Please introduce yourself!
I’m Philipp, 24 years old, and I’m from Saalfeld in the east of Germany.
And what do you do when you aren’t creating crazy monsters?
[laughs] Actually I’ve leant my trade as an electrician for automated processes. But for quite a while now I’ve been working as a freelance web and graphics designer. I’m one of those online people, you see. I’m interested in open source technologies, and I support many different projects. When I’m not stuck behind a computer screen, I try my luck DJ-ing in clubs.
Now, how do you define your style?
I like a certain degree of simplicity. It’s important for me to create neat and tidy graphics that can be printed well with flex-printing. My designs should be fun to look at and wear. So when I create a design and it makes me smile myself, I kind of know that I’m on a winner.
And if you were to describe your shop in 3 words, which would they be?
Moustaches, nerd glasses, and everything that is sweet and cute. Oh, that’s more than 3 words, so here it is: cute, simple and neat.
So, why’s your shop called “Bad Bugs“?
Well, to be perfectly honest I didn’t really have a clue what to call the shop. But I wanted to have the notion of “nasty little animals” in the name, but more succinct and catchy. “Bad Bugs” was what I then settled for, as it seemed more promising in terms of marketing. I did contemplate to rename the shop when I thought that I had more on offer than just monsters. But doing it would be fatal, I think. I’d like to think that there are now quite a few people who associate “Bad Bugs” a brand, or at least trademark for nice designs.
How long has your shop been running, and how would you characterise its development?
In 2010 I registered it with Spreadshirt. The shop has been going ever since, and I have reworked it what feels like about 100 times already. Originally, Bad Bugs was only a fun project that I had been meaning to realise for a long time. Hehe, the motto encouraging you to create “your own label” was quite appealing, and it kind of took a hold of me. These days my Facebook page has almost 1,000 likes, so it’s been quite a successful project. And I am really pleased with the quality of the t-shirts and the prints. Collaboration with Spreadshirt works a breeze as well, and I’m happy that my designs and running the shop make for a substantial part of earning my keep these days. Of course, for a small shop it is not all that easy to get established. There is a lot of competition, and a few others do very similar things. And not in a bad way! But I’m patient and enduring, and after a while these characteristics bring about a certain degree of success. And this is what keeps you trying harder.
Why Spreadshirt?
Like I said – the slogan “your own label” obviously worked for me. I just wanted to try out what Spreadshirt can do, and then I realised that there are no costs other than having a Premium Account. I do not need to take care of printing, stocking, shipping and after-buy service. I’ve now been able to re-invest my earnings from the “trial run”, so that I was able to invest in a new graphics tablet and a decent monitor that will help me with my future projects 😉
Your three favourite designs, please do tell!
A question about design #1 (“I love beards“): What – other than moustaches – do you love?
Trends and of course those of my tees that I like wearing myself, hehe. Graphics design and music are also things I really love. And, well, cute animals like pandas and owls.
A question about design #2 (“Om nom nom nom“) Which food makes you creative?
Gummy bears, muesli and healthy stuff.
A question about design #3 (“Süße Eule“) As we all know, most owls are nocturnal. At what time of day do you tinker about with your shop, and why?
I’m definitely a creature of the night myself. Being a freelancer makes you quite flexible, but I’m still nocturnal like an owl.
And do you abide by any kind of work ethics?
Have fun and do what you like. I only do what I like doing, but nothing that doesn’t look like it’s not worth the while.
That sounds like a pretty smart motto. Do you think that your customers are fun-loving animals, too?
Well, I’d be hard pressed if I said I knew… I think that adults, kids and folks from all walks of life like my stuff. It is hard to say what type of people exactly buy my gear, but a few mates of mine keep buying from my shop, and even my father often wears a jumper that I gave him as a present 😉
Have you ever met anybody wearing a design of yours?
Not in person, but when flicking channels on TV I saw this kid wearing a pink Om Nom Nom t-shirt, and – boom – I was totally gobsmacked. It did, however, give my motivation an enormous boost, and I then invested a lot of time in my shop. And if I were to meet someone wearing one of my t-shirts in real life, I would definitely try to talk to him, situation permitting.
How do you raise awareness for you shop?
I tried a Facebook campaign, but the results weren’t really all that great. This is why I stopped doing that. Now I just use my Facebook page, Pinterest and my Tumblr-Blog. But I’m open for new ways of offline marketing, and I’m going to try out a look book and a sticker campaign. I don’t have much to loose other than a few hours of work and a couple of Euros.
And what’s next for Bad Bugs?
Well, I’ve got a few things in the pipeline (such as new designs) that I’m planning to release in the next couple of weeks. I’m operating my shop just by myself, and so far I was not able to find somebody who could help me with it. Keeping your shop and your Facebook site up to date does take up a bit of time as it’s important to keep things abreast of time. This is why my customers sometimes need to wait a little while to see new “Bad Bugs“. I’m also working on a heavy bass music project that can surely do with some merchandising gear 😉 But my Bad Bugs project is always on my screen, for sure!
Check out Bad Bugs:
http://www.badbugs-shirts.com/
https://www.facebook.com/badbugs
or in our T-Shirt Shop
