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How to design a T-shirt: the ultimate guide
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How to design a T-shirt: the ultimate guide
08/16/2024
Estimated reading time: 17 minutes
two friends wearing branded tshirts
It’s stained, it’s ripped, it’s full of holes… But you just can’t seem to throw it out. For a lot of us, our favorite T-shirts are a way to express who we are. (And for others, they’re free advertising!) But how to design a T-shirt that ticks all the boxes? You’ll find out below.
Do you have a killer T-shirt idea and suspect others will feel the same way? Are you looking for an alternative means of promoting your business or making some side income with merch? Do you want to commemorate a special event, like a family reunion or bachelorette party?
Whatever your reasons, the fundamentals of T-shirt design remain the same; it’s what you do with them that counts.
In this Ultimate Guide to T-Shirt Design, we’ll run through each step of the design process, from the inception of an idea to getting your shirt mass-produced. No matter how much (or how little) experience you have, these T-shirt design tips will give you everything you need to know. So check out our video below or dive straight into the article. Either way, let’s get your T-shirt design underway!
How to design a T-shirt in 8 steps
Figure out why you need a shirt
Define your budget at quantity
Know your printing options
Screen printing
Vinyl graphics
Direct-to-garment
Brainstorm your design concept
T-shirt types
Style and imagery
Typography
Color
Specialty printing
Find a designer
Evaluate your design
Get the right files
Find a kick-ass printer
1. Figure out why you need a shirt
No matter your reason for designing a T-shirt, it’ll always involve a little bit of branding. If you’re using T-shirts for promotional purposes, branding is your main goal. Even if it’s strictly fashion, you’ll still need to weave consistent brand themes into all your products. For personal use—like commemorating an event, for example—you want to make sure your T-shirt design communicates clearly.
If you haven’t already, write out a list of the key themes, styles and personality traits you want your brand and shirts to convey. Is your brand playful or serious? Edgy or conservative? Luxurious or affordable? A focused T-shirt design can answer all of these questions at a glance.
t-shirt design with different color choices
What’s the Prince Adam version of the Brewmaster look like? T-shirt design by yuyunarts via 99designs by Vista.
Take a quick peek at the example above. What does it tell you about the Brewmasters company? For starters, they don’t take themselves too seriously, and the wooden instruments suggest a more traditional brewing style that hints at a classic taste. That’s a lot of information from an illustration.
To get the most effective design, move away from your personal preference and rely more on real, quantifiable data. Who are your target clients/customers? What brand traits do they want to do business with?
Below are four goals to help guide your T-shirt design process that define why you need a shirt and what you want it to do.
Promotional gifts
Your T-shirts are something you give away for free to keep your brand in the minds of prospective clients and customers. This could be something given away at conventions, conferences or other promotional events.
Surreal pizza t shirt
Design by dudeowl via 99designs by Vista.
Owl t shirt
Design by XZEQUTEWORX™ via 99designs by Vista.
Paddling astronaut t shirt
Design by PANG3STU via 99designs by Vista.
Internal company usage
Employees get shirts for solidarity, appreciation or perhaps even a company uniform. The goals are similar to promotional gifts because there’s a strong need for branding.
Colorful t shirt
Design by BuntarBG via 99designs by Vista.
Gomme t shirt
Design by dudeowl via 99designs by Vista.
Working box t shirt
Design by XZEQUTEWORX™ via 99designs by Vista.
Merchandise
Your T-shirts are a product you plan on selling, so make sure to factor in style, marketability and business strategy.
Mountain t shirt
Design by dudeowl via 99designs by Vista.
Spread some love t shirt
Design by cereal killer via 99designs by Vista.
Stereosonic t shirt
Design by BRTHR-ED via 99designs by Vista.
You’ll need to understand your shirt’s place in the market, so consider conducting research to discover the tastes of your customers. Your own personal tastes are a good start, but when it comes down to selling to the masses, quantifiable data always beats guesswork.
Event souvenirs
Special events need special souvenirs, and T-shirts are always a great option. This option shares many of the same goals as shirts for internal company usage, like solidarity and appreciation, but for a more casual, wider audience.
Headphone t shirt
Design by stormyfuego via 99designs by Vista.
Grey t shirt
Design by BATHI via 99designs by Vista.
Lumberjack and moose t shirt
Design by _ELM_ via 99designs by Vista.
Regardless of their use, most T-shirts are promotional in some way. Even if you’re designing T-shirts as merchandise, include your brand logo so people know who made the shirt and if they want something similar. Your logo should have a strong, even dominant, presence on the shirt.
