Whether you’re creating a customized t-shirt as merchandise, a commemorative gift for an event, or an employee uniform, you’ll need to craft a cool design first. T-shirt design ideas can challenge your creativity, but if you follow our advice, you’ll create customized t-shirts that turn heads and generate brand impressions.
Why do you want a shirt?
Before you start brainstorming unique shirt designs, it’s important to ask one simple question: Why do you want a shirt? The answer goes a long way to determining the final look of your design. For instance, if you’re creating a shirt that you need to print in bulk, such as for a music festival, you may want to restrict the number of colors in your design to keep printing costs low. If you’re creating shirts for work uniforms, your design may need to look more professional.
Consider your audience
T-shirt design ideas should say something about your brand and the people wearing your shirts. Are your customers serious or fun-loving? Do they enjoy luxury or affordability? If you're designing work shirts, how will the t-shirt design complement your brand identity?
Also, consider what type of t-shirt best matches your target demographic. A playful tank top might be a great choice to commemorate a rock concert but probably doesn’t match an accounting firm’s brand identity. Possible styles of t-shirts to consider include:
Budgeting for creative t-shirts
We know you’re eager to create cool shirt designs, but you’re not quite there yet. First, you need to consider your budget. Your budget, coupled with the number of shirts you want to print, will determine the type of printing process you can use, t-shirt material quality, production turnaround times, and your shirt’s overall appearance. How can you achieve your goals for this t-shirt with the budget you have? Knowing how much you can spend has a significant impact on the final look of the shirt.
Creating T-shirt ideas
Now comes the fun part. Start brainstorming several t-shirt design ideas. Sketch out your designs on an 18x18-inch canvas, which approximates the size of an average t-shirt.
Your design should match your brand, complement your logo, meet your budget requirements, and appeal to your audience. Also, keep the following factors in mind:
Colors
Generally speaking, the more colors your designs require, the more expensive they’ll be to print. If you’re working on a budget, sticking to two or three colors can bring down the price of individual shirts.
Design colors should complement the fabric color of the shirt. Fabric color can also affect how printing ink looks, subtly changing the look of your t-shirt design. Do you want all your t-shirts to be the same color, or will the design need to work with a range of colors?
Typography
Will your creative t-shirts include written words or mottos? Sometimes a short phrase printed in a complementary font is more effective than combining works with images. Font choices are also important. A serif font gives your typography a classic look, while sans serif fonts look more modern.
Avoid the temptation to print mottos and quotes in flowery, hard-to-read script fonts, and remember your space constraints. If you have to reduce font size too much to make your message fit the shirt, it’ll be difficult for people to read.
The shirt is a billboard — on a body
It’s common to think of these shirts as small billboards for your message. It’s equally important to remember this isn’t a flat billboard. Your design will be seen when the shirt is worn, and people come in all shapes and sizes.
It’s best to keep your t-shirt design ideas simple to account for all body shapes, avoiding overly detailed imagery, color use, and linework. A simple design will look better on a wider range of body sizes and shapes.
When all else fails, seek professional help
Some people simply aren’t cut out for a career in graphic design. If that describes you, or if you simply need help creating unique shirt designs, don’t despair. It’s remarkably easy to find freelance graphic designers online who will work with you to complete your t-shirt ideas. If you prefer, you can also reach out to free professional services like Triple Crown Products’ Art Service.
Printing options
You’ve finalized your budget, researched your target demographic, and brainstormed a cool shirt design. There’s one more factor you need to consider: what type of printing process will you use for your shirts? Your printing choice depends on any budget limitations, the size of your shirt order, and the amount of detail and colors in your design. In most cases, you’ll have the following options:
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Screen printing: Provides affordable, high-quality printing for bulk orders that use limited colors.
- Heat transfers: Uses heat and pressure to transfer designs to shirts – best for small orders or intricate designs using multiple colors.
- Direct-to-Garment: Uses an inkjet printer to print directly onto fabric. Highly customizable, but best for small orders.
- Sublimation: Uses heat and pressure to embed links within the fabric – a good choice for repeating patterns and photo-realistic designs.
The best advice for creating t-shirt designs is to grab a pencil and paper and start sketching. Keep your audience, budget, and goals in mind, and let your imagination run wild. Even if your designs are rough and ready, a good art service can polish them up and make them look great, helping you present your message to the public.