Tips for Great T-Shirt Design

Designing a t-shirt for a client (or yourself)? Time to roll up your sleeves and get to work…  right after you read our tips for designing shirts that you and/or your client will never want to take off!

Sizing

When it comes to t-shirt designs, it’s important to keep the size of your design on the shirt at an appropriate size. For starters, a design that is too large is going to be distracting and awkward. For instance, shapes such as circles and squares tend to look better when sized smaller than standard.

Something else to consider is what type of apparel your design is going to be printed on. Consider a smaller size for youth sizes (some max out at just 6 inches wide), and take into consideration pockets and their placements on t-shirts or hoodies when sizing your design.

Not to mention, the larger the design, the more ink you use, the more expensive your shirts become to print. At the end of the day, you want people to notice your shirt for its great design, not be blinded by its overwhelming size.

If you’re nervous about the sizing, something designers will do is print out their design on a standard sheet of paper and hold it up to their own shirt. If you’re still nervous, it’s probably best to talk directly to your printer when you provide the art files to make sure they size it appropriately.

Check out an example of a t-shirt design ocreations recently donated to a local family in support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association:

Abigails kid

Placement

Placement is another major factor in making or breaking a great t-shirt design. You could have the greatest design in the world, but if it is placed awkwardly, it can take your design down (literally) from amazing to mediocre.

Shirt designs should ideally sit about 3-4 inches from the collar of the shirt, and sit on the chest area. It is not flattering (for design and for the person wearing the shirt) to have a big design resting on the stomach.

Below are standard placement options (for most screen printers):

  • Front Center
  • Left Chest (small)
  • Center Back
  • Center Upper back (small)
  • Sleeves

And, here are some unique placement ideas for you next shirt design. Make sure to check with your screen printer before sending art files:

  • Bottom front 
  • vertical front (right or left side)
  • Front bleed onto the shirt side
  • Shirt sides
  • Vertical black (right or left side)
  • Back bleed onto the shirt side
  • Full front or Full Back

 

Typography & Fonts

Selecting the right fonts and making sure your typography is visually appealing are key to great design and legibility. Add variation to your type design by using multiple fonts – but don’t use too many fonts to keep things simple (make 3 fonts your limit). Or, use one font, but put emphasis on certain words by using heavier font weights. Pick out the right font for the message you’re trying to convey. A collegiate block letter style might not be the most suitable font choice for shirts for a bridal shower. And, never use Papyrus (trust us).

Colors

Colors can also make or break your shirt design. Just like fonts, you should try and limit your color choices. The more colors you include in your design, the higher chance for making your design look too busy, and the higher chance for clashing colors. When in doubt, try and use as few colors as possible.

From a financial standpoint, one color is going to be your most affordable option. The more colors you use, the more expensive your shirts become.

Sometimes printers will use a technique called halftones, which is basically a pattern of small dots that can make your designs appear to have more colors, when in reality having fewer. It can save you money and make your d