even if it’s a small one, I’m all-in.”

When asked about his all-in, smile-inducing Abraham Lincoln meets Stormtrooper design, Barrett said, “I relish any opportunity to try to match a well-known likeness and try to put some type of clever spin on it. When a drawing starts to come together and starts to look like someone, it’s a pretty cool feeling.”

Pretty cool indeed.

Here is the full interview with Oliver Barrett, conducted by NerdyShirts -

NS: You want part of the profits from your shirt design to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Why is this disease one you want to help fight against?

How has it affected your life or the people in your life?

Oliver: Because fuck cancer, that's why. Or to be more specific, cancer tears apart lives and not just for the patient. It effects everyone involved. Friends and family become impromptu nurses and life gets flipped upside-down. For as many people that are lost daily to cancer, we still haven't made enough progress to find a true solution. So if me doing a stupid drawing can have a positive effect in this fight, even if it's a small one, I'm all-in.

Most of my late-family members lost a fight to cancer and my uncle is currently battling stage 4 lung cancer.

NS: Your body of work is very extensive, ranging from logos to portraits to paper toys.

What projects are you most proud of?

Oliver: I'm proud of anything that gets results. Whether that's moving some posters, helping a brand increase their online presence, whatever. I'm the most proud of a project where I'm happy with what I've done AND it achieves a specific goal, whether it's for myself or a client.

NS: What takes up the most of your free time for personal work?

Oliver: Lately, it's been illustration for some commercial stuff. Like beer packaging and album artwork. When it's not stuff like that, it's posters for shows and such.

NS: Your design for Nerdy Shirts is a fun mashup of one of the coolest looking presidents the U.S. has ever had and one of the most fun sci-fi films of our childhood.

Is there something special about illustrating certain faces and characters for you?

Oliver: I like to think that each project is just as fun and exciting as the next, but that's total bullshit. I relish any opportunity to try to match a well-known likeness and try to put some type of clever spin on it. When a drawing starts to come together and starts to look like someone, it's a pretty cool feeling. More often than not, I like to just freeze the drawing at that moment and leave it there, but clients usually want to see a finished product.

NS: Did you hone your craft in school, independent study, or a mix of both?

Oliver: Both. I went to art school and had to take a ton of drawing and painting classes before I got into design. After school, I got back into drawing, and it progressed into illustrating stuff as an element in design projects and kind of just took off from there.

NS: What do you hope people will get out of your support for the American Cancer Society and involvement with Nerdy Shirts' Featured Artist Program?

Oliver: I hope that people can feel similar to how I felt. Which was 'I'm not a scientist, I'm not a doctor. I'm a creative person (and i fucking hate that term), and I normally use my talents to work on stuff that really doesn't matter in the long run, so if I have the opportunity to do something that's actually going to help someone, I'm gonna do it. Even if it's making a dumb drawing.

About the Artist: Oliver Barrett is a designer, art director, and illustrator living the dream in glorious Cleveland, Ohio. To check out his extensive work, venture to: ohbarrett.com and oliverbarrettdesign.com

The limited edition t-shirt is now available here:

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Follow NerdyShirts on Twitter for ongoing updates, coupons, and links to many more great artists and causes:

@NerdyShirts

ATTN Artists:

Discuss creating a NerdyShirts design to support a cause you are passionate about: gary[at]nerdyshirts.com

SANTA MONICA, CA – NerdyShirts is thrilled to announce the brand new Limited Edition T-shirt designed by American comic book artist Dean Haspiel. The Emmy Award-winning artist (Bored To Death), who is also known for collaborations with writer Harvey Pekar on his American Splendor series as well as the graphic novel The Quitter, has joined forces with NerdyShirts to create the very first certified t-shirt from his Eisner Award nominated comic Billy Dogma.

The collaboration is one of two debuts for NerdyShirts’ The Rule of Thirds philanthropic partnerships, which divides profits evenly between the company, the artist, and a charity of the artist’s choice—in this case Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

In a recent interview, Haspiel explained his close connection with the disease and his motivation to help fight it: “At the age of nine my brother, Michael, discovered he had Juvenile Diabetes, which greatly altered the quality of his life and our family. He had a tough time with it and died from complications of the disease in his late 30’s. While he was alive, I dedicated The Quitter to Mike and he was overjoyed. Now, with his passing and my first sanctioned Billy Dogma t-shirt, I want some of the proceeds to help find a cure for Diabetes and continue to honor my brother.”

While the energetic t-shirt design seems inspired by the Golden Age artists, Haspiel clarified, “Golden Age artists who were defining the Silver Age of comics—the likes of Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, and C.C Beck . . . and my favorite era of comic art and story.” He added, “I hope everyone will feel good about supporting a worthy cause that helps educate people and saves lives while wearing a cool looking shirt that aims to SLAM Diabetes!”

Here is the full interview with Dean Haspiel, conducted by NerdyShirts -

NS: You want part of the profits from your shirt design to benefit Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Why is this disease one you want to help fight against?

How has it affected your life or the people in your life?

Dean: At the age of nine, my brother, Michael Haspiel, discovered he had Juvenile Diabetes. Having to instantly become strictly aware of his diet and take insulin injections 2-3 times per day greatly altered the quality of his life and our family. Suddenly desserts were a thing of the past and candy was a sin. However, changing what you eat when you eat and how you eat was only the tip of the iceberg. Having any disease challenges your attitude about life and every decision you make and it's not easy to control no matter how disciplined you are. Hell, people can get Diabetes by sitting around and gaining weight.

