I’m pretty sure most t-blog readers have already heard of Tee Lotto, a new limited-edition t-shirt site by the guys who run 5quidink. The concept is, if nothing else, unique. Their aim is to sell 33,333 tees at $12 (US)/$15 (int.) each, shipped. For each shirt sold, $3 will be put into the “jackpot.” Upon hitting the 33,333 mark, they will pick one lucky buyer who will receive the prize, which consists of an unknown amount of money.
Clearly, the aim is to get people to buy as many shirts as possible for a greater chance at winning the lottery — if you look at the FAQ, you’ll see that they’ll offer a second $10,000 prize if all 33,333 shirts are sold in 90 days. To be honest, I’m with Rude Retro on this one; I’m pretty skeptical about the success of this site. 33,333 shirts is a lot of shirts and a number most companies — even companies selling tees on the lower end of the price scale — struggle to reach. Hype can only help so much, not to mention that Tee Lotto is run by an already new, somewhat obscure company. I just can’t see the lottery part of this thing gathering that much excitement. If the blog/forum reception is any indication, I already appear to be correct.
On the other hand, I’m always eager to see new limited tee sites and what their output will look like. I probably won’t be buying from Tee Lotto, if only because they don’t print ladies’ sizes, but it never hurts to have another source of cheap, artist-designed t-shirts. Hopefully their picks end up better than those at 5quidink, which have been on the mediocre/disappointing end as of late.
From a designer/artist standpoint, though, I have to say I like the simple, minimalistic typography of their logo tee. The little numbers on the bottom right make for an interesting visual element. I wouldn’t wear a shirt that says “Tee Logo” on it, but as a design piece, it works.
Tee Lotto starts up March 1 — tomorrow! — so hold onto your pants. Let’s see what they have to offer.
