Blue Back Together Again Family Reunion T Shirts
It's stained, it'due south ripped, information technology's full of holes… Only you lot but can't seem to throw information technology out. For a lot of united states of america, our favorite t-shirts are a style to express who we are. (And for others, they're gratis advertisement!) Simply how to design a t-shirt that ticks all the boxes? Y'all'll find out below.
Do you take an killer t-shirt idea and suspect others will feel the same way? Are you lot looking for an alternative means of promoting your business, or making some side income with merch? Practice y'all desire to commemorate a special effect, like a family reunion or bachelorette party?
We've just sent you your free t-shirt design ebook.
Whatsoever your reasons, the fundamentals of t-shirt pattern remain the aforementioned; it's what you lot do with them that counts.
In this Ultimate Guide to T-Shirt Design, we'll run through the each step of the design procedure, from the inception of an idea to getting your shirt mass-produced. No matter how much (or how little) feel you take, these t-shirt design tips will give you everything y'all demand to know.
How to design a t-shirt in 7 steps
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- Figure out why you demand a shirt
- Define your upkeep at quantity
- Know your printing options
- Screen printing
- Vinyl graphics
- Direct-to-garment
- Brainstorm your design concept
- T-shirt types
- Style and imagery
- Typography
- Color
- Specialty press
- Find a designer
- Evaluate your blueprint
- Get the right files
- Discover a kick-donkey printer
1. Figure out why you demand a shirt
No affair your reason for designing a t-shirt, it'll always involve a little flake of branding. If you're using t-shirts for promotional purposes, branding is your primary goal. Even if it's strictly fashion, y'all'll nonetheless demand to weave consequent make themes into all your products. For personal apply—like commemorating an event, for example—y'all want to brand sure your t-shirt design communicates clearly.
If you haven't already, write out a list of the primal themes, styles, and personality traits yous desire your brand and shirts to convey. Is your brand playful or serious? Edgy or conservative? Luxurious or affordable? A focused t-shirt blueprint tin answer all of these questions at a glance.
Take a quick peek at the example in a higher place. What does information technology tell you about the Brewmasters company? For starters, they don't have themselves too seriously, and the wooden instruments suggest a more traditional brewing manner that hints at a archetype taste. That'due south a lot of information from a cartoon.
To get the most constructive design, movement away from your personal preference and rely more on real, quantifiable data. Who are your target clients/customers? What brand traits exercise they desire to practise business organization with?
Hither are four goals to help guide your t-shirt design procedure by helping you understand why yous need a shirt and what you want it to practise.
Promotional gifts
Your t-shirts are something you give abroad for free to go on your make in the minds of prospective clients/customers.
This could be something given abroad at conventions, conferences, other promotional events or even a leave-backside at a concern meeting.
Internal company usage
Employees get shirts for solidarity, appreciation or perhaps even a visitor compatible.
The goals are similar to promotional gifts because at that place's a stiff need for branding.
Trade
Your t-shirts are a production yous programme on selling, so brand sure to factor in fashion, marketability and concern strategy.
You'll need to sympathise your shirt'southward place in the marketplace, so consider conducting research to notice the tastes of your customers. Your ain personal tastes are a adept start, but when it comes down to selling to the masses, quantifiable data always beats guesswork.
Event souvenirs
Special events need special souvenirs, and t-shirts are always a swell pick.
These share many of the same goals as shirts for internal company usage (solidarity, appreciation) simply for a more casual, less restrictive audience.
Regardless of their use, virtually t-shirts are promotional in some way. Even if you lot're designing t-shirts equally merchandise, include your brand logo so observers know who made the shirt if they want something similar. It should have a potent, fifty-fifty dominant, presence on the shirt.
Apply the same design quality and cleverness as you would a billboard advert. More than just clothes, t-shirts provide exposure every time a person wears them in public, peculiarly if the possessor likes the shirt and wears it often.
One time you've determined your goals, y'all can so prioritize the different aspects of your t-shirt design. For case, fashion might be a loftier priority for trade tees, simply not for employee gifts. You lot want to tailor your design in a manner that best suits your needs.
2. Ascertain your budget and quantity
Y'all're anxious to go to the actual t-shirt designing. Nosotros get it. But permit'southward settle some details get-go so you can focus your blueprint better: namely, your budget and quantity. How much you can spend and how many t-shirts you lot demand will touch on your design.
For example, budget and quantity will help decide how many colors y'all tin can utilise. Depending on your printing method, additional colors may cost more than coin. If your budget is tight, a good way to salvage is conserving colors.
The number of shirts you need volition too influence your printing method. Some methods are ideal for press in bulk. Others have a college cost per shirt and are better for minor orders.
Before you begin to call back well-nigh designing or press, plan your budget and quantity accordingly.
