A few days ago, I got a phone call from one of my clients, a screen printer, asking me to create a t-shirt design for a new landscaping company. This was nothing new as I get many t-shirt design requests each week, but it was still a bit unusual!

First, came the company name, Undependable Landscaping, which made me a little nervous. Then, the real kicker  was their tag line, "We might show up or we might not" requested with three exclamation marks at the end; that almost made me drop the phone! 

Since it wasn't April 1st yet, I was pretty sure they weren't kidding, but I still had to ask anyway! The "undependable landscapers" are apparently young college boys and their parents think this advertisment is fitting. And they may be right, but still? Really? If this is a legitimate business venture don't they want to make a good impression? I could barely control the urge to edit the request to something like "Extremely Dependable Landscaping" and "We ALWAYS show up!"

But I didn't because the customer is always right...right? In this case I had to wonder.  I designed it just the way they had asked and even went the extra mile to put special emphasis on the fact that they are "un" dependable. Make no mistake about it, you've been fully warned! ha ha I wonder if they work really cheap in exchange for their undependability? You get what you pay for, right?

Although I'm still not sure that this approach is best, I can't help but wonder if it isn't really a marketing stroke of genius! It will definitely grab attention, and pure curiosity might entice customers to call just to see if they actually show up or not. I hope that is the case and wish them the best of luck in their new business venture. And if it turns out to be a very bad idea, I'll gladly create a more positive image design for them!

You may be wondering why I chose to share this with you. Honestly, just because I got a kick out of it! I wasn't having a particularly good day when that order came in, but it made me laugh and it helped relieve a little tension; it made my day. And so I'm just taking the chance that someone else needs to laugh or smile today :) and hoping to spread a little sunshine your way. And if someone actually needs a landscaper, then that's a bonus and a chance for the Undependables to prove themselves...they can thank me later!