7 Easy Steps To Design a T-shirt

Think about the favourite T-shirts in your wardrobe; be it, I ❤️ NY, Keep calm and ___, Just Do It – You love wearing one of these shirts each time you had a moment to celebrate or step out of the house. Right? 

Whether it’s a friend’s birthday party or a family reunion..you love donning them on, no matter how torn, ripped, stained they got…You just couldn’t throw them off…and you like them for more than one reason- The comfort beneath the fabric, aesthetic design and also because it belonged to your favourite brand.

Do you agree when I say that there is a common thread that makes these brands an all-time favourite for people around the globe?

Do you have a killer t-shirt design idea and want to share it with others? Are you looking for an alternative means of promoting your startup, or making some shillings through your merch? Do you want to commemorate a celebration, like a family reunion or graduation party?

In this article, we’ll understand what makes a t-shirt not just aesthetically appealing, but also what makes it memorable–– convert your t-shirts from cool looking to must-have. Whatever the reason be, the fundamentals of t-shirt design remain the same; how your audience loves them is what makes them unique.

Do you want to design a t-shirt online or looking for custom T–Shirt design services?

Simply launch a t-shirt design contest and get your custom t-shirt design at an affordable price.

1. Fix your goals to design a t-shirt

Before you get started to design a t-shirt, it’s important to have a good understanding of what you are trying to accomplish with your t-shirt merch. What is the primary aim of your t-shirt campaign? Are you trying to raise money for a social cause or need? Or are you hoping to sell as many shirts to promote your brand or cause? Maybe you’re simply trying to create a memorable t-shirt for people to remember.

2. Discover creative t-shirt design ideas

Take some time to decide the words/fonts, imagery, logos, and colors that you want to print on your t-shirt design. It’s important to have a list of guidelines around your design so that you have a niche when you begin your creative process. It will also help make sure you include everything you need to have on the shirt, which is especially important if you are designing apparel for a specific event or a social cause.

3. Pick the right T-shirt colour

Many of the colour choices you make when creating your t-shirt design is influenced by the color of the t-shirt you choose to print on. If you know the colors of the products you want to print on before beginning the design process, it will save your time and ease the process for you in the long run. Choose contrasting ink colors so that your design and text really “pop” on your shirt.

4. Add typography & visuals

Custom apparel is a great way to reuse and reconstruct existing creatives like brand logos and marketing illustrations. Many of these assets already contain imagery, typography and color palettes that resonate with your audience. If you’re creating custom t-shirts for your business, or organization, sticking with the imagery and colors of your brand is a great way to begin.

5. Use Graphics to design a t-shirt

If you are struggling to figure out a way to visually represent your brand, cause, or business on a t-shirt, typography could be the answer to your doubts. Broad, appealing phrases will maximize the interest in your shirt and in turn, bring in more sales. Typographic designs are an easy way to create an awesome t-shirt design, without any expensive design softwares. Design with relevant words or quotes that will reinforce a sense of unity around the shirt’s subject matter. Use unique fonts on your shirt to create a piece of art out of just these words or pair your phrase with other design elements and imagery.

6. Choose colours wisely

Picking the colors to design a t-shirt is very important when making your t-shirt. The best rule is to always use light ink colors on a dark shirt and darker ink colors on a light shirt. This creates a contrast between the print and the shirt itself so your design will really “pop”. 

While printing black ink on a black shirt may be trending in some audience groups, most buyers would be disappointed if they couldn’t see the shirt design on the t-shirt it was printed on. White ink is an easy win and shows up well on most shirt colors. However, if you want to play with more colors in your design, explore complementary colors that create a pleasing mood when used together. In order to maximize your profits and create a clean, aesthetically pleasing design.

7. Test your designs in the design tool

Whether or not you have fancy design programs, you can create awesome designs using Designfier’s design tool. Once in the Design Tool, you can choose to upload your own custom, ready-made design, or add text and clipart from our extensive clipart library, powered by Noun Project. You can now easily select your apparel styles and colors. Our t-shirt design tool makes it easy for you to test color options out and see ..So, if you don’t like the way your design and t-shirt pairings look online, you can easily adjust them.

Every year t-shirt design and printing are becoming more and more accessible. They’re something every business 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 tshirts.