You all know that I have been obsessed with renting a Clotheshorse billboard someday. Well, the bad news is that OMG billboards are freaking expensive and that money that could be better spent elsewhere (like supporting our communities via mutual aid).
The “fake billboards” idea came from a conversation I had with Dustin on a road trip a while back. I have the unfortunate tendency to read billboards out loud (sorry), and then I just started making fake up fake ones to see if Dustin was listening, like “EATING CRABS CAUSES DIARRHEA” and “THRIFT STORES ARE SEXY.”
Then we started talking about billboards we would like to see, which lead to a billboard in downtown Portland that would say “YES, NIKE IS FAST FASHION.” And then I was like, “hmmm....what if there were billboards that spoke the truth about fast fashion?” Of course then I got super excited about renting a billboard on I-95 right by the URBN (Anthro, Free People, Urban Outfitters, Nuuly) campus that said "IT'S CHEAP BECAUSE SOMEONE DIDN'T GET PAID."
So yeah, no Clotheshorse billboards until everyone in this community has healthcare and no one is hungry or unsafe. But fortunately, I can make fake ones all day long.
How do I make these?
🐴 First I create the billboard art itself. I do this in photoshop. That means cutting out scans of vintage kitten books and figuring out the text formatting. I use filters to give the art a more real, "actually on paper" look.
🐴 Next I export them the billboard into the actual billboard/background file. That started as a template I bought a few years ago that I've been finetuning since. Here I adjust things like lighting and shadows, while also adding the background landscape.
🐴 Usually at this point I export that file and then drag into Figma where I do the final formatting (like adding the Clotheshorse sticker), but this time I added some textures to make the image seem like it was printed on a postcard...then I exported to Figma.
Yes, it all takes time...but it's way more satisfying than doomscrolling or emptying the dishwasher.
Anyway, what would YOU like to see on a billboard?
