Designing a tshirt is a fun and creative project that you can turn into a means for earning money once you get pro at it. Familiarizing yourself would help you create a stylish design for yourself or your clients. It is also helpful if you want to hire a talented team to start your tshirt customization venture.
You can either let your creativity run wild or follow the latest tee style trends to personalize your apparel. But still, you can’t get started without proper know-how, that’s why we’re here to guide you throughout the process:
Personalize Your Tshirt Design That Reflects Your Brand Identity Or Personality
Figure Out Your Purpose
First and foremost, you need to figure out the purpose of designing a custom tshirt. There is a growing trend of printed tees in the fashion industry with cute artwork or aesthetic typography. You can also consider it to customize your wardrobe with some chic pieces and elevate your style. If running a business, you can get custom tshirts for your employees to boost professionalism and unity. You can also use them for promotional or giveaway purposes by distributing them among your loyal customers.
Otherwise, you can use them to extend your product range and client base. You can introduce Instagram-worthy designs to your online or offline store and they will drive extraordinary traffic to your brand. You see, the choices are limitless for how you would use custom tees, but you need to figure out your sole reason. It will let you choose every aspect of the design wisely and achieve a spectacular look.
Determine Your Budget And Quantity
There are two factors that you need to consider before creating your design – the budget and quantity. These both will determine how much you have to approximately spend on your tees. For example, you will have to choose one or a few colors if you’re on a tight budget. In contrast, you can use as many hues as you would like if you’ve financial flexibility.
The cost will also influence depending on the printing method you would choose for your apparel customization. Also, the price per piece will become higher if you order a small quantity compared to a bulk one. Thus, keep all these aspects in mind while choosing different elements of your tshirt artwork to avoid disappointment.
Get Aware Of Most Popular Printing Methods
You may have to create your design according to your chosen printing method. The more you know about each technique, the further you’re able to make the right decision. Factors, such as cost, appearance, production time, and materials are all important in this regard. Here are a few popular customized tshirt printing options:
Screen Printing: It is the standard choice, in which the printer makes the original screen of your design, letting you print in a bulk quantity. It is reliable, affordable, and high-quality, but achieving colorful artwork becomes expensive with it.
Vinyl Graphics: Vinyl printing or heat transfer uses more durable vinyl instead of any mere ink. It offers extreme longevity and the best quality, ideal for making your artwork stand out. However, it isn’t suitable for large orders, as complicated and vibrant patterns are on the pricier side.
Direct-To-Garment (or Print-On-Demand): It uses inkjet printing that prints directly on fabric and offers a highly customizable design with maximum details. It doesn’t work well on dark-coloured apparel.
Decide Your Design Placement
The location where you would print your artwork will affect its size and the appeal of your tshirt. You can adhere your designs on the center front or back of the shirt. Besides, you can shrink the size of the artwork and put it on the pocket area at the front or you can print identical artwork on both sleeves. Otherwise, you can embrace two different patterns on either side of your sleeve for a dynamic effect. Another trendy idea is to print cute little artwork near the collar area.
Select Your Style & Imagery
For this step, you have to rely on your artistic and creative instincts to communicate the message you want to convey. Think about your brand, target market, and the style you want to achieve for your custom printed tshirts. For instance, if you’re potential customers are children, select cute and cartoony imagery that would instantly appeal to them. Refrain from detailed imagery, like intricate linework, and opt for simplicity to make your primary message stand out.
Choose Your Tshirt Colors
You should choose the color of your print according to the shirt fabric’s hue. The goal is to maintain a complementing contrast between each other. Moreover, you should always consider your fabric shade as the background of your design ideas. If using for brand merchandise, pick hues that represent your company. Prefer using fewer colors to keep your design and text minimalistic.
Use Typography That Resonates With Your Audience
Typography is a game-changer if you want to visually represent your brand, cause, or personal interests in the best possible way. You can include appealing and relatable phrases instead of complicated artwork to maximize the interest in your shirt. As a result, it will bring you more sales and generate a vast revenue. Typographic designs are one of the easiest and trendiest ways to awesomely personalize tees without the need for any expensive design programs.
There may be a word or phrase that perfectly defines you or your brand, so print in an aesthetic typography on your tee. Additionally, you can choose words that resonate with your audience or the ones that unite you with your buyers. Printing relevant sayings or phrases will create a sense of community around your shirt’s subject matter. Select unique fonts, colors, and sizes to create a piece of art out of these words or pair your phrase with other design elements.
Final Verdict: Hire A Professional Designer
Once you have determined your answer for each of the above aspects, create an appealing design. If you don’t have time to bring your idea into reality, share your vision and expectations with an online designer. Also, you can hire a reputable agency that prints the best-quality custom tshirts at an affordable price. Pass along all of your ideas, inspiration, design samples, or any sketches you have and their designers will work on it for you. They will create a design on your tee that fully encapsulates your vision.