Elegant and Sophisticated Chess T shirts - Please provide feedback on the design

Hmm, that latest knight is oversized for my tastes, but that might just be me. See what others think.

Like the chess set but would buy the knight.

The image above, I'm just showing the concept of trimming the image down to get the right shot. I will be shooting this over again to get the perfect framing in addition to a new idea I have. I set something up for this weekend.

Thanks again for your feedback. I've gotten high quality analysis here and I really appreciate it.

I have lots more ideas to come.

Which knight do you like more? The black or white knight?

I'll be creating a new white knight in the near future.

Black.

Just did the photo shoot with the white knight today. I'm excited about it. We got a lot of good shots.

Secondly, I was able to shoot my next big idea which I'm really excited about creating. This will be my version of the Octopus Knight. Stay tuned.

I recreated this design today. I will post it in about a week when I finish editing. I did the photo shoot today.

Heh, Octopus Knight was what I was thinking of suggesting! Looking forward to seeing your interpretation of it.

FTFY: Evans, not Evan´s. Named after Captain William Davies Evans.

Yes, it was one of my original ideas when I first decided to try to start designing shirts. I wanted to do it differently than what is currently out there. That's why there is some resistance to the approach because it is very different than what has been done traditionally.

I think I've grown technically than when I first started as I know more about what I'm trying to accomplish.

Ultimately, I'm just trying to capture the beauty that I see in my mind when I think of chess. The feeling you get when you play a powerful game of chess is very similar to the rush you get when you are in a professional fight and moving well. The power that is surging through your body is astounding It definitely produces dopamine and endorphins.

When you are in a flow state, completely free and creative, it is one of the most profoundly satisfying moments you can find yourself in. The technique just flows and you aren't really thinking. It is more of a process of discovery of your real skill. You know what to do without thinking.

I'm combining my engineering background in design with my martial arts background and poetry to create a fresh perspective. There are a ton of hidden meanings in my designs that once explained, shows how much thought actually went into the design itself.

For instance, if you look closely at this design, can you see how the chess pieces look like they are from an ancient Roman coliseum where the gladiators battled? It is a subtle nod to the expertise of combat and demonstrating that chess is actually a form of combat in and of itself. The shading of the pieces is supposed to romanticize the look and gives a feeling that you are appreciating fine art. It highlights the beauty of the pieces. The set in the photo is a high quality set that is about $1000.00. It really elevates the game when you play with beautiful pieces and I honestly prefer to play all my games on high quality wooden sets.

RE: combat....Chess players are the most dangerous people alive because we are making moves in our mind and you don't even realize what is happening. We can move an entire army in concert with one another while employing a complex strategic aim. Then when you least expect it, we unleash a brutal tactic and effectively end the struggle. Chess is such a beautiful game.

By the way, I really appreciate your input and feedback. It has been very helpful and I'm definitely incorporating it to make the best designs possible. Check your inbox.

Yes, thanks. Someone else pointed that out to me as well, so I will update the design. I made this shirt after I made the Queen's Gambit and it looks like the apostrophe was just in my mind. But thanks again for letting me know.

Here is my version of the Queen's Gambit.

What do you guys think about this opening series of shirts where specific openings are highlighted and featured? Essentially the design will focus on the most important struggle on the board while showcasing the whole board.

I'm still working out the details on how I want to frame the shots, but I think it's cool to be able to proudly wear the openings you play. OR You can also wear openings you DON'T play in a tournament hall to throw off your opponents and make them prepare for an opening you don't even play. A pure gambit and a trojan horse.

Here's another version of the classic with some color:

Here is a concept someone made for me to show some of the changes coming including the removal of The Poetry of Chess, embedded design and moving the brand name to the bottom. Thoughts?

No "Poetry" = good. As noted before, one message is better than two.
Embedded = good. I like the design better without a big rectangle around it.
As for the brand name, I liked the old version better. It doesn't make a big difference to me if "Infinite Variations" is on top or down below, but I would definitely prefer it to be on one line. Reduce the font size enough to make that happen.
In general, I prefer T-shirt designs that keep the text minimal and understated. Some text is OK, but your designs have a striking image. Let it speak for itself, it's your main selling point.
For designs with an opening theme, would you put "Queen's Gambit" on top and "Infinite Variations" on the bottom, or vice versa? I'm neutral on that one, but it's something you need to consider.

Appreciate the feedback. Personally, I agree with you that I like having the Infinite Variations on top with some colored shading. It looks really good.

I've been wrestling on what to do add on top and bottom on the opening themed shirts. I wanted the brand name on there but also thought the opening name was important to have on there too. Now that the Poetry of Chess is gone, it leaves a nice spot below to add Infinite Variations and keep the opening name on top so I'm leaning towards that option. I'm reworking that design a bit to embed the image better too. I could also play with putting the opening name on the bottom and keep Infinite Variations up top, but I like the reverse orientation better.

But totally agree with you that the edited image itself is what makes the design unique and I agree that I should let it speak for itself.

Here is a concept for the new Queen's Gambit:

Trying a couple of different approaches. Notes here is that the hard border is gone and The Poetry of Chess is gone. I've made the text bigger and moved off the image to make that part cleaner. I'm searching for the appropriate font. Personally, I like this font because it has a bit more of a serious look and feel which I really enjoy. The text are both the same size and same font to balance things out and they are both legible from a distance.

Thoughts?

I prefer the old design. The star of the show should be the image, not the text. The new design's text feels like it's yelling "Look at me!". The old font looked classier and struck a better balance, at least in my opinion. It was clearly visible, yet didn't distract from the image.
That's just me, though. Others might feel differently.