3. Know your printing options
There are a lot of things to consider when you're looking for the best t-shirt printing method for you. Cost, appearance, production time, materials—they're all important. The more you know about each method, the easier it volition be to decide which 1 is best for yous.
Screen printing
This is the aureate standard for t-shirt printing. Your printer makes original screens of your pattern (ane for each color) so y'all can print in bulk.
Pros : Reliable standard for printing. Affordable and loftier quality. Ideal for large orders over 20.
Cons: New screen required for every new color or design revision (which gets costly). Colorful designs terminate upwards being expensive.
Vinyl graphics
Some other method of heated transfer, vinyl printing uses more durable vinyl instead of just ink.
Pros: Extremely durable and high quality. Ideal for when you want your design to stand out (literally).
Cons: Additional colors toll more than, so complicated designs get expensive. Not great for big orders.
Direct-to-garment (or print-on-demand)
A newer pick, DTG printing uses the liberty of inkjet press, but prints directly on fabric.
Pros : Highly customizable designs with maximum detail and extensive colour choices.
Cons : Apply for modest batches or perhaps a single sample. The more you're press, the less viable it becomes. Doesn't piece of work well on dark-colored garments.
Accept a look at our guide to t-shirt printing for more than information.
4. Brainstorm your design concept
Here comes the fun stuff… Now you get to start figuring out what'due south actually going on your t-shirt! Brand sure you don't leap to this stride first. The more time and effort yous put into preparing for this, the better.
Your design could become in a million different directions. As you're brainstorming, here are some tips to help focus your creativity.
T-shirt types
All this talk about t-shirts, and information technology'southward easy to forget that there are lots of unlike types of shirts. Just to name a few…
Remember about your audience and intended goals before deciding the right type of t-shirt. A revealing ingather summit might not be the best promotion for a police firm.
As you start sketching out t-shirt pattern ideas, make sure it will translate to the actual size. Pattern using an 18"x18" canvas and physically identify your designs on a shirt. That doesn't hateful you have to fill the whole infinite (similar if you're keeping it minimal with a pocket-sized logo), just a realistically sized canvass will help you get the proportions right.
Once y'all accept your pattern, consider how it will look on larger and smaller shirt sizes. If y'all choose a screen press process, different sizes may crave different screens, which means additional costs.
Manner and imagery
At this stage, you have to rely on your creative and artistic instincts to communicate the letters you want to say. Don't forget these questions we talked virtually before:
- What is your make?
- Who is your market?
- Why are you designing a shirt in the offset place?
Put all of that together, and you lot're prepare to offset designing a t-shirt that's perfect for you.
For instance, take a look at Prim'southward dinosaur t-shirt design. This is a kid's merchandise make, so the manner is beautiful and cartoony, appealing to its market.
Compare that to the winning entry for the Pumpkin t-shirt pattern contest, by 99designs creator DiditRed.
This German language hardcore music festival is definitely not marketed to kids. That opens up their designs to edgier cloth, which suits their prospective clients meliorate.
Of course, there are more options than existence terrifying or sugary sweetness.
Alex Lalove shows united states of america how to design a professional, risk-costless t-shirt without being boring. His winning entry promotes the Datafinity brand with its logo front and center, but spices up the look and feel so it seems more fashionable than a standard business tee.
Also, call up that your pattern is being displayed on bodies. Lumpy, bumpy bodies that aren't always as symmetrical every bit we'd like. Recollect about apartment, uncomplicated designs since at that place's no telling where the nooks and crannies volition country on your image.
For similar reasons, you also want to avoid detailed imagery, such as subtle color gradients and intricate linework. Always err on the side of elementary.
T-shirt typography
The fonts you choose say a lot about your make. Serif fonts (the ones with little artillery) or script fonts look more classic. Sans-serif fonts brand it more modern. T-shirts offer more of an opportunity than other areas of graphic pattern to play with fun, crazy brandish fonts, just do proceed readability in listen. If the words on your shirt are important to communicating your message, make certain they don't get overshadowed by swirly, grungy, loopy typography.
Color in t-shirt design
The element of design that is best at instantly communicating personality is color. Each shade, hue and tint evokes an emotion, interim as a shortcut for you to portray something about your brand at just a glance.
T-shirt designs have ii sets of colors to keep in listen: the cloth color(south) and the impress color(south).To make sure that these two complement each other, ever use your fabric color as the background of your pattern ideas. (And likewise note that a colored sheet tin have an bear upon on what inks look similar, and so make sure you talk to your printer about that!)
Considering of the style t-shirt inks piece of work, printing colors tin get a little tricky. The least expensive style to print your design will exist to judge the colors. Just know that your "teal" might not match your printer'due south "teal."
