Great Custom T-Shirt Ideas For Designers

Chances are, as a designer, you’re always looking for ways to display your stellar artwork. Creating and wearing a custom t-shirt can be a great way to go about it. Although this article focuses on clothing designers, creators in a variety of industries could use the concepts.

Keep reading for custom t-shirt ideas that are easy to make, and fabulous to wear.

IMAGE: UNSPLASH

Collection Of T-Shirt Designs

Turn yourself into a walking portfolio of your work. Develop a t-shirt that displays a collection of scaled-down t-shirt designs you’ve previously created. Make a few small outlines of t-shirts and put one of your custom designs on each one.

Opt for a white blank t-shirt as your base, like the Bella + Canvas unisex textured jersey v-neck tee, to make the colors stand out. Use a t-shirt that you’d wear as the backdrop, then apply the small t-shirts. There are several ways to arrange the tiny t-shirts, including in rows, a circle, or in a scattered pattern.

It’s a fun way to pay homage to your talents and your favorite works of art, while also using it to market your skills. You can leave the completed creation as is, or you could consider adding a phrase like, “Check out my custom t-shirt designs!” on the front or back of the shirt, along with your contact information.

Showcase Your Experimental Design

It’s not always easy to show off your designs to the world, even if you work as a designer who has done so for years. If you’ve been working on a design but haven’t been able to figure out how to present it, think about putting it on a tee.

See if you’ll feel more comfortable with your designs once they’re officially on a t-shirt that you’re wearing in public. You may also notice details you didn’t spot when it was only a concept on a screen.

Consider asking for public feedback about it. Set up an email address, put it on the back of the shirt, and ask people to send you their opinions on your t-shirt design. It’s a bold move that requires having a thick skin, but it could cause some genuine feedback.

You may get few or even no messages, and some emails may be from people who don’t provide real critiques. Ignore those, but embrace emails that seem like genuine constructive feedback.

Your Favorite Design On The Custom T-Shirt

Many t-shirt designers have a favorite they’ve created, so put yours on the front of a tee and proudly wear it in public. Make sure the design is prominent enough that it’s easy to see. Decide if you want to make any updates to it to give it a little refresh before putting it on the t-shirt, especially if you did the design a while ago.

Consider putting your contact information, such as your social media profiles, on it. It gives people who view the shirt the chance to buy a t-shirt, or one of your other designs, from you. Wear the tee to places where there’s a lot of foot traffic, such as on a boardwalk, down a main street in a city, or in the park on a nice day.

Images Of Clothes You Can Customize

If you go beyond t-shirts and also design other items, make a tee showing off those clothing pieces, too. For example, if you design pants, dresses, and hoodies, put a small image of each on the back of your t-shirt. Include your contact information and details about how you can customize the pictured pieces.

Think about making a t-shirt for each season. In summer, include small images like tank tops, dresses, and shorts. These items are easy to customize for each season. They will also show off your range of skills and let potential customers know what they can buy from you.

Portrait Of A Pet On The T-Shirt

If you have a pet, put their image on the front or back of your t-shirt along with ways to reach you, if you want to entice other pet parents into buying a similar top. Sport the shirt through areas where you’re likely to find pet owners, i.e., at pet stores, the dog park, and grooming shops.

Wear it when you take your pet to the groomer, not only might other pet owners inquire about it, but the employees may know others who may want to buy your designs. Ask if it’s okay for you to leave your business cards, as another way to market your business.

An Homage To Your Favorite Things

Chances are you can name at least three things (other than your loved ones) that make you truly happy. Maybe it’s the beach, books, or a certain type of cheese. Whatever it is, develop a t-shirt that honors it. This type of design also opens the opportunity for you to wear it around others who feel the same as you.

For example, if your item of choice is a book, advertise your custom t-shirt to a bookstore while you spend some time browsing. Wear a coffee-themed shirt to a cafe, a tee with a cheese design on it to a cheese shop, or one with a sports-inspired design on it while you head to a store to pick out new sports gear.

The possibilities are endless. You never know when you will catch the attention of potential customers, or even the owners of the establishments that you visit.

Although prospective customers who see one of your t-shirts would likely take a picture of the contact details, always carry business cards with you. They should contain pertinent data, including your business telephone number and email address, website, QR code, and social media logos so that people can view your additional work.

Always avoid putting your personal phone number and email address on business cards, to eliminate the risk of privacy or safety breaches. If you don’t have a separate business phone number, consider using other means of contact instead.

By all means, don’t allow these–or any–hurdles to stop you from putting your great designs out for others to see, enjoy, and buy.