Suggesting that the current Christian apparel industry is overflowing with cliché, and dull messages, Nicthus.com aims to go against the status quo by offering an alternative that is fun, young and full of life. The Nicthus (pronounced nik'-thoos) brand was created to help bridge the gap between secular and Christian by using humorous, edgy, thought-provoking messages on their products, most of which are stylish t-shirts.

The clothing offered at Nicthus.com is decidedly different than what is typically found at other Christian apparel websites and stores. Some of the messages on the clothing are intentionally ambiguous, fun and often with an ironic twist. "We looked around and found two types of Christian apparel--cutesy T-Shirts with funny slogans and funny slogans on cutesy T-Shirts" said Burt Walker, President of Intelligent Design.

Nicthus was created out of the need to bring the ichthus symbol into modern day, helping it become something more than a misunderstood symbol on the backs of Camrys and Buicks. "We really wanted to help others realize what the icthus is, what it meant then and what it means to us, as Christians, today." Explained Sam Young, one of the founders. So, the brand name Nicthus was formed from a combination of the words 'beatnik' for young, hip and cool, and 'icthus.' The beatnik was an icon of the "cool" generation in the 1950s, typically represented with a unique music style and poetry. Icthus, represented by a fish shaped icon, is a symbol often used to identify one's faith as Christian. Nicthus.com has created its own icon in the form of "Nick," a cartoon fish sporting cool shades, a soul patch, and a grin.

Intelligent Design was formed by three ministers and two businessmen, all of whom have played key roles in working with youth at various churches. It was this focus that led to the formation of the company that seeks to find an audience with the 13-24 year old age group. The company has also pledged to donate 10 percent of its profits toward youth oriented missions and ministries.

While studying youth dynamics, the founders learned that among high school students, there is an ever increasing number of social groupings. Twenty years ago, there were jocks, preppies, rednecks and few others. Now there are many more groupings such as skaters, jocks, mullets, heshers, preps, gang bangers, goths, emos, Jesus freaks, and on and on.

"Like most of the other groups, the Christians--or Jesus freaks-- were stereotyped in ways that weren't accurate," says Young, "We want to do whatever we can to change that. What kids wear defines so much of who they are. Knowing that, we set about creating some designs that we felt would communicate just that." The clothes are intended to make a statement, helping them identify themselves with Christianity, without suggesting they are better than anyone else. "It's quite the opposite, in fact, seldom is it expressed that once someone becomes a Christian, that they're still human. Christianity does not give us the permission to act perfect…just forgiven and striving to be better" explains Chris Burton, one of the founders who is also a full-time minister.

The Christian marketplace is growing substantially and several companies have proven themselves as the principal brand in their respective industries (music, publishing, etc.); however, no brand has yet emerged as the principal brand for Christian apparel. Intelligent Design, LLC is attempting to establish itself as the premier brand for Christian apparel.

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, visit www.nicthus.com.