How to Design Your Own Business Shirt
When someone wears a shirt with your business logo, they become a walking billboard for the company, giving it an unspoken endorsement. A well-executed business shirt can be a relatively inexpensive marketing and public relations tool. You can design a shirt featuring your company's logo with a few basic supplies. The shirt can then be produced by you or sent out for production.
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Things You'll Need
- T-shirt or sport shirt
- Business logo
- Scanner, optional
- Photo or illustration, optional
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Ink jet printer
Instructions
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Consider what message you want to communicate to potential customers. With that in mind, decide what elements will go on your business shirt, including your logo, typography, graphics, photos and illustrations. Sketch various layouts with these basic elements. Sketch your logo only, or add a message or image. Save the best sketch to use as a reference.
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Create a logo in a graphics program such as Adobe Illustrator if you don't already have one designed. Open a file and type your business name in various fonts and colors. Select the type with the pointer tool. From the Type pull-down menu, select "Create Outlines." From the Object menu, select "Ungroup." Now each letter may be selected separately and modified to create a custom logo. Save the file when done.
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Assemble the elements for your design. This includes any photos, illustrations or logos as digital files. Scan any images on paper into your computer at a resolution of 300 ppi. Open a new file in Adobe Photoshop, size as needed for your business shirt design and import any elements you will use into the file.
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Select the Type icon and enter any copy that will be used in the design. Choose the preferred size of the type. Select the pointer icon to reposition the type in your layout. Refer to your sketch to guide the layout of the elements in your design. Place any graphic, illustration or photo element in the proper position in the design. Resize as needed. Experiment with the juxtaposition of the elements until they are pleasing to your eye. Save the file.
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Print out the design and lay it over a blank shirt to check the design. Proofread all copy. Make any needed changes to the design, print it out and proof again.
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Deliver the design to a screen printer, digital imager or embroidery shop via email or on a disc. Decide which type of shirt to use, choosing from T-shirt, polo shirt and women's fitted T-shirt, for example. Ask the price, check samples of the shop's work and ask to see a proof of the shirt before the rest of your order is printed.
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Tips & Warnings
Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop are expensive software programs. Rent time on a computer that has these programs if you do not own them. Basic graphics can also be set up in word processing programs such as OpenOffice.org Writer or in Microsoft Word.
When importing image elements into your design in Adobe Photoshop, open the image file, select all, then paste into your business shirt design file.
You can print your own design on a business shirt at home on an ink jet printer. Flip the design horizontally so that it reads backwards. Print it on ink jet transfer paper. Place the transfer face down over a T-shirt and iron the back of the paper for four minutes. Remove the backing of the transfer paper to see your design on the shirt.
It is standard in the printed sportswear industry to ask for a 50 percent down payment when an order is placed. Check your order before paying the balance. Do not pay 100 percent of your order in advance.