Luckily, medicine and education has come a long way since my brother was nine and we have better ideas of how to be healthy in order to prevent the onset of certain forms of Diabetes.

Alas, my brother had a tough time with it and he died from complications of Juvenile Diabetes in his late 30's. While he was alive, I dedicated THE QUITTER [my graphic novel collaboration with the late Harvey Pekar] to Mike and he was overjoyed.

Now, with his passing and my first sanctioned BILLY DOGMA t-shirt, I want some of the proceeds to help find a cure for Diabetes and continue to honor my brother, Mike.

NS: Your design for Nerdy Shirts has a great energy to it and feels inspired by the Golden Age of Comics. I think that could be said about a lot of your personal work.

What role did that era play in your decision to become an artist and story teller?

How much does that style inspire you today?

Dean: I started reading Marvel and DC comic books in the late 1970s and a bunch of those comics would reprint classic stories from the 1960s where I discovered the likes of Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, and C.C Beck. Arguably, Golden Age artists who were defining the Silver Age of comics, my favorite era of comics art and story. And, because a lot of those Silver Age artists informed the stories I read, they naturally inspired my comix art. Come 1985, senior year of high school, I had the great fortune of assisting and being mentored by Bill Sienkiewicz, Howard Chaykin, and Walter Simonson, who taught me how to make comic books.

NS: Of all the books and series you have worked on what are the three you are most proud of?

Dean: CUBA: MY REVOLUTION, because I was able to collaborate with Inverna Lockpez, a very important artist and woman in my life, to tell her incredibly personal, poignant, and sacrificing story.

THE ALCOHOLIC, because I got the rare chance to collaborate with Jonathan Ames, a dear friend of mine and one of the very best contemporary writers in America today.

BILLY DOGMA, because it's my continuing, no permissions/no apologies, love letter to the insanity of love: Click here to explore BILLY DOGMA

NS: What are three books or series inspiring you today that people should check out?

Dean: SCALPED by Jason Aaron & RM Guera. The best written and drawn monthly series of the past five years. It's as shockingly brutal and emotionally honest as it is heart-breaking.

DAREDEVIL by Mark Waid & Marcos Martin & Paolo Rivera. The way comics used to be when I was a kid only smarter, faster, and better.

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely. A classic collection that champions the genre and teaches the powers of the medium while entertaining you.

NS: What are you currently working on that we can look forward to seeing?

Dean: GODZILLA LEGENDS #5, written by Bobby Curnow, and published by IDW [due end of March, 2012]. I was challenged to draw the story of a retired daredevil that is hired to climb Godzilla. How could I say no? Otherwise, I'm writing new weekly prose, essays, profiles and comix, while curating content for my multimedia literary-arts salon; TripCity.net

NS What do you hope people will get out of your support for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and involvement with Nerdy Shirts' Featured Artist Program?

Dean I hope people will feel good about supporting a worthy cause that helps educate people and saves lives while wearing a cool looking shirt that aims to SLAM Diabetes!

About the Artist: Dean has drawn many great superhero and semi-autobiographical comic books published by Marvel, DC/Vertigo, Dark Horse, IDW, Image, Scholastic Graphix, Toon Books, Top Shelf, Playboy, The New York Times, and Tor.com—including critically acclaimed collaborations with Harvey Pekar (American Splendor, The Quitter), Jonathan Ames (The Alcoholic), Jonathan Lethem (Cousin Corinne’s Reminder), Tim Hall (The Last Mortician), and Inverna Lockpez on the Harvey Award winning, CUBA: My Revolution. Dean illustrates the Super Ray art for HBO’s Bored To Death, for which he also won an Emmy award for his work on the opening title sequence. For more info about Dean visit: deanhaspiel.com

The Limited Edition T-shirt is now available here:

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To read about the other exciting The Rule of Thirds debut, which was designed by Oliver Barrett, click HERE.

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Follow NerdyShirts on Twitter for ongoing updates, coupons, and links to many more great artists and causes:

@NerdyShirts

ATTN Artists:

Discuss creating a NerdyShirts design to support a cause you are passionate about: gary[at]nerdyshirts.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 24th, 2012

NERDYSHIRTS HELPS ARTISTS BECOME SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

SANTA MONICA, CA (2/24/2012) - The LA startup scene is growing rapidly and NerdyShirts, with the announcement of The Rule of Thirds, hopes to create an army of artistic entrepreneurs that give back to the community.

The Rule of Thirds gives artists the opportunity to design limited edition NerdyShirts to support a charity of their choice. The name is derived from the way in which profits are split evenly between NerdyShirts, the artist, and the charity they chose. A story is crafted for every new shirt, featuring the artist, the charity, and the shirt design.

NerdyShirts, located in Santa Monica, has been a very active part of the LA tech community, recently dubbed Silicon Beach. Parallel to this, social entrepreneurship in Los Angeles has also been spreading like wildfire.

Social entrepreneurs aim to generate profit while giving back to the community. The new The Rule of Thirds program by NerdyShirts provides the opportunity for artists to do precisely this.

Stay tuned for more information about the first two NerdyShirts designs for The Rule of Thirds from artists Dean Haspiel and Oliver Barrett. Interviews with the artists exploring their designs, their work, and their purposes for supporting the charities will be included.

Follow NerdyShirts on Twitter for ongoing updates, coupons, and links to many more great artists and causes:

@NerdyShirts

ATTN Artists:

Discuss creating a NerdyShirts design to support a cause you are passionate about: gary[at]nerdyshirts.com

ATTN Media:

Schedule an in-depth interview with the NerdyShirts team or one of the artists: gary[at]nerdyshirts.com