Think about the world’s best custom t-shirt designs — Bob Marley, Just Do It, Keep Calm and Carry On — what do they all have in common? What is the familiar string that makes these t-shirts resonate with so many people?
Every year or season, we get to see new fashion trends. The one clothing piece that has always dominated the trends is “t-shirt”. Whether it’s an oversized t-shirt, cool or funny graphic t-shirt, they are always in trend and are liked by both men and women.
Tips on Designing Custom T-Shirts in Omaha, NE
The process of designing custom t-shirts can be daunting. Here are a few tips or steps you can take to design your custom shirts. If you are struggling with creating one, our design experts can help. We design and print custom shirts on the same day.
Figure Out Why You Need A Custom T-Shirt
Every company has different objectives, and hence uses different ways to achieve those objectives. If you have planned to design a custom t-shirt for your brand, there can be a number of reasons behind that. A clear understanding of the reasons will help you in your designing process.
Take time to explore your concept
Sketch your T-shirt design out, go for a walk, create a few variations, have something to eat, do a full brainstorming process. Then sleep on it. And do it all over again. If it comes to you straight away, great. But explore other creative options just in case.
Imagine the design on a T-shirt
Having worked for both print and web over the years, I know the vast difference between design on screen and a printed piece. Don’t be afraid to mock up your T-shirt design on a photo of a model. Print it out if necessary and place it on an actual tee. Make sure you see your artwork at actual size.
Know Your Audience
Once you are clear with your printing objectives, the next step is to identify your target audience. Before creating a t-shirt design, answer the following questions about your target audience:
• Who would wear a t-shirt?
• What type of hobbies and interests do these people have?
• What type of social media or online communities do they belong to?
• Are these people passionate enough to purchase your products or services?
Designing a t-shirt for a teenager, for instance, is generally going to look different from a shirt designed for an adult. You have to keep one thing in mind that custom designed t-shirt is a marketing tool. And if you design it according to your target audience, you put yourself in a better position to have the greatest impact from a marketing point of view.
Choose the right colors
Use the T-shirt color effectively and try choosing complementary colors. If you’re using Adobe Illustrator, turn on Global Colors. It’s an absolute life saver and will save you so much time.
Choose Right Typography
If, for instance, you are not satisfied with the templates and want to fire up your design, typography is the most natural way to start with and may be the most fun bit. When choosing fonts for your t-shirt, first ask yourself the following questions:
• Are users going to read it?
• Which category of the font should I use?
• Should I use familiar fonts or try new ones?
• What are the latest trends?
• What others are doing, especially your competitors?
Just like colors, fonts to have the ability to communicate a message. Serif fonts will give your design a more traditional and formal look while San-serif fonts will give a modern look to your design.
Define Your Budget, Quantity And Timeline
Now that you are clear with your objective and audience, it’s time to settle some details so that you can focus on your design better.
• Budget
Every company has a budget. How much you want to spend will impact your design. If you want to add more detailed images with colors, for instance, it will cost you more. Think about dollars in the initial stage so that you can find a perfect balance between the creative options and number of quantities you can produce or print.
• Quantity
The choice of your printing method is directly proportionate to the quantity you want to print. There are a few printing methods that have per-unit cost, while others are used for bulk production. But remember, when it comes to quality, quantity doesn’t matter. After all, you want people to wear t-shirts for a longer period.
• Timeline
If you are planning to design a t-shirt for any campaign or promotional activity, it’s vital to set a timeline to create the design so that you can get it printed within the timeframe.
Find A Designer
It’s good to have an understanding of everything. But when it comes to designing some sensitive stuff like create a logo design, t-shirts design (for brand promotions), etc. then it’s better to leave everything in the hands of experts. In today’s digitally connected world, it has become very easy to get connected with designers from all over the world.
Be Ahead Of The Game
Last but the least, be inspired by the latest trends. Remember don’t copy them as trends keep changing and chances are by the time you produce a t-shirt with a particular design, other designers may move forward towards fresh designs. And nobody will get a clue till the time it gets launched in the market.
Omaha Shirts & Retro Shirtz
At Retro Shirtz we understand the importance of logo design. So we provide free graphic design, including free logo design with all standard custom shirt orders.
Our free graphic design services include:
- suggesting and implementing fonts
- changing the colors and layout of the fonts, and our team’s excellent skills at creating custom image assets.
Complex Logo Designs
Complex logo designs, such as drawing very complex new art assets from scratch are not typically covered in the free design services. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us or stop by our store. Our expert logo maker team will happily discuss a logo design!