For several years now, producing a Bushwhacking Fool logo was a goal that somehow never made it to fruition. Prominently featured on my Facebook page, Twitter, the mothership website and any other place necessary, it was to become a recognizable symbol of my burgeoning bushwhacking industry. This logo-to-be would be attractive enough that people would clamor to have it on their back on a t-shirt or plastered on other products.
Now, after years of being just a twinkle in my eye and a vague notion in my mind, the hemming and hawing are over, as over the last few weekends I finished the Bushwhacking Fool logo. And it is pretty awesome too. Probably not worth the wait, but then how much in life really is.
Using GIMP, I took one of my classic forest photographs from the southern Five Ponds Wilderness Area in the Adirondack State Park (which visitors here should recognize), and cut out a circular portion of it to serve as my main background for the logo. After placing a solid border around the circular forest photo, I superimposed the caricature of myself that my friend Dave drew on the photo, leaving part of my leg beyond the photo’s edge to create an illusion of three-dimensions. In need of a little visual pop, the caricature’s colors were replaced with more vibrant alternatives, as well as making the borders between the different colors more distinct. Finally, the whole logo needed the proper text, in the same Permanent Marker font present on the website, curved around the top and bottom of the circular forest clip.
There are several different versions of the logo, based on the website name and the color of the text and photograph border. One includes the “.com” appended to the website’s name, while in another the extension is lacking. Both of these versions come in both black or white lettering and border around the circular photograph.
Not wanting to limit the world’s view of this handsome logo to a mere icon, and therefore deprive them of the pleasure of seeing it in all its glory, I set out to discover a way of making it available on products, such as t-shirts, coffee mugs, and other such paraphernalia. Okay, so I was merely looking for a new revenue stream now that commissions from advertisers dried up and asking for contributions never really took off. I gotta eat too, ya know!
I played around with the idea of producing these products myself, but quickly realized that finding a producer, keeping an inventory, handling shipping in a timely manner and all the other tasks involved would quickly overwhelm my one-person operation. I would never have time for bushwhacking adventures, or writing up and posting about the trips.
Instead of attempting to do it myself, I researched some of the custom on-demand businesses available on the Interwebs instead. After looking at a few, I decided to go with Zazzle.com, based on the choice of products, the flexibility of setting commissions and a few other criteria. Unfortunately, their website is cumbersome to navigate and the prices are not cheap, but hopefully the quality is good or I might need to switch to one of their competitors in the future.
The initial authentic Bushwhacking Fool products available are t-shirts, coffee mugs, hats and shopping bags, with the potential for more in the future. Currently, the t-shirts are organic cotton, though there are many other types available, so I may add some other types later. If there is a t-shirt type that you prefer, then just leave a comment below and I will do my best to make it happen. The same goes for any other types of products that might be of interest.
The products look pretty sharp on the screen. They would make ideal holiday gifts for you or anyone else who has an interest in my bizarre content, or just someone who leaves the trail behind to explore out-of-the-way places in the Adirondacks or beyond. Or maybe someone who just desires to do so.
Keep in mind that the Bushwhacking Fool receives a small commission from the purchase of each product with the logo. These funds keep this website going, as well as pay for any expenses, such as hosting fees. I wish I could claim I am getting rich off these products, but unfortunately I cannot. Regardless, any purchase, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated, since I would like to buy some groceries this week. I am hungry!!
Access these products through the widget present on the right sidebar of my website, or search for the Bushwhacking_Fool store on Zazzle.com.
Please let me know how you like the Bushwhacking Fool products or your experiences with them in the comments below or via email.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links within this blog post may send you to a retailer website. If you chose to purchase any product on that site at that time, this author receives a small commission. These commissions provide compensation for the author’s time and effort necessary to provide the content at the Bushwhacking Fool.
