Are you trying to create some awesome new apparel for your business?
Using apparel as a marketing device is a great decision. Not only can you give out apparel in swag bags to attract new customers or show appreciation to old ones, but it also gives you something new to sell in your shop so customers can rep their favorite business.
Not to mention the free marketing that you get when your customers are wearing their marketing clothing around friends, family, and even strangers.
But apparel printing isn’t as simple as it looks. Even if you have an awesome logo or business design created by your professional in-house designers, your marketing apparel may not look the way that you expect. After all, what looks good on a poster or sign may not look good on a body.
We want to give you some advice. Keep reading for our tips for apparel printing design.
1. The Colors Matter
One of the first things that you should consider when you’re coming up with your apparel design is the colors that you’re going to use. There are a few things that you need to keep in mind.
The first is the number of colors that you’re going to use.
It’s tempting to want to put all of your favorite colors on the apparel, especially if you have a very colorful logo or branding style. This isn’t the best choice.
While colors are eye-catching, they can look too busy on a shirt and obscure the actual design. Also, more colors cost more money. How much of your marketing budget do you have to devote to your apparel?
It’s also important to choose colors that are pleasing to the eye and don’t clash. When you’re making a logo or a sign, you may opt for loud and bright colors that draw the eye from a distance. With apparel, though, you want to go softer. Are people going to wear highlighter pink designs?
The last thing that you should keep in mind is contrast. Good contrast makes your text or logo easier to see without being abrasive on the eyes. Use an online color wheel to figure out what levels of contrast that you’re looking for so you can get something that fits your color scheme but still pops.
2. Be Aware of Fine Details
So maybe you have a complicated logo. There are beautiful, tiny details that you love and that your designer worked hard on. You should make sure they make it to your apparel, right?
Reconsider that.
When printing a shirt or any other kind of apparel, you want to keep things as simple as possible while still retaining the basics of your design.
Not only is that simplicity easier to see from a distance, but it ensures that your design will be printed and viewed as you envision it.
Breaking it down to basics also makes it easier on the eyes. While something complicated may look great on paper, it can be too much for our eyes to process when it’s on a shirt. When designing graphics for clothing or other marketing materials, you want people to be able to take in everything that they’re seeing so they notice your brand.
3. Choose the Right Printing Method
Did you know that there are different kinds of printing methods for apparel? Not all printing methods are suited for every kind of design or job, and it’s confusing to figure all of those details out when you’ve never done it before.
This is where we come in. Don’t panic when you’re looking at your options. When you talk with us, we’ll help you determine which printing method will work the best with your design.
4. Placement Is Key
Too often, people make a great design but ruin the apparel with poor placement. It can be accidental. Something might look great on the design platform, but when you receive the apparel, it’s far too low or far too high. Your intentions were good, but you didn’t consider how a design would sit on the body.
There are a few places where the designs work best. The chest area is the most common for t-shirts, but other options are popular as well and may sell better depending on your customer base.
Putting a design or logo in the space where a front pocket would be is subtle, but effective. People will be happy to wear this design out and about.
This is often paired with a larger design on the back where you can show off more of your brand.
5. Don’t Forget Wearability
All of this combines together to contribute to the overall wearability of the item. When you’re getting custom apparel printing, you aren’t just getting marketing materials. You’re getting clothing.
Clothing is meant to be worn, and if you want your customers to wear it with pride, you need to give them something that they’ll love to wear.
6. Trust The Apparel Printing Professionals
This is key.
When in doubt, talk to us. We know everything about t-shirt printing and apparel design, so we can tell you what will and won’t work.
We know how hard it can be to come up with the right design for your marketing apparel, so we do our best to give you an easy experience and an outcome that you’re going to love.
Let us help you tailor your designs for print. Trust us; we’ll make something awesome together.
Make Your Marketing Apparel Today
With all of this in mind, is it time to start printing your marketing apparel?
Apparel printing is tricky, but if you keep these helpful tips in mind you’re sure to end up with shirts that your customers will love. They want to represent you, so make sure your designs look awesome on a shirt!
Not sure how to get started? We’re here to help. We’re the best in the business in Largo, Florida. Contact us so we can chat about your design.