Exact colour matches are possible with Pantone (PMS) or custom composite CMYK inks—but they're more expensive. PMS uses predefined, exact ink tones that your printers can buy. CMYK printing creates most any colour past combining Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (blackness) inks. Bank check with your printer to determine what's available.
Specialty printing techniques
We've just sent yous your free t-shirt design ebook.
Like whatsoever other printing medium, t-shirts have their ain fix unique ink options.
- Plastisol— The standard ink used in screen-printing
- Foil — Shiny and cogitating
- Novelty — Glitter, hologram or even a fuzzy feel
- High-density — For a dimensional appearance that pops out from the shirt
- Gel — Like loftier-density, but with a "wetter" wait
- H2o-based — No feeling at all; ingrained in the material
5. Notice a designer
Got design skills? Get crackin'! If you lot don't, d on't worry. There are tons of pros out at that place set up to turn your design concept into a reality.
The DIY route
The principal reward of designing a t-shirt yourself is the price. If your budget is tight, the decision is already made for you. Design liberty is a huge advantage, but don't forget that professionals know the technical concerns of t-shirt blueprint (plus a whole lot more than). If you broke out into a cold sweat when nosotros mentioned acronyms similar CMYK, you might sleep meliorate handing this off to a pro.
Hiring a pro
Rather than teaching yourself marketing, branding and graphic design, why not pay someone who knows all them already?
Collaborating with a freelancer can exist catchy, but also a lot of fun. Do your all-time to find a designer that thinks like you and understands what you're looking for. Consider the designer's personality, design mode and expertise. You can also try working with multiple designers at once by launching a T-Shirt Blueprint Contest on 99designs.
One time you've found your designer(southward), you have to clearly communicate your vision. Tell them what about your design ideas, messaging, and intended audience. Include details nigh colors, logos, visual style, t-shirt blazon and press specifications. Send them images of designs that friction match the fashion you're looking for. Give them everything they need to know so y'all can get the perfect t-shirt design.
6. Evaluate your blueprint
As your design options outset rolling in, browse through every version and select your favorites. Don't forget your marketing and technical requirements. Will your blueprint fit on a tank top? Is the amount of color within your upkeep? Is the messaging right? This isn't just an fine art contest, only a business organisation decision. Communicate your feedback clearly to your designer to brand sure your next set up of options look even better.
Then, make sure to run it by both key stakeholders and people who don't take any connection to what you're doing. Even if it'southward just your neighbor across the street, people not closely associated with your t-shirt design will notice things you never did.
Consider asking them:
- What is the i central message you lot get when you look at this shirt?
- Who is this shirt for?
Their answers to these questions will help y'all make up one's mind if the t-shirt is communicating what yous want information technology to. If it's not, go back to your designer and figure out what yous tin modify.
7. Get the right files from your designer
Yous've got the perfect t-shirt design. Hell yes! Now get back to that information you lot got from your printer and check to brand sure you have the right files.
You probably need:
- Your t-shirt pattern in vector format. This will likely be an Adobe Illustrator (AI), PDF, or EPS file. You lot'll need one for each different t-shirt blueprint you're creating.
- Colour codes. If your printer does custom colors, make certain you lot have the Pantone or CMYK color codes so that everything turns out looking like you want.
eight. Observe a boot-donkey printer
Once your pattern's fix, it's printing time! Find one that offers the method yous need at a cost you can beget. Of course, extra features and discounts to sweeten the deal are great, too. Sifting through printing options to find the all-time 1 for your particular projection usually requires experience and fourth dimension… but we're going to fast-rails it for you!
- Find out if the printer has an in-house fine art section. Non only does this mean the printer does in-business firm prints, only information technology usually means these folks practise good work. Only successful printers can sustain an in-business firm fine art department.
- Request samples of finished shirts, not design images. Near printing companies honey visitors! Terminate by their store to see and touch their shirts. Remember: a printer'south job is to interpret design to an actual impress, and but a finished product reveals that.
- Starting time edifice a working relationship with a printer you can grow with. Observe a printer who prints six or more than colors. Even if y'all don't need that many for your first project, yous might need them later.
- If yous're doing a larger guild, make certain your printer offers pre-press proofs. You won't know for sure how the design fits on the shirts until you lot see a sample.
- Beware hidden charges, especially with screens, films or Pantone color matching. Simply similar any other industry, in that location are a few rotten eggs. Go over all the charges before payment to make certain they're being upwardly front.
Time to design an amazing t-shirt!
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Every yr t-shirt design and printing are condign more and more than accessible. They're something every business tin can take advantage of… as long as they know what they're doing. We hope this guide on how to design a t-shirt gave you everything you need to break into the world of making t-shirts. Got questions? Ask them in the comments below.
Looking for the perfect custom t-shirt design?
Work with our talented designers to make it happen.
Source: https://99designs.com/blog/design-other/how-to-design-t-shirts/
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