Competition: Design a T-shirt Fit For a CEO

Posted by: Helen Walters on August 20, 2009

Here in Manhattan, temperatures have finally reached the million degree mark (approx). It leads to some interesting summer fashions, as employees attempt to be comfortable yet decent and tourists attempt not to melt while gawping at the Empire State Building.

In a former life, I wrote and curated three books on T-shirt graphics, which documented the ever-evolving visual world of art printed onto cloth. T-shirts are an excellent barometer of style, taste and current opinions, as people choose to wear their heart on their chest, literally. (The little girl pictured wore this shirt to a demonstration held at UCLA in protest of the recent Iranian elections.) And I got to thinking. How about a competition to design a T-shirt fit for a CEO?

So here’s the deal: Design a T-shirt for a CEO. The CEO can be alive or dead and from anywhere in the world. Don’t actually print a T-shirt, but email a jpeg of your design (either just the graphic or the graphic as it might look on a shirt) to me: helen_walters at businessweek.com. Also include brief details of who it was designed for, and the thinking behind the design. Finally, include some information about yourself — your name, location, age and current occupation. We’ll feature the best in a slideshow on BW.com.

Stupid idea? Possibly. But I’m excited to see your creativity — and, of course, to get a sense of which CEOs spark comment and interest. Thanks in advance for your time and efforts. And, of course, be aware that profanity/defamatory won’t get chosen, so please don’t defile my inbox. Also, I won’t be clearing image rights, so please be prepared to vouch for ownership of the image you supply or include the correct credit. Image: Getty