Threadless.com is a popular website where artists from all over the world, be they professionals or beginners, known or unknown, can submit designs.
If selected, those designs are then printed onto a variety of items (mostly clothing and posters) for other people to buy.
It’s got a rabid fanbase of followers. In 2007 they created the Bestee Awards to reward and celebrate members of their ever-growing community.
Winners of the 2008 Bestees were recently announced, and topping the list out of hundreds of entries was Filipino artist Kneil Melicano, whose design “RED” received the most votes in the online competition. This makes Melicano the People’s Choice Winner for Design of the Year.
Kneil graduated two years ago from the Adventist University in Silang, Cavite with a BA in Visual Communication and Design. After deciding he wanted to draw full-time, he quit his job last month as a Creative Director at Fusion.
Threadless Bestees is not the first contest he has joined, having won Honorable Mention in the Digital Category of the Shell Students’ Art Competition. Kneil has also worked on the Mabuhay Miles and PAL websites early last year.
PHILIPPINE STAR: Looking at your Threadless portfolio I was surprised to find you had a lot more designs than I expected.
KNEIL MELICANO: I submitted 18 last year total. About 14 of them were from 2007. Eleven works got printed, some from other sites, like the one design chosen for the commonthreadz line, which was launched at the MTV Movie Awards.
What does it take for a design to get printed? What’s your process in coming up with a design for Threadless?
There’s no clear-cut formula. Though I still struggle, some designs get through with a good scores. Threadless has produced some of the most brilliant concepts in shirts. They have some of the most absurd talents in the illustration field, so I guess a smart idea is a start.
From there, you work your way to a personal style and available resources. Don’t limit yourself with regards to media. Experiment with everything from photographic elements, to design alternatives — from basic doodles to over-the-top illustrations — because the available printing processes these days make for endless possibilities. (Indeed, one of my favorites of Melicano’s designs, “Liberty,” features glow-in-the-dark ink for a specific section.)
What’s your favorite among your designs?
Aside from “RED” one of my favorites is “Rebirth of Venus” (a parody of Boticelli’s painting where Venus is being marked for various plastic/augmentation surgeries), because it was a happy accident.
I think it’s one of those eureka moments you can really call your own, where you’re just lounging and suddenly you get struck by this idea without the knowledge that it would create such a huge impact.
It deals with the concept of how beauty is approached these days. Though there’s no implication if it’s a good or bad thing; just how times have changed.
Also, this was the time I was trying to bridge my personal style with digital media; with the color restriction limits of T-shirt companies. I had to come up with a limited palette that is quite experimental but relatable yet not too mainstream.
I’m very happy with how it turned out. Some medical universities abroad have bought the rights to the design as it was copyrighted by Threadless on my behalf.
It’s a great feeling when somehow people come to appreciate your work more than you expected.
What’s it like winning the 2008 Bestees?
It was amazing. I’m still floored. I wasn’t that confident looking at all the finalists — from Aled Lewis, AJ Dimarucot + Jimiyo, Oliver Moss, Frank Barbara — all design giants in the industry. You can’t help but feel intimidated by these heavyweights.
What are your plans now? Do you have a website?
I plan on focusing on my illustration and more promotional work. I think this is the time where I can experiment more and not have the standards of printability playing in my head every time I try and churn out a design and just do whatever comes to mind and just draw away.
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My website is http://kneilmelicano.com.
It’s on hiatus but should be up in a couple of weeks with more works. For now you can check out my flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kneilmelicano.