Last updated on January 30th, 2023
T-shirts are excellent casual wear to make a leisurely day memorable. These apparels also play as a crucial marketing weapon for business promotion. But designing apparel is expensive for small businesses or individuals. Fortunately, the technological advancement, especially the introduction of artificial intelligence, has made online designing tools smarter using which you can design your own t-shirts without having knowledge of designing.
Businesses are increasingly using t-shirts when it comes to marketing and business promotion strategies. They know the power of these casual funny t shirts very well. Thousands view a slogan or an advertisement appearing on a t-shirt. This makes the apparel a walking billboard of a brand.
However, designing a t-shirt is not just about putting some letter on the shirt; it’s much more than that. A professional designer takes into account several design aspects. It’s possible to achieve the desired results and marketing goals this way. All elements of colors, typeface, images, lines, and others are carefully planned to represent a brand adequately.
Can you design your own t-shirt? The answer is yes. Even if you are not a professional designer, take help of design software to create your own piece of work. If you focus on your brand message, personality, and your social cause, it is possible to design t-shirt in the way you want.
The power of t-shirt in marketing is increasing by each passing year. According to a research, global marketing for t-shirt printing is expected to reach $10 billion by 2025. It hints at the boost in demand for t-shirts.
So, your small t-shirt designing and printing business can grow fast with a persistent demand.
Here Are Some Key Tips When You Want To Design Your Own T-Shirts
01. Plan Your Design Well
Before you actually start designing, first think of its varied aspects. Find out what exactly your design will represent. Know the issue or subject of the design. Is it some social cause, a sports team, an educational institution, and so on? When the purpose is clear, it helps determine your t-shirt design.
For example, a logo will be the chief feature while designing a t-shirt for advertising a brand, company, or a sports team. But if showcasing a personal illustration is the purpose, then the illustration will be the focus. If highlighting a photo is the main aim, then bring it in the center of the design prominently.
You can use a t-shirt maker tool online to create the design. Such tools are equipped well with useful features. These tools are easy to use due to their drag and drop features and many options.
02. Choose The Right Color Scheme
Picking the right color scheme is extremely important to design your own t-shirts. One of the critical things to choosing the scheme is color contrast. It gives clarity to the design.
Contrast also highlights an important design element. This also means that a darker color will appear against a lighter color. The right color scheme will help build your brand identity as well.
Know that certain ink colors appear more vibrant on the computer screen than when they are printed. Therefore, designers generally avoid pastel colors such a light blue and yellow when using lighter colors. These colors may not look equally impressive from a distance.
But if paste colors must be in the design, then designers generally give it a darker outline. It helps to make the text easy to read. Similarly, if you choose darker colors t-shirts, make sure that you use it on lighter ink colors.
03. Create Depth
After you are finished choosing the right colors, think of adding some depth to the design. It should not look one dimensional or flat. By combining the depth, your custom t-shirt design will look impressive.
To create an effect of a third dimension, you should add a color that becomes the shade of some other color. It is also a way to liven up the design. The shirt printing techniques also help in enhancing the element of depth.
When using Abode Photoshop, Abode Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, etc to design your own t-shirts, you have many manipulation options. You can transform an image to give it a new look and depth.
04. Create A Sense Of Proportion
A design impresses us when all of its elements are in the right proportion. It also means that the designer has combined all the elements as a part of the entire design. It may be that you want to include animals or stars; the challenge is to make them look cohesive.
So, one figure may appear large, but other smaller one should not be either too small or too big. You do not have to hire a professional graphic designer to deal with such issues of design. With a little care and following the instruction of design software, you are finally able to get a well-combined effect of the design.
Looking For A Custom T-Shirt Printing?
It’s very simple. Choose a t-shirt. Select color and size. Choose from thousands of ready-to-use designs. Create your own design.
You can also hire a designer to get a design for your t-shirt.
Create Your Own DesignHire A Designer
05. Decide Where To Place The Design On Your T-Shirt
Where do you want to place the design of the main image on your t-shirt? That is an important question to answer. Should it appear at the center or top left, or right; or you want the image to look like it’s wrapped around. The decision will depend on the type of brand. If it is a simple design for a brand, it should preferably be in the center.
Do not forget that you can place a part of the design on the back of your t-shirt. Many t-shirts have slogans like ‘’Just Do It” on the back. A song lyric may also appear on the back side.
06. Have A Preview
You should have a mockup of your design of your own t-shirts. A mockup gives you a preview of what you create. It allows you to make quick improvements in the sketches you made or the colors you choose. You can put different color contrasts to experiment.
Find out which way is better to give depth to the design. A tshirt maker tool also lets you have mockup features.
07. Use High-Quality Image Files
The image quality of your art matters a lot. Many common problems arise due to the poor quality of the image when designing t-shirts. It can make or break the final design.
The experts recommend the use of images that are of at least 200 dpi and above. You can also think of using vector files such as EPS, SVG, AI, and PDF.
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08. Pick The Right Fonts
The right choice of fonts gives personality to the design. When you design your own t-shirts, pick the right fonts to convey your message to the audience. You can pick a font that your business logo design is having.
If your t-shirt is about promoting your business, then pick the fonts that are already used in your website, brochure, and other promotional material.
09. Use Abode Photoshop
If you draw your t-shirt design sketches on paper, then make sure that the sketches are of high quality. You should scan the sketches to upload to your computer. Then, you can retouch the sketches in Photoshop. Use the software to refine the lines, colors, contrast, brightness, and other elements. You should also use this software to create a logo for your social cause and t-shirt.
You can also play with the elements. Add a few lines to give some effect or embellish to the design to look more dynamic. Think of using Illustrator also to design t-shirts in your own way.
10. Get Feedback
Do not finalize the design before taking a second opinion. Ask your friends, followers on social media and experts to give their feedback about what you have created. Sometimes, a valuable suggestion from unexpected quarters can add a new twist to the design.
Another important point to note here is that your printer plays a crucial role in your t-shirt business. The design should be compatible with the t-shirt printing technique. So, when taking feedback, get your printer’s advice as well. The printer can suggest some useful changes in the use of colors in terms of cost and its effectiveness.
These are the essential tips to design your own t-shirts. Each such advice should be followed ardently. You need to invest your time and attention to come out with a unique design that grabs the eyeballs and sells.
If you need unique design ideas for your t-shirts, then think of outsourcing them from Designhill, a leading marketplace. At this site, you get several new design solutions from many designers, who work on your contest as per your brief.
Conclusion
When you design your own t-shirts, you should pay heed to its different crucial aspects. Choose the right colors, fonts, images, and other elements that suit the message and a cause. The design should be appropriately placed in the center, on the side or back as per the requirement. Use the right design files and refine your sketches with the help of software.
