T-shirt design is a very popular creative outlet. Putting your drawings on T-shirts, whether you’re an artist, graphic designer, or typographer, can be a lot of fun (and a wonderful way of selling your designs online).
If you’re new to the procedure, it might be intimidating. From what to contemplate with the artwork itself to the realities of printing your ideas onto T-shirts, we’ll guide you through our best suggestions for efficient custom T-shirt creation.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 expert recommendations for creating great T-shirt designs.
1. Spend some time thinking about your concept.
The design process should not be rushed. Sketch up your T-shirt design, go for a walk, come up with a few variants, eat something, go through the entire brainstorming process, and sleep on it. And then repeat the process. If the design occurs to you right away, that’s fantastic; nevertheless, carefully consider additional creative possibilities just in case.
2. Create a T-shirt with your design.
Anyone who has dabbled in both print and web understands how different a design looks on screens from how it appears printed. Don’t be hesitant to use a model’s photo to sketch up your T-shirt design. If required, print it out and put it on a real shirt. Before proceeding, make sure you see your artwork in its full size.
3. It’s all about the details but keep it simple.
While attention to detail is important, keep things simple. Great sketching talent and meticulous are valued by everybody. Nothing like witnessing a masterfully crafted work of art on a shirt that you can examine for hours. However, some of the most famous T-shirt designs are also the simplest – they get the idea through just by being so. You may challenge to deliver an effective design if you fall anywhere in the centre.
4. Think about your target market.
This one is crucial. Consider your T-intended shirt’s recipient. Do you create for males or women, children or the elderly? After all, you’re creating a product that people will wear. Try to write a written description of the precise person you want to attract to your T-shirt design, just as a competent brand designer would — who they are, what they enjoy, what other companies they prefer, and so on.
5. Use humour sparingly.
If you want to create a comical T-shirt, make absolutely sure it doesn’t come off as a cheap, minimal joke shirt. Even with the most loud and in-your-face designs, the most effective T-shirts that incorporate comedy do so in a subtle, intelligent way. Many amusing shirts get old fast, but when done right and with an initial vision, amusement can turn heads to make people grin. Brad McGinty’s designs are often well-balanced.
6. Choose the appropriate colours.
Make good use of the T-shirt colour and select complementing colours. Turn on Global Colours when you’re using Adobe Illustrator. This may be a lifesaver and can save you a significant amount of time. (Adobe Creative Cloud is available here.)
Halftones can also be used to making the most of limited colour palette available.
7. Carefully prepare your artwork.
When screen-printing, use Pantone Colours; your printer will thank you. They’ll also like it if you highlight any words and enlarge any strokes. Take the time to learn the procedure and your print will be pleased to work with you. Online are lots of decent instructions around nowadays, including both Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
8. Find a decent printer.
Your design may be done and fully art worked, but the quality of your shirt will always be determined by your printer. You might also contact a local screen printer. However, it’s critical to spend time learning about the garment you would like to print on. Weight, size, labelling choices, pricing, and other factors all influence the final product.
9. Educate yourself
To fully comprehend anything, you must first study it and comprehend its context. Tees have appeared in every subculture imaginable, including music, skateboarding, street art, athletics, and general mainstream culture.
Learn about the history of T-shirts and how to enjoy them by doing some research. Even styles that you dislike might provide you great insights into what other people enjoy wearing. Vintage T-shirts by Lisa Kidner is a nice reference book.
10. Maintain a competitive advantage.
It’s good to be inspired by current trends, but you should avoid replicating them to stay one step ahead. It’s likely however by the moment a T-shirt is manufactured, the designers have already moved on to something new. Keep up with what’s going on in fashion and current culture but strive to carve out your own route.
Conclusion
T-shirt printing is a developing art in today’s world. Companies are interested in it and desire to include it in their marketing efforts. This blog is intended to assist you in developing the greatest T-shirt design possible.
