Yoshirt is an app that allows a person to snap their own photos to turn into a select few products such as T-shirts, tote bags, and pencil cases. You get the power to design your own products by downloading photos you take, adding stickers, and text. The app has recently been getting a lot of recognition by pairing with bands such as Fall Out Boy to print professional concert photos and printing them on shirts to sell as merchandise.
After the seeing the photo from my concert date, I opted to buy a Yoshirt, because then I would have a T-shirt that has my face right in between the bend members, Pete and Patrick. The idea is really cool, but is it better than buying official merchandise at the concert? Here are some of my problems with the app:
1. It's an app, so it only works on a smartphone.
It is very hard to see the design I am creating on such a small screen. I think it would have been easier and faster to design the shirt on the computer.
2. You can't zoom in.
Usually on a smartphone, you can zoom in on any page, but the app does not have a zoom feature. Again, designing a shirt on a phone is hard to see because it is so small.
3. There are not that many products to choose from.
Basically, you can make a T-shirt, a tote bag, or a pencil bag. I would have liked to see other options such as a pillow case, throw blanket, or even a tapestry. But for merchandise reasons only, I understand the limited choices.
4. The app crashed. All the time.
I would be right in the middle of cropping a photo, and it would just crash. It was annoying because it happened so often, and my changes would not be saved so I would have to start all over.
5. Not enough description
Many of my questions were not answered until checking out. There is also no FAQ on their website or within the app, so I just had to trust the app.
6. Picture clarity is blurry
The image of my product on my phone is drastically different from the product I received in the mail. I expected most of the faces in the crowd to be blurry, but even the band member's image is highly pixelated. This was the most upsetting, because when I was making the design, the clarity was pure, so I didn't get what I thought I was getting.
7. Back is not black
The back of the shirt is supposed to be blacked out, but it is more of an ashy color with linings. This was confusing, because even though the quality of the image on the front was messed up, I didn't think that a black-out on the back (which is the only option that is offered) would get messed up.
8. T-shirt is see-through
The shirt is super thin, and see-through on both sides which might explain the pixelation. If you want to wear the shirt in public, you will most likely need to wear a tank-top underneath.
I received the shirt in the mail in a timely fashion, and slipped out of the Fall Out Boy shirt I was wearing into the Yoshirt. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the product I received, but having gone though the experience, I know that I will not use Yoshirt app again. I would rather have spent the money to buy a shirt or jacket at the venue. However, it is cool to have a shirt with my face and my favorite band together (even though it is blurry).
