We’ve got a great Kickstarter, a cool charity, an ice cream recco, tips on designing for dark mode, and some fun facts about Austin, Texas for you today. Plus, it’s your last chance to get something in our hands for Submission Impossible. 

The Falcon Mechanical Pencil

Currently available on Kickstarter but ending soon (Friday, October 4), our friend Andy Sanderson is back with an all-new design for his sixth successful campaign. Available in either bead blasted stainless steel or limited edition Cerakote. The Falcon looks like a sleek, comfortable, compact pencil. Perfect for the every day carry.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Fresh off a Cotton Bureau field trip to Texas, the changes since our first visit in 2011 are hard to believe. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is now processing over 22 million passengers per year (up from 9 million) on only 34 gates (37 if you include the “South Terminal”) and two runways. For comparison, our hometown Pittsburgh International Airport has 56 active gates (75 total) and four runways including one that is positioned for cross-wind takeoffs and landings while handling only 9 million passengers last year.

While plans are in place to add a new terminal with 20 additional gates, construction won’t be complete until 2030 at the earliest.

If you hypothetically find your flight to Charlotte unexpectedly delayed causing you to miss your connecting flight home and you need a pick me up, do yourself a favor and get a Mexican vanilla milkshake with a shot of espresso at Amy’s.

Austin Skyline

For anyone old enough to have been around for the Twitter/Foursquare era at SXSW, comparing the current skyline with the skyline of the late 2000s is quite a trip.

The 20 tallest buildings in Austin have been built in the last 20 years including Sixth & Guadalupe, The Independent, The Austonian, Block 1985, Fairmont Austin, 360 Condiminiums, 44 East Avenue, Indeed Tower, Hanover Republic Square, Frost Bank Tower, W Austin Hotel & Residences, Fifth & West, 300 Colorado, Spring, Northshore, The Bowie, 70 Rainey, Ashton, JW Marriott Convention Hotel, and the Four Seasons Residences Austin. All over 400 feet tall.

Dark Mode Icons

With iOS 18 officially out, everyone now has access to the new icon modes. I like dark mode as much as the next person, but the current implementation is rough.

For a smarter, more attractive take, read icon artist extraordinaire Louie Mantia’s take.

tldr: don’t naively paint icons black, use your brain, consider smart use of darker hues and shades.

Submission Impossible: Last Call

Today’s the final final day to get your entries in for Submission Impossible. Don’t miss out on an excellent chance to take home a free iPhone 16 Pro.

That’s it for this week. Don’t forget Cotton Bureau is donating $10 for every kids tee sold to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through the end of the day. Use code CB4Kids at checkout to get free shipping in the U.S. for all on demand products. Every shirt on Cotton Bureau is available in kids styles, so there’s no excuse not to find one you love for back to school season.

Every year our friends at Relay FM raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during the month of September. Since 2019 their efforts have resulted in over $3m being donated. This year they’ve already set a new record and are closing in on $1m.

If you’d like to help, you can donate directly on their fundraising page, or you can buy any kids tee from Cotton Bureau between now and the end of the day Monday, September 30. We will be donating $10 from every kids tee (includes youth, toddler, and infant styles).

As a thank you for your help, we’re including free domestic shipping on all on demand products using the code CB4Kids at checkout.

Every shirt on Cotton Bureau is available in kids styles, so there’s no excuse not to find one you love for back to school season.

With support for the new Camera Control, Cotton Bureau phone cases are ready for their close up.

Every phone case on Cotton Bureau has been updated with support for iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, and iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. That includes our clear cases, slim cases, tough cases, and MagSafe compatible cases.

To celebrate, for a limited time (16 days), we’re giving you 20% off the new cases and 100% off shipping.

You’ll never have a better chance to try our rugged tough cases with durable polycarbonate exterior and TPU liner or our exquisite clear cases (now available with MagSafe charging) to let your phone’s inner beauty shine.

All Cotton Bureau slim and tough phone cases have deep, in-surface printing that resists scratching, peeling, and fading. (Clear cases are UV-printed — a slightly less durable, more textured printing process.)

Did we mention that our phone cases are printed right here in the US?

Available for order now, shipping as soon as, uh, tomorrow.

Promo ends September 25, don’t miss out! Use code CaseBureau16 at checkout.

P.S. Not picking up a new phone? While prior generations don’t quality for free shipping and 20% off, we have aggressively marked down older models. Be sure to take a look if you need something to give you that new car smell.

We are *so close* to 100,000 unique products on Cotton Bureau (96,397 and counting), but we need your help to make it all the way. Here’s what we’re going to do.

From now until the end of September, all new approved products earn you a chance to win an iPhone 16 Pro.

New t-shirt? It counts as one entry. New phone case, tumbler, or tote bag? One entry each, up to a maximum of 50 new products. As long as you have a Cotton Bureau account in good standing, you’re gold. Please note, we’ll be keeping a close eye on what is being sent in. We still want your best stuff. And don’t even think about having chatGPT do your homework.

Oh, every sale of a new product creates one (1) additional entry. Again, limit of 50 entries for new product sales. Maximum of 100 entries per person (50 new products + 50 sales of new products). Yeah?

Wait. Before you head out, there’s one more thing you should know. The only way to get to 100,000 products on Cotton Bureau is if we all work together. To encourage a spirit of camaraderie and interdependence, there’s a twist.

If we get to 100K, we’re going to 4X (!!) the prizes.

In addition to the iPhone 16 Pro, we’re also going to give away the latest generation iPad mini, Apple Watch, and AirPods. We’ll be randomly selecting four winners from all eligible entries (maximum one prize per person).

You have until the end of September to complete this mission. Good luck. We’re counting on you. You might want to tell your team, er, friends.

Get started by sending us something new or adding an existing design to new product types from your account. 

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