Those who know my distant past will know that once upon a time I was a fully-fledged T-shirt fanatic. Like, wrote not one not two but three books on the topic and everything. (What can I say? It was a different time.) Yet even as my sartorial choices have evolved away from wearing graphic statements emblazoned on my chest, I still love to hear about designers using the canvas in new and cool ways—or companies that continue to figure out how to work with designers to build thriving communities. Threadless is one such company, featured in this Chicago Business story that also happens to feature smart thoughts from my colleague, Brian Quinn, commenting on the real-world challenges of building—and growing—a community-based business.

[Graphic T-shirt designed by Lennart Wolfert for The Next Web]