Whether you're launching your own clothing line or simply want to elevate your brand's merchandise game, mastering the art of design and logo placements on custom apparel is essential. This guide is specifically designed to explore the most effective placements for logos and designs, providing helpful tips and resources for creators and influencers alike. We’ll be referring primarily to T-shirts in this blog, but many of these suggestions can be applied to other tops such as hoodies, crop tops, polo shirts, long sleeves, etc. Let's find out which logo and design placement options will work best for your custom shirts!
When it comes to creating custom T-shirt designs, knowing key print design terms can help you communicate effectively and understand the process. Here are some essential print design terms to help you get started:
Additionally, you’ll hear many designers reference:
When it comes to printing your designs onto T-shirts, you have several effective methods to consider. DTFx (Direct to Film) is great for putting bright colors on high end and heavyweight products, while Direct to Garment (DTG) suits more breathable fabrics and can accommodate larger, more detailed designs.
If customization is your goal, Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) using a heat press provides a range of colors and textures. Additionally, Sublimation Printing is ideal for achieving lasting, vibrant prints. Fourthwall offers plenty of production methods and shirt styles and fabrics to suit all of your product and design choices!
When placing a centered design on the front of a shirt, the placement, size, and level of design detail are crucial. This is not ideal for tops with plackets of any sort. If you’re interested in displaying artwork on the front of your clothing item, here are some things to keep in mind:
This placement is used by all kinds of brands to display their logos. Embroidery is a great option for this placement. Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re interested in this placement:
Full front design placements will take up the majority of the print area on the front of your shirt. Here are some things to keep in mind:
The back of a T-shirt provides ample space to showcase a design or message. Here are some things to keep in mind if this