Portfolio: myDuctbills
myDuctbills logo
“A Complete Do-it-Yourself Duct Tape Wallet Kit” – invented by db clay
After making nearly 30,000 wallets by hand… personally… it was time to let people make their own.
It was time to give away the secrets and move on.
All paths spawned from Duct Tape, though, if you knew me by heart, it was never really about the tape. It was simply about the possibilities therein.
Me trusty blue scissors.
By me side the time entire.
The best pair ever owned by far.
Still sharp though borderline retired.
Still willing to cut for me.
Tyler’s hands folding tape making certain pockets affixed straight. Tyler, an original member, helped design/invent our myDuctbills kit. Tyler is my younger brother and he has been by my side for years though we both knew/know his hands are better spent plucking git-box strings. As for me, Duct Tape was just the vehicle and me hands were meant to drive other things in life too.
Cutting out stars with wax paper and stencils became routine. I could do it really quick and with the utmost precision as long as I had a sharp blade to operate with.
An old Picasso piece I made using colored Duct Tape. The original is called “Three Musicians.”
Done during my exploratory years when I was just discovering the possibilities of me new found sticky medium. Wallets were less time intensive than recreating famous art pieces so I decided to go with the former.
Did you know Duct Tape comes in about 40 colors? Neither did I until a few years into the game. Once discovered, the design options in my brain blossomed and my mouth watered. This new palette (besides silver and black) was surely welcomed. I am a color freak.
I simplified me process for making wallets over the years. The instructions were kept locked in my mind until a few years ago when I decided to publish them on paper in the form of an instruction booklet.
This shot in my old basement should be a somewhat familiar site to most. Nearly everyone I know has a roll of silver tape tucked somewhere in their house. I’ve heard millions of stories for the millions of uses. Everyone can relate to Duct Tape in one way or another.
Examples of wallets made using our myDuctbills kit.
Tyler showing off the bill compartment. A space that is often empty these days.
Experimenting with colored tape. Made these to match my kitchen dishes. I love brown, orange and ochre together. It’s always been one of my favorite combinations.
Tear out from an early catalogue… if you could call it that. It was more of a crude one sheet.
Blue Collar.
Early on I was trying to get clever with me marketing materials. Though this campaign was never released, what I was trying to do was to reinforce the idea that our wallets were for everybody. I’ve sold wallets to ten-year-old girls and I’ve sold them to ninety-year-old men. Everybody loved ‘em and I’m not just saying that.
Lime Collar.
Pink Collar.
Black Collar.
Red Collar.
Tan Collar.
Silver Collar.
Like I said, in the end this never flew. The concept was directionally correct but the idea never made it past the cheesy stage. Rather than try and force it, I just let the customers decide for themselves and in the end, I feel this hands off approach performed better under the organic sales circumstances we were in. If everybody loves ‘em, everybody loves ‘em. You don’t need to say something that is already being said on its own.
Blue retro design was a continual best seller for us.
This blue on blue design came to me in a dream. I’m not kidding. It was real as day and I knew it had to be made.
Brown and khaki for those that weren’t quite ready to jump from the leather ledge. This was a nice alternative: classic, eel skin ‘esque and understated.
Drill?
Package design for our first kit. We aptly called it “myDuctbills Kit #1.” It was a good start but certainly left room for improvement as with everything else in life.
Oh, I got an idea. How about we print the actual instructions on the box?
Layout for one of my first business cards. Early on, I’m talking about as early on as it gets.
myDuctbills kit packaging concept/collage.
Let me first Duct Tape Wallet catalogue from 2002 begin… Let’s be honest, this was before I even knew what a copyright was. I was just trying to sound official.
Page 8
Page 5
Page 4
Page 9
Page 2
Page 1
Page 7
Page 6
Page 10
Page 3
Aside from the catalogue above, I was particularly interested in doing custom work. As an example, we needed a wallet to match our green Million Miler jacket. A jacket that is only given to Truck Drivers who log a million miles on the blacktop.
3-ring binder inside and out.
A fella we met in Canada made these Mario/Luigi wallets using our kit.
On a budget early on, I recycled CD jewel cases and used them for packaging. Cheap, kinda hip, musical, minimalist. But again, the key word is/was cheap.
This web layout snapshot occurred when the line between Ductbills and db clay began to blur.
This is the first logo I ever used (circa 2001) and it was foretelling of a greater “db” to come. I often thought this looked too much like a tennis ball to actually stick, however. Eventually it was replaced as with most young attempts at stardom.
Early marketing concept. A waterproof wallet with a wave design on it in a dishwasher being washed by water… it had legs though it never walked. Back to the water drawing board…
More designs and yes, my attitude as always, is endless.
THE VERY FIRST ORDER FORM EVER CREATED (thank you Gerren).
Skull wallet.
Brown and black wallet.
Canadian wallet.
The components inside our first Kit offered.
Gustav Klimt, “The Kiss”, made using colored Duct Tape. Again, I was in an exploratory mood.
A logo I designed that acted as guide to using and getting the best performance out of your wallet.
Mr. Diggles sliced his finger badly when helping me make wallets one day.
A raffle. A giveaway. A teaser.
A line sheet from super early on. db Executive, db Pocket Coach, db Tri-fold… good memories.
Tyler’s handwriting used in kit design. We wanted it to feel youthful and crafty and, a bit amateur.
Thousands of wallets sold over the years. My left arm is numb as I type this sentence because of it.
I have OCD. Everything had to be done/cut to the millimeter. In the long run this promoted efficiency, reduced waste and increased production capacity. A good lesson to learn early on.
Women’s purse in the works. Ladies have always been our best customers.
Early, early, early website design for Ductbills.com (Thanks Chad).
Early, early, early website design for Ductbills.com (Thanks Chad).
I kept records of everything.
I kept records of everything.
I kept records of everything.
I kept records of everything.
I kept records of everything.
