
Designing a t-shirt is a fun and creative process, but it can also be challenging. Whether you're an artist, illustrator, or designer, there are some key things to keep in mind to ensure your t-shirt is something people will want to wear and buy. Here are some essential tips to help you create a cool t-shirt design:
- Keep it simple: A busy design can be cluttered and difficult to read. Focus on a single message or image, and strip away any unnecessary elements.
- Know your market: Consider who you're designing for. Is it for men, women, or children? What is their age, gender, and interests? Understanding your target audience will help you create a design that resonates with them.
- Choose the right colours: Use complementary colours that work well together and with the t-shirt colour. If using Adobe Illustrator, turn on Global Colours to save time.
- Pay attention to detail: While simple designs are often the most effective, attention to detail is important. Great drawing ability and a well-executed design will make your t-shirt stand out.
- Be careful with humour: If you're going for a humorous design, subtlety is key. Avoid cheap jokes and try to be clever and original.
- Understand borders and edges: Most shirt designs are free-flowing without defined borders. Be aware of invisible borders that can affect the final print, and communicate clearly with your printer.
- Consider shirt colour and imprint colour: The shirt colour and the number of ink colours available will impact your design and budget. Limit colour options to ensure the design works well and doesn't alter its meaning.
- Think about the fabric: The type of fabric you choose will affect the feel and weight of the shirt. Consider your target audience and their needs when selecting the fabric.
- Be mindful of placement and size: The placement and size of your design are crucial. Use a ruler to measure and ensure the design is balanced and not too big or small.
- Use vector artwork: Vector artwork ensures your design is scalable and can be adjusted for different shirt sizes. If vector artwork is not available, high-resolution images are a must.
- Choose your fonts wisely: Bad typography can ruin a shirt design. Use high-quality, legible fonts that complement your design and make any text easy to read.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Design | Explore different concepts, imagine the design on a T-shirt, keep it simple, consider the target market, be careful with humour, choose the right colours, prepare the artwork properly, use vector artwork |
Printing | Source a good printer, learn about different types of T-shirts, use Pantone colours for screen-printing, use vector artwork, talk to the printer about inking |
Purpose | Marketing promotion, giveaway, to sell, commemorative |
Fabric | Thinner fabric can feel heavy and lay funny against the skin, consider the target audience's preferences and needs, e.g. athletes might prefer a performance wicking fabric |
What You'll Learn
Know your printing options
When choosing the best T-shirt printing method, there are several factors to consider, including cost, appearance, production time, and materials. Knowing the different options available will help you decide which method is most suitable for your needs. Here is an overview of some common T-shirt printing techniques:
Screen Printing
This is considered the gold standard for T-shirt printing. Your printer creates original screens of your design, with one screen for each colour, allowing for bulk printing. Screen printing is reliable, affordable, and high-quality, making it ideal for large orders of 20 or more. However, the downside is that a new screen is required for each colour or design revision, which can increase costs for colourful or complex designs.
Vinyl Printing
Vinyl printing is another method of heated transfer that uses durable vinyl instead of just ink. This process results in extremely durable and high-quality prints that are ideal for making your design stand out. However, additional colours come at a cost, making intricate designs expensive. Vinyl printing is not the best option for large orders.
Direct-to-Garment (DTG)
Direct-to-garment printing is a newer option that uses inkjet technology to print directly onto the fabric. This method offers highly customizable designs with maximum detail and extensive colour choices. However, it is more suitable for small batches or single samples, as the viability decreases with larger quantities. DTG printing also does not work well on dark-coloured garments.
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Brainstorm your design concept
Brainstorming your design concept is an important step in the t-shirt design process. Here are some tips to help you focus your creativity and come up with a design that people will want to wear:
Understand your target audience
Think about who your t-shirt is for. Are you designing for men, women, or children? What is their age range? What are their interests and personalities like? Consider creating a written description of your target customer, including details such as their gender, age, hobbies, and favourite brands. This will help you design a shirt that appeals to them and that they will want to wear.
Keep it simple
Less is more when it comes to t-shirt designs. Overly complex designs can be difficult to read and may not translate well to the final printed product. Instead, focus on a single message or image that you want to convey. Strip out any unnecessary design elements and consider designing in black and white before adding colour. Simplicity will also make your design more wearable, as people may be reluctant to wear something that is too busy or complicated.
Choose the right colours
The colours you choose for your design are important, as they can affect the overall message and appeal of your t-shirt. Consider using complementary colours that work well together. If you're using design software like Adobe Illustrator, turn on Global Colours to save time and ensure colour consistency. You can also use Halftones to make the most of a limited colour palette. Remember to also think about the colour of the t-shirt itself and how this will impact your design.
