\n1. Best practices and tips from the industry<\/a>
\n1.1. Hunting for ideas and inspiration<\/a>
\n1.2. Images<\/a>
\n1.3. Typography<\/a>
\n1.4. Colors<\/a>
\n1.5. Composition<\/a>
\n1.6. Size and position on the garment<\/a>
\n2. Resources and tools\u00a0to design your own T-shirt<\/a><\/p>\n
1. Best practices and tips from the industry<\/h2>\n1.1. Hunting for ideas and inspiration<\/h3>\n
Great designs start with great ideas. If you already have a clear idea of a T-shirt design you’ll be making, that’s perfect. But if you find yourself staring at a blank canvas, not knowing where to start, you should probably have to look for inspiration more actively.<\/p>\n
It’s pretty obvious that your first several stops would be the most famous design-based platforms, such as Pinterest, Instagram, and Behance. Such platforms are basically fountains of inspiration and will load your creative mind with amazing visual ideas. But sometimes, inspiration may strike when you least expect it. And it won’t necessarily come from the screen.<\/p>\n
When browsing for inspiration, you will find out that there are actually many different visual design styles that are good for a T-shirt<\/strong>: cartoony, minimalist, typography-based, photograph-based, vintage, etc. Browsing many designs will help you clear up the concept and get a good idea on the visual style you will be pursuing for your own design.<\/p>\n Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n And many, many more styles and combinations influenced by different trends in the fashion and design industry.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Unless you are aiming for a typography-only print, your T-shirt design will have some imagery – be it photos, illustrations, or graphic elements, or a combination of several image types.<\/p>\n Now, the recommended image file type for a T-shirt design is vector (except photos),<\/strong> so you will never have to sacrifice from the quality. Vector image files can be scaled up and down without losing quality. This guarantees you a crisp clear design in the end. Want to learn the difference between vector and raster<\/a> file formats?<\/p>\n The most popular vector file formats are\u00a0AI, EPS, PDF, and SVG<\/strong><\/a>. They can be edited in vector-based software (such as Adobe Illustrator<\/a>, Corel Draw, Affinity Designer, Sketch, etc.) on an online graphic maker which supports these files.<\/p>\n If you decide to go with a raster image, be it an illustration or a photo<\/strong> (photos are always raster), make sure that it comes in high-resolution and<\/strong> at least 200 dpi<\/strong>. You can edit such images with raster-based graphic software such as Adobe Photoshop,\u00a0Affinity Photo and other similar software.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Typography, or in other words – the creative way in which your text is displayed in the design, plays a key role in any composition. The right choice of fonts and the really creative lettering can make a design very effective. But this is not the main reason typography designs are so very popular.<\/p>\n Typography, whether used as a primary or supportive visual element<\/strong>, make designs powerful in conveying messages. They make people relate<\/strong> to the design more easily because they use actual words designed in such a way that enhances its meaning.<\/p>\n\t\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n It’s very important to match the choice of font with the visual design style<\/strong> of your T-shirt design. You will find many different fonts, each coming with their own vibe and suitable for different kinds of designs. There are elegant fonts, minimalist fonts, fun fonts, decorated fonts, and more. To keep the aesthetics of the design, the specialists suggest that you shouldn’t combine more than three different fonts in typography-based designs and more than two in image+text designs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When it comes to using colors in T-shirt designs, the factors that determine your color choices go beyond color psychology. Indeed, it’s good to know the meaning of colors, especially if you are designing for a brand or a cause, but most importantly, you should know how to make colors work in favor of the T-shirt’s overall look.<\/p>\n This means, when you are creating the design, you have to comply it with the color of the garment it will be printed on. Better off, do not 100% decide on the fabric’s color before you’ve finalized your design. Basically, the rules are to keep up a good contrast, so the color of the tee complements your design<\/strong>. This means light-colored designs on dark-colored fabrics and vice versa.\u00a0Multiple color designs look good on neutral color fabrics like black or white but they may be more pricy to print.<\/p>\n\t\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n A possible backfire regarding the color factor would be the accuracy of colors in the printed version compared to the colors of the digital version. Sometimes, it’s hard to achieve the same color intensity or shade. Make sure to provide the printing studio with the actual color codes if you need a specific tone of color in the final version <\/strong>or ask them for assistance.\u00a0Would you like to learn how T-shirt printing methods<\/a> work?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Composition refers to the creative way in which all elements are arranged – text, images, ornaments. This is one of the most important factors regarding T-shirt design.\u00a0When you arrange your design elements on the canvas, make sure not too spaced out, not too bunched up.<\/p>\n Determine the key elements of your design<\/strong> and keep the focus on them. Would this be a photo, an illustration, or something else – it depends on your design.\u00a0When the key design element in your composition is a photo, it’s a common mistake to just leave it with its original edges. It’s a good practice to put a border on your photographs, a cool frame, use different “masks” to manipulate the edges<\/strong>, or completely remove the background if the essence of the picture allows.<\/p>\n\t\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n When it comes to type, make sure the\u00a0readability is good and the arrangement of type is adequate, so the text is read in the right order<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\t\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t Image: Pinterest<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13071023\/illustration-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13071020\/illustration-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13073731\/cartoon-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13073733\/cartoon-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
![\"Creative](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13073728\/cartoon-T-shirt-design-3.jpg\")
\n
![\"Dark](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13082827\/doodling-illustrations-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13082825\/doodling-illustrations-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13082822\/doodling-illustrations-T-shirt-design-3.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13074937\/black-and-white-drawing-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13074940\/black-and-white-drawing-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13074934\/black-and-white-drawing-T-shirt-design-3.jpg\")
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13080817\/geometric-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13080828\/geometric-T-shirt-design-3.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13080830\/geometric-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14082535\/negative-space-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14082533\/negative-space-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14083642\/negative-space-T-shirt-design-31.jpg\")
\n
![\"Minimalist](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14073640\/minimalist-T-shirt-design-3.jpg\")
![\"T-shirt](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14073635\/minimalist-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14073638\/minimalist-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
\n
![\"Typography](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14072009\/typography-T-shirt-design-3.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14072007\/typography-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14072004\/typography-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13145933\/photo-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13145928\/photo-T-shirt-design-3.jpg\")
![\"tshirt](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13145930\/photo-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
1.2. Images<\/h3>\n
1.3. Typography<\/h3>\n
![\"Abstract](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14092605\/typography-T-shirt-design-6.jpg\")
![\"Coffee](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14092607\/typography-T-shirt-design-4.jpg\")
![\"White](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14092610\/typography-T-shirt-design-5.jpg\")
1.4. Colors<\/h3>\n
![\"Funny](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13072428\/multi-color-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
![\"Vivid](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13072445\/multi-color-T-shirt-design-3.jpg\")
![\"colorful](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13072447\/multi-color-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
1.5. Composition<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14125613\/photo-on-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14125610\/photo-on-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14125608\/photo-on-T-shirt-design-3.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14095444\/type-arrangement-T-shirt-design-3.jpg\")
![\"Motivational](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14095447\/type-arrangement-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
![\"Creative](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14095449\/type-arrangement-T-shirt-design-2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13063938\/T-shirt-design-heart-love.jpg\")
![\"Tshirt](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13064009\/pregnant-T-shirt-design.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13132508\/T-shirt-design-position-left.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13132510\/T-shirt-design-position-left-2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.graphicmama.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13132505\/T-shirt-design-position-left-3.jpg\")