7 Creative T-Shirt Design Ideas for Your Start-Up

People love custom-printed t-shirts. So much so that it’s quickly approaching a $10 billion industry.

If you are trying to grow awareness for your business then handing out branded t-shirts can be effective. But you don’t want to hand out just any boring old t-shirt.

Use these seven creative t-shirt design ideas to create a shirt that everyone will want to wear.

1. Go Bold and Simple

These days everyone wants to have a unique and creative design, so they tend to go overboard with their ideas.

When you combine this with your passion for your business, you end up with an overly thought-out design.

Instead, go simple and bold.

Can you make your logo solid black or white?

Then make it large and put it on the shirt front and center.

Or is there a symbol or shape that represents your company and is recognizable to people right away?

The crown for Burger King, the Nike check, or the Target bullseye.

Use the symbol that stands for your company and make it the focal point of the t-shirt design.

We printed these t-shirts for Envoy, a company with an On Demand for Electric Vehicles rental service based in Culver City.

Their logo is simple and can work both in black or white ink on light and dark garments. The logo t-shirt was printed in the Bella Canvas 3001.

2. Negative Space

Using negative space is a tactic that gives your design an extra dimension that not everyone will immediately see.

To do negative space well on a shirt you need to have a balance of the printed area and non-printed area.

If you need help getting started, take a look at the FedEx logo.

This company will use negative space to create an arrow within its logo. Take a look between the “E” and “x” to see an arrow.

It can help to work with an outside company to create a negative space design. They will have a fresh look at your logo where you might be too close to see the potential.

3. Use Humor

If your company has a more fun personality then you have the perfect opportunity to use humor on your shirts.

The great thing about using humor is that it resonates with people and they are more likely to wear your shirt.

So a shipping company could put “Ship Happens” on a shirt.

Or use “still plays with blocks” for an engine repair shop.

When coming up with your humor, keep it simple.

Remember that not everyone has the same sense of humor but if you know your customers well give it a shot.

Humor is memorable and a funny saying or wording can give you a better shot a people remembering your brand.

4. Print the Entire T-Shirt

Thanks to improvements in printing techniques, you can now print the entire t-shirt.

This will make your t-shirts stand out among all of the other shirts that only have printing on the chest.

If you choose to do this, make sure you have an engaging design that wraps around the entire shirt.

You will also want to make sure that your logo doesn’t get lost in the seams or is hidden in the layout.

For an all-over t-shirt print, the material needs to be a light color t-shirt preferably 100% polyester fabric like the Jerzees Dri-Power 21MR t-shirt.

A higher polyester count will give you a more vibrant print and richer color.

However, you can use a lower poly count t-shirt like the Bella Canvas 3650 in white which is a 52/48 cotton /polyester blend.

Printing a lower poly count will tend to give you more of a vintage type of look because the print won’t look as deep as the 100% polyester material.

This is called a sublimation print, not all print shops provide this type of printing but you can find them online with a quick search.

Below is a video of how this process works.

5. Choose Eye-Catching Color

The whole point of making branded shirts is to build awareness.

You won’t do that if people never notice your shirt.

So pick bold and contrasting colors. The safest way to do this is to stick with a white or black shirt.

Then pick your colors to print with.

If you want a colored shirt, pick colors that pop on the colored material.

Don’t pick a red shirt and then try to print with red, pink, or orange.

Don’t choose a dark-colored shirt and then put dark colors on it. Don’t choose a light-colored shirt and then put pastels on it.

More isn’t always better when it comes to color either.

Too many bold colors in your design and people won’t know where to look or what they are looking at. So pick one or two colors to use.

To see how picking the right color can make a big difference in your design, we’ve written what t-shirt colors and ink combinations to use when printing here. 

6. Get Brutal

Brutalism is a term that originated from a style of architecture.

It’s buildings that are raw concrete and focus more on utilitarian function than aesthetic beauty.

This method of design has transferred over to website design.

A website like Craigslist is an example of this.

They focus more on function than flowery imagery.

If you aren’t especially creative, use this style of design for your t-shirt. Keep it simple.

This way you embrace your strengths and use your skills to get your message across.

Plus it focuses on the message of getting your company names out there. Use a bold typeface to print out your message in a few words. Do nothing else to your design.

7. Hand Draw a Design

Instead of hiring a modern digital graphic designer, why not hire an artist to draw you a custom design?

If you are a local business, you can partner with a well-known local artist.

People will want to wear your shirt because it isn’t just another branded shirt, it is art.

You also have the opportunity to broaden your brand awareness by reaching those who are familiar with the artist but not your company.

If you go this route, keep in mind costs, such as extra charges for multiple colors.

You also want to keep the size of the art within the printable space on the shirt.

T-Shirt Design Ideas

It can be tempting to follow the trends when it comes to t-shirt design ideas. But the best way to have a branded shirt that stands out is to do something different from everyone else.

You also want to stay true to your company’s personality and branding. So if your company is more formal, a super creative alternative design may not work.

Finally, don’t forget to think about the people who you want to wear the shirt. Whatever design you choose, you need people to want to wear it and a comfortable t-shirt that is stylish and soft is perfect for that.

Contact us today if you are struggling and need help coming up with a creative t-shirt design for your business branding.

We can help you with your printing and find you the best quality t-shirts for you to print on.