Welcome to Base Gray! But wait, what is it, exactly? Good question. If I were to describe it casually, I'd say it's something between a creative playground, a digital workshop, and a relentless brainstorm. Let me first say how exciting it is to share this new project with you!

A little about the name. Gray has this negative reputation for being dull and flat but I think it's actually one of the most "colorful" concepts. It's called "the gray area" for a reason– because it encompasses so many possibilities and unknowns. Gray is an inspiring mystery that deserves to be explored.

And then there's the Zero. It seems ridiculous to "rebrand" a shape but I think the thought crossed my mind when I came up with the term Zero Solid. It's not a stretch to describe the number zero as a circle. And obviously solid indicates it's filled in. And that's where the Zero Solid Design Project originated. Simple, right?

As you can tell, the voice of this blog is pretty different from the language you'll find on the rest of the site. As cold and…well, gray the rest of the site might feel, I want to assure you that there is a human behind all this. Me being the human– I've decided to keep this part of the site casual and free-flowing. That way, the idea of maintaining this thing won't be too daunting. In the past, I haven't kept the best blogging record but I hope to change that. If anything, this blog is a way to share exciting idea, upcoming developments, and anything else remotely awesome. Which leads me to another significant point…

I know what you might be thinking– "All this Base Gray hype over what? A t-shirt with a circle on it?" Well, yeah. I have high hopes for this brand, but for now, that's what we're starting with. Nice and simple. I'd rather start with limited products than to not start at all. Because we all know how excuses just get in the way of…everything. Hopefully, we can beef up the inventory soon because I have some ideas that I can't wait to share.

So, why a circle shirt? I remember, almost 8 years ago, when I had just started designing Nice Guy shirts, my process would often begin with a simple shape (usually a circle) on my Illustrator art board. Looking at that circle, was oddly inspiring in the most basic and simplistic way. It was just...enough. It didn't need any embellishments, it was enough. In other words, that perfectly round and primary shape was everything I liked. I've always been drawn to clean designs with simple yet meaningful forms, so it made sense to me.

A circle on a shirt is by no means my original idea. It's just a design I like and always wanted on a shirt. I never found one so now I'm making my own. And who knows, maybe there are other people out there that feel the same way. To be honest– that's kind of the philosophy behind Base Gray. I want to make the things that I haven't yet discovered for myself. I want to make things that follow a certain visual code and share them with like-minded people. 

Base Gray is the realization of so many different ideas and curiosities I've had over the years. It's a launching pad for new creations and that's what excites me the most. Thanks to some very encouraging, talented, and inspiring people, I was able to get this thing off the ground. Couldn't have done it without Ji, Jennet, Ted, Mimi, Alex, Melly, Phil, Christine, and the entire Wong Fu team. You all know who you are. Thank you and cheers!