Apply the same design quality and cleverness as you would a billboard advertisement. More than just clothes, T-shirts provide exposure every time a person wears them in public.
Once you’ve determined your goals, you can prioritize the different aspects of your T-shirt design. For example, fashion might be a high priority for merchandise tees but not for employee gifts. You want to tailor your design in a way that best suits your needs.
2. Define your budget and quantity
You’re anxious to get to the actual T-shirt design. We get it. But let’s settle on some details first so you can focus your design better: namely, your budget and quantity. How much you can spend and how many T-shirts you need will impact your design.
For example, budget and quantity will help determine how many colors you can use. The cost will also vary based on your preferred method of printing for the T-shirt. If your budget is tight, conserving colors is a good way to save.
The number of shirts you need will also influence your printing method. Some methods are ideal for printing in bulk, while others have a higher cost per shirt and are better for small orders.
Before you begin to think about designing or printing, plan your budget and quantity accordingly.
3. Know your printing options
There are many things to consider when choosing the best T-shirt printing method. Cost, appearance, production time and materials are all important. The more you know about each method, the easier it will be to decide which one is best for you.
Screen printing
This is the gold standard for T-shirt printing. Your printer makes original screens of your design (one for each color) so you can print in bulk.
How to design a t-shirt: illustration of silk screen printing
Screen printing
California t shirt
Via CaliPrints
Pros: Reliable standard for printing. Affordable and high quality. Ideal for large orders over 20.
Cons: A new screen is required for every new color or design revision (which gets costly). Colorful designs end up being expensive.
Vinyl graphics
Another method of heated transfer is vinyl printing, which uses more durable vinyl instead of just ink.
How to design a t-shirt: illustration of vinyl graphics printing
Vinyl graphics
It’s all about being gorgeous t shirt
Via BlueMaize
Pros: Extremely durable and high quality. Ideal for when you want your design to stand out (literally).
Cons: Additional colors cost more, so complicated designs get expensive. Not great for large orders.
Direct-to-garment (or print-on-demand)
A newer option, direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, uses inkjet printing that prints directly on fabric.
How to design a t-shirt: illustration of direct-to-garment printing
Direct-to-garment
Tropical t shirt
Via Printaura
Pros: Highly customizable designs with maximum detail and extensive color choices.
Cons: Use for small batches or perhaps a single sample. The more you print, the less viable it becomes. Doesn’t work well on dark-colored garments.
Take a look at our guide to T-shirt printing for more information.
4. Brainstorm your design concept
Here comes the fun stuff… Now you get to start figuring out what’s actually going on with your T-shirt! Make sure you don’t jump to this step first. The more time and effort you put into preparing for this, the better.
Your design could go in a million different directions. As you’re brainstorming, here are some tips to help focus your creativity.
T-shirt types
All this talk about T-shirts, and it’s easy to forget that there are lots of different types of shirts.
How to design a t-shirt step: choosing t-shirt type
Think about your audience and intended goals before deciding on the right type of T-shirt. A revealing crop top might not be the best promotion for a law firm.
As you start sketching out T-shirt design ideas, make sure they will translate to the actual size. When designing your T-shirt, use an 18” x 18” canvas and physically place your designs on a shirt. That doesn’t mean you have to fill the whole space (like if you’re keeping it minimal with a small logo), but a realistically sized canvas will help you get the right proportions for your T-shirt.
Once you have your design, consider how it will look on larger and smaller shirt sizes. If you choose a screen printing process, different sizes may require different screens, which means additional costs.
Style and imagery
Colorful dinosaur t shirt
T-shirt design by Prim via 99designs by Vista.
At this stage, you have to rely on your creative and artistic instincts to communicate the messages you want to say. Don’t forget these questions we talked about before:
What is your brand?
Who is your market?
Why are you designing a shirt in the first place?
Put all of that together, and you’re ready to start designing a T-shirt that’s perfect for your needs.
For example, take a look at the dinosaur T-shirt design above. This is a kid’s merchandise brand, so the style is cute and cartoony, appealing to its market.
Compare that to the winning entry for the Pumpkin T-shirt design below. This German hardcore music festival is definitely not marketed to kids. That opens up the designs to be edgier, which suits the clientele of the festival.
The Forgotten Path t shirt
T-shirt design by DiditRed via 99designs by Vista.
Of course, there are more options than being terrifying or sugary sweet. The design below shows us how to design a professional, risk-free T-shirt without being boring. The brand’s logo is front and center, but the look and feel are spiced up, so it seems more fashionable than a standard business T-shirt design.
Datafiniti t shirt
