T-shirts are loved for many reasons, but mainly for their comfort and versatility. When the material is right, the t-shirt we wear can feel as comfy as a comforter! Its versatility does not only encompass the many ways we can style a single t-shirt but also the hundred ways it can be designed. Due to this, a t-shirt designing process is considered an extremely fluid stage that allows a lot of creative freedom – which designers would love but the beginners, perhaps not so much.
Whether you are a professional designer or an amateur, there IS one right place you should start from; your targeted audience. Put yourself in the shoes (or the t-shirt) of your customer for a minute and think about what kind of t-shirt would they be intrigued enough to own one or two. What are their top interests? Would they like the idea of making a (bold) fashion statement or would they prefer something plain and subtle? Ideally, you’d want to create tees that are not only trendy and gaining traction for a short while, but ones that are pretty much timeless and yet will have people who keep coming back for them time and time.
So, now that you are designing and printing your own t-shirts, what should you take note of, from the perspective of a creator? Let’s not postpone it any longer and dive right into it — here are 3 things your t-shirts should have!
Message
Message can be implied and hidden, or it can also be crystal clear and straightforward, i.e. written as it is. To put it in another way, you can showcase the message without writing it on the garment, or you can just have a text, slogan, or motto written across the back of your tee. Either way, the message is spread!
Before we proceed, let us just say that whether you decide to include text or not, it is totally your choice. However, we recommend taking time to brainstorm what is your purpose and how you wish to communicate with your audience. Get educated on the issue then determine the best way to sell your tee. If your purpose matters and words written to put a highlight on it can – and will – make a huge difference, then it’s best to include it.
If you need a step-by-step guide for adding text, here’s one we’d suggest you follow. Write down 2–3 key messages that you’re trying to spread to your targeted market and go from there. Simplify the several lines into a phrase, as short as it can be. If you can get to 2-3 words, that would be better. Here’s an example of how you can shorten a message or slogan into 2 words.
Full message: Be kind and do a good deed for everyone you meet
Shortened message: Spread kindness / Be kind / Do good
See, it really isn’t that difficult! Try to keep it as simple as possible since people who stumble upon a wearer of this garment most probably do not have a lot of time to scan and process the message behind the text.
The most important takeaway from this is that if you do decide to add actual text onto your garment, research your cause and the audience you’re targeting. Review the key messages you’ve written before so that you can determine the kind of words, phrases, or slogans to use for your brand or event. Be specific in your decision making and use powerful words that touch people. The text depends on what you’re going for; it can be short and concise or lengthy and vague — you decide!
Image
We mean this figuratively, but it can be taken literally as well. On the other hand, it can just be an artwork too! If you don’t want to, the artwork in question does not have to do with the ‘face’ of your brand as well. You can go all out with it and make full use of your creative freedom.
Ink has an easy to use design tool so that you can upload your image as you like. However, there are a few things to remember when creating and selecting your graphic. We encourage you to use a quality graphic with high resolution. If you have a low-quality image, contact us and we’ll see what we can do to help. Have an idea for your tee? Reach out to us and we can have our design team mock something up for you.
Placement plays a large role in the design of your t-shirt, too. Whether you decide for it to be on the front, back or left/right pocket of your tee, the possibilities are endless. Consider placing your words strategically. You want them to pop so something nontraditional might be your key to success.
Brand
Lastly, and of course, similar to the two previous points, this one also could be looked at from two perspectives. It could be your literal brand in the form of a company logo or brand name written above the chest pocket, or just some elements that you add or modify as a type of branding.
If you’re a new, unknown brand designing a t-shirt, we would encourage you to rethink the decision of using your own logo and leaving it at that. We’re afraid those could potentially do more harm than good. Sure, confidence is admirable, but the decision of what goes onto your apparels shouldn’t be made just based on what you have confidence in. If you are going to present something completely new and unfamiliar (i.e. your brand’s identity) to the public, you could at least add in other attractive elements that are not just linked to your brand alone.
After all, you wouldn’t just want your shirt to be a part of a workout or laying-around-the-house outfit, would you? Put in a little bit more effort to think of the current styles that are trending, and if you feel a bit more creative than that, think ahead. What kind of design and pattern could possibly be trending soon? This way, you can shape it up and design it to be a stylish t-shirt that will be worn to many places – not just the gym and next-door shop!
On the other hand, if you’re creating a t-shirt for a cause or event, your logo will help in distinguishing your identity as well as your purpose from everyone else’s. That said, it depends on how well you are known for what it does. If you have a strong enough brand audience, including a logo is a strength rather than a weakness. In this case, people will buy from your campaign because they are committed to your brand.
Of course, we have already mentioned another possible scenario in which your brand is probably still very new and not yet recognised by the public. In this case, it is best to put the focus on your message and image rather than your brand. This way, people will get to see more of what you do and say first, and they will start to associate you to those things. This is a much better and more feasible way of introducing yourself, compared to shoving your brand to people’s faces while they still end up having little to no idea of what you do and what you stand up for.
Conclusion
Once you have decided on three of these or made them crystal clear (or at least clear enough) on your t-shirt, you’re good to go! All in all, t-shirts can be the single best advertisement for your label if you manage to brand them in a cool, clever way. Even high-end brands have continuously made use of t-shirts to approach the general, wider audience.
If there is one garment that will never run out of style, it’s the t-shirt. Sure, the design might evolve and as a canvas, it will continue to see patterns and trends come and go — but at the core of it, a t-shirt is all it is. And as mentioned before, t-shirts will always be on-trend as the graphics are modified and revolutionised a lot.
So, with such simple effort of putting on a t-shirt, who wouldn’t love to hear the sweet conversation starter that goes something along the line, “Cool shirt! Where’d you get that from?” Sounds like something you don’t mind hearing too? Then you’d definitely want to take a look at our printed t shirt Singapore services! We have various perks that you won’t want to miss such as free mockups, free shipping, and free professional printing consultation!
