Sometimes it seems t-shirts are the standard dress for many people. It is a way to show your sport team loyalty or to advertise a company. The advent of online, on demand services that make from one to 100 t-shirts with your design has created a market for a product that was once expensive and time consuming to make.
Choose the Artwork
While some t-shirts do use photographs for the main image, most look far better with a logo or illustration. The trick is to make your drawing look professional.
Once you envision a t-shirt design, the next step is to develop the graphic. Drawing is not a talent many possess. If you have the time and money, find an artist to produce the image either using a computer program or drawing it by hand.
Modify Clip Art
Another option is clip art. Many verities are free, or you can pay a fee to download one. Design firms also have access to millions of files that they paid for in advance. The images can be used as is or modified using drawing programs to create a truly unique illustration.
Modify a Photograph
Turning a photograph into drawing requires some skill and knowledge in photo editing program. Picking a photo that works is critical for this process. In Adobe Illustrator, the photo is imported and traced. If the image is complex and has a lot of non-contrasting colors, the outcome may not be very pleasing. Simple is better.
Adobe Photoshop can also convert photos to a drawing but for these advanced techniques, hiring a design firm may be to your advantage.
Types of Files
A t-shirt has a large surface to cover and the images are often larger than for a printed product. Saving the files as an Encapsulated Post Script is vital when working with illustrations. EPS files are also known as vector files and they can be sized from small to large without losing quality. After creating the perfect image, you want it to reproduce clearly for an appealing look people will want to buy.
Use a Creative Font
Some t-shirts may contain only an image, but most will have text to accompany the design. When selecting the font or typeface, pick one that is easy to read at a distance, reflects the mood of the design and is different than the old standbys like Arial or Times New Roman.
Not Just On the Front
When envisioning the t-shirt, don’t forget about illustrations for the sleeves and the back of the shirt. Short sleeved shirts generally don’t need a design on the sleeve but long sleeve ones are idea for strips, flames and other graphic elements.
The back is also a good place for a large image. Some very nice ideas include a small image on the front, usually the upper left and a larger picture on the back that relates to the theme of the shirt.
Test the design on different color shirts
When you have a design you like, test it on different color shirts or limit the sales to one or two colors. Some illustrations will look better on a bright color but will be indistinguishable on a dark one.
Fashions come and go, but t-shirts are here to stay.
– Artwork Abode