Think about placement and size
Where on the shirt will your design go? Common placements include the front "pocket" area, the top back centre, or one of the sleeves. If there are other logos or brand marks on the shirt, make sure your design complements these and doesn't clash or create an imbalanced look. Use a ruler to measure and ensure that the placement and scale of your design are correct. Remember that the design may need to be adjusted for different clothing sizes.
Use vector artwork
Vector artwork ensures that your design is scalable and can be resized without losing quality. If you don't have vector artwork, make sure to use high-resolution images instead. Image files should be at least 200 dpi (dots per inch) to avoid pixelation when printed.
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Choose the right colours
Colour is an important element of t-shirt design, instantly communicating personality and acting as a shortcut to portray something about your brand at a glance. When choosing colours, it's important to consider both the fabric colour(s) and the print colour(s). These two sets of colours should complement each other, so always use your fabric colour as the background of your design ideas.
Printing colours can be tricky due to the way t-shirt inks work. The least expensive way to print your design will be to approximate the colours, but your "teal" might not match your printer's "teal". Exact colour matches are possible with Pantone colour values or custom-blended CMYK inks, but they are more expensive. Pantone colour values use predefined, exact ink tones that your printer can purchase, whereas CMYK printing creates virtually any colour by combining cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks.
When choosing colours, it's also important to keep your target audience in mind. Are you designing for men or women, young or old? Consider who your t-shirt is for and what other brands they like. Try to put down a written description of the exact person you want to attract to your design.
Another thing to keep in mind is the number of ink colours available for the imprint. This can impact your budget and how you approach the design. If you are planning to sell in an online marketplace, limit the colour options to those that work with the design. If you are not careful, elements of the same or similar colour could look bad in the final result or alter the meaning of the design.
Even with a one-colour imprint, the shirt colour can make a big difference. A thinner fabric can get heavy and lay funny against the skin if there is too much ink in the imprint, so it's important to consider the fabric when choosing colours.
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Understand borders or edges
When submitting your artwork for printing, be aware of "invisible" borders or edges that can ruin the final product. For example, submitting artwork with a background can cause confusion, so be sure to have a clear conversation with the printer about your expectations.
Most t-shirt designs are free-flowing and don't have borders. Border styles are a bit outdated. If you do want a border, it's best to avoid hard edges and go for a design with a soft edge or a border that fades into the shirt. This will ensure that the design looks good on the shirt and isn't awkwardly placed.
It's also important to consider the shirt colour and imprint colour when thinking about borders or edges. Make sure there is enough contrast between the shirt colour and the design so that the design stands out and is easy to read.
Additionally, think about the placement of the design on the shirt. Will it be on the front, back, or sleeve? The placement will impact how the design is perceived and how visible it is. You don't want the design to be too close to the edge of the shirt, as it may get cut off or look awkward.
Finally, consider the scale and size of the design. A design that is too large may be awkward and uncomfortable to wear, while a design that is too small may be difficult to see. It's important to find the right balance so that the design is noticeable but not overwhelming.
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Consider shirt colour and imprint colour
When designing a T-shirt, it's important to consider the shirt colour and imprint colour. This is because these choices will impact the overall design, budget, and printing process.
Firstly, knowing the shirt colour beforehand is crucial as it will influence how the imprint colour(s) show up. For example, a black shirt will make colours appear darker than they would on a white shirt. Additionally, if you are planning to sell the T-shirts online, limiting the colour options to those that work well with your design is advisable. This ensures that elements of the design don't blend into the shirt colour, which could alter the intended meaning.
Secondly, the number of ink colours available for the imprint is a key consideration. This will depend on your budget, as more colours will increase costs. For instance, screen printing requires a new screen for each colour, which can become expensive. Therefore, it's worth exploring techniques to make the most of restricted colours, such as using Halftones.
Finally, when choosing your imprint colour(s), it's worth noting that certain colours evoke specific emotions and portray something about your brand at a glance. For example, red is often associated with energy and passion, while blue is linked to trust and reliability. Thus, selecting colours that align with the message or feeling you want to convey can enhance the impact of your design.
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Frequently asked questions
It's important to keep your design simple and easy to read. Focus on a single message or image, and make sure the design will work on different shirt sizes and colours. Use vector artwork so the design is scalable, and pay attention to the placement and size of the graphic on the shirt.
You can create a statement t-shirt to show your passion for a cause or a hobby, or use a funny or clever pun. You can also experiment with different styles, such as vintage, optical illusions, comic strips, or embroidery.
Think about your target audience and the purpose of the t-shirt. Are you designing for men or women, young or old? Is it for marketing, to sell, or for a special event? Consider the fabric, colour, and printing options, as well as your budget and the quantity you need.