Survey My City

Raygun Maps Des Moines

Des Moines, Iowa: Capital of the state where there are nearly six times as many pigs as there are people (See: “The Midwest: God’s Gift to Planet Earth!”).  It also just happens to be home to Mike Draper’s t-shirt company, Raygun. With the help of his partner in crime (aka designer) John Bosley, Draper surveys his city through this original illustration.

MM Des Moines Map

Navigate: Greatest city ever: How’s that for a bold claim? Sure, some might argue Mike Draper is crazy (he did get an East Coast education just to go on to launch Raygun). But we can’t help but agree with him that despite what others think, Des Moines and the Midwest have quite a bit going for them. After all, he already got one thing right when he ditched the coast to come back to the Midwest to screen-print witticisms about the motherland.

“The people are laid back. [They] walk slowly,” Draper said. “People are really open to things. If you want to do something, there’s no one group telling you what to do. It just seems like anything is possible.”

Then there’s the weather.

“It’s an easy place to buckle down and concentrate. There’s no mountains or lakes to distract you. There’s no great weather 24 hours a day,” Draper said. “I think that’s why the Midwest is so productive compared to Colorado.”

Compliment? We’ll take it.