Original post author: Ryan
I created a patch! I have a bunch of them. Read below for info on how to get a patch, and to learn how the patch was made.
How can you get your hands on one of these patches?
Over the past few months, I've been steering the content on Comet.cool towards being slightly more about projects (while still keeping all of the other fun and goofy stuff too). I am testing the hypothesis that if someone writes about a project that they themselves are passionate about, a few things will happen: first of all, they will be more motivated in that project, the project will be more rewarding, and other people will feed off of their enthusiasm and passion.
So, I will give you one of these very exclusive and moderately desireable patches in exchange for a single post onto this site documenting the initiation, progress, or completion of a project (big or small). If you want help with the post, let me know.
(If nobody is interested in writing about projects, then I will give up and hand out the patches for free after a few months)
About the design and creation of the patch...
For the past few months, I've been experimenting with designs for a Comet.cool t-shirt, hat, or some other kind of merchandise. The problem was, I couldn't really see myself (or anyone else) actually wearing Comet.cool clothing. So, I decided to instead design an embroidered patch. I liked this better because the patch could be ironed onto a piece of clothing if desired, or it could just be tucked away somewhere like a badge of honor without any expectation of actually being worn in public.
The picture above shows the design process I went through to make the patch. I haven't ever designed a patch, so I had to do some reading to figure out what design principals to follow for embroidery. I realized I would need to keep the design relatively simple, avoid color gradients, and limit the color palette. Beyond that, I knew I wanted a somewhat geometric design with highly contrasting colors. I started with paper and pen, then used CAD to quickly sketch the "COMET" characters. I finished the design off using image editing software.
I commissioned www.qualitypunch.net for the actual embroidering. I recommend this site if you need to do any similar work. They were extremely helpful and responsive throughout the whole process.