It’s believed that there’s more to T-shirt design than just being a creative outlet. It can also achieve success as a legitimate business.
Creating custom t-shirt designs and styles can be fun and easy even if you’re not a seasoned graphic designer or illustrator. The process to make graphic tee design shirts will take a lot of work and dedication but if you follow the following pro tips, then regardless of your experience level, you too can make eye-catching creative t-shirts that’ll definitely catch the eye of your target audience.
1. Research Your Concept Idea
Who would you like to sell your t-shirts to? Perhaps you’d like to design your own custom t-shirts to wear to a concert of your favorite band? Whatever your motivation, ensure your concept is thoroughly researched to ensure a successful outcome. Then, you can create as many variations as you want to find out which one interests you most. Your design is in your hands, and you can let it turn out however you wish.
2. Picture Your Design Already On A T-shirt
Seeing a design on a screen or piece of paper is vastly different from seeing it on a shirt. Think of what it’d look like already on a t-shirt when developing your concept.
To see how the design and fit works, you can print a mock-up and put it on an actual model. Using this method, you can determine where the design should be positioned, the size, and the color.
In addition, you can determine if your concept works or not by viewing it in real size. This will also allow you to consider different print on demand tools that are available at some printing companies.
3. Keep Things Simple
While it’s tempting to include all your design ideas on your t-shirt at once, it’s advised to keep things simple. The best-looking t-shirts have simple designs but are still eye-catching and stylish. When someone admires your work, you don’t want to overwhelm them with sensory overload. Even the most complex designs can be reduced to a simpler and less complicated form.
4. Think About Your Target Market
Who is the target audience for your design? The end product and your marketing campaign should be appealing to your intended customers. If you’re attending a music festival, incorporating the band’s graphics or message on your t-shirt can help you stand out or attract other fans.
Maybe your T-shirt will serve as a protest for the cause you support. You must convey your message clearly so they’ll be able to catch it. Think about your target market when you design your tee regardless of who your target market is.
5. Be Careful With Your Humor
If you plan to design a t-shirt with humor, make sure it doesn’t outwardly offend anyone. The difference between humor and political correctness is said to be subtle.
In the case of political satire, you need to use subtle humor, such as playing with words or satire. If your humor seems racist, sexist, or indifferent to sensitive subjects or causes, it won’t go well with most people, so be careful of what you put on your shirt.
6. Pick The Right Colors
Consider complementary colors when creating a graphic t-shirt design. Think about getting a t-shirt that has a darker material or a brighter background if your design is bright and colorful, such as a pink design on a white t-shirt. A black design against a yellow shirt would look good.
When designing your concept using a graphic design program and stock images, ensure that their global colors are enabled if there is one. With this feature, you’ll have access to multiple color palettes to work on.
7. Source A Great Printer
Your design can be the coolest and you can buy the best t-shirt fabric, but if your printer’s quality is poor, your design will never come out as you imagined. Hence, it’s advised that you should invest in a top-notch printer to ensure that your design is fully realized.
Consider what type of shirt you want to print on, and then choose the printer best suited to that option. Additionally, you can contact printing companies if you don’t have the cash to buy new printing equipment. You can even get deals with some printing companies if you ensure a long-term working relationship with them. Make sure you invest in a quality printer or printing company after doing extensive research.
8. Consider The Fabric Of The Shirt
When designing a shirt, it’s important to pay attention to the quality of the shirt, especially if you’ll use alternative artistic methods for decoration like tie-dye or paint. Fabric quality is paramount to avoid a shirt sticking to the body when sweating and the others.
If you’re considering your target market, you might also want to consider the places they reside in. Those who live in colder climates will need heavier, warmer fabrics. If it’s hot in that area, you should choose quality light fabrics. In addition, the material used for the fabric can also affect the inking process, so make sure to read about all of these factors to be ready.
Conclusion
When designing a graphic tee, you should always consider the quality of the t-shirt you’ll print it on. Don’t forget to look at every aspect of your design, from the fabric to the colors to the printers. Your graphic tee design can tie your brand to consumers, or it can make you stand out at your favorite concert. If you’re passionate about a cause, you can also use it to get your message across without speaking a word.
Using the tips mentioned above, you can guarantee that you’ll have fun crafting and printing your graphic tee and that you’ll let your creativity run free. It’d be best to steer clear humor that could offend marginalized groups and have fun and enjoy yourself.