When designing a t-shirt, there are a few key factors to keep in mind in order to create an interesting design. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur looking to start a t-shirt business, a creator looking to design custom merch, or a non-profit desiring to design a shirt for a good cause, understanding and applying these design fundamentals can help you land a winning t-shirt idea.

·   Aim to Delight

When you design your t-shirt, aim to captivate your customers with the design. Over time, a wonderful t-shirt can evolve into a storeroom staple, accumulating loyalty and trust for the apparel brand. But for your customer to like your t-shirt, you’ll need to captivate them or pique their interest with surprise or humor.

Consider each element of your shirt as if you’re scheduling it for a review. Will your design suit the roadway, club, or casual Friday at work? While a single shirt doesn’t need to be appropriate for all occasions, it should be able to see its owner through multiple social situations and please the consumer long after the initial purchase.

·   Do Your Research

As you research your t-shirt design competition, keep an eye out for ideas you can adapt and improve upon. Also, study popular t-shirt designs in your industry to understand what sells. And finally, consider what your target market wants in a t-shirt design. Would they prefer a fitted tee or an oversized one? A hoodie or crewneck? A small logo or a large one? Keep all these factors in mind as you move forward with your t-shirt design.

·   Design Something You Would Wear

Some new designers try to appeal to a market by choosing t-shirt ideas that don’t interest them. However, this approach will likely fail unless they have a long history in fashion design. A great t-shirt is two things done well: the concept and execution. Finding the right concept is all about knowing what message you want to convey.

·   Understand Your Usable Space

As you decide how to bring a t-shirt design idea to life, you’ll want to consider all your options for your blank canvas. You can put the design on the back and front, cover the entire shirt with graphics, or have one tiny element on a collar. The options are endless—and you don’t have to be confined to the traditional spaces you’re used to seeing illustrated on a tee.

·   Consider Color

As your experience in design grows, so will your understanding of how colors work together. The longer you work with colors, the more your natural color sense will feel like a superpower. Keep a color wheel handy to help with color schemes.

When creating a t-shirt design, color is an important factor to consider. More ink colors will result in a more expensive shirt to produce. Try to use a shirt color that can also be part of the design, like green fabric for a design with leaves. This will reduce the number of ink colors needed and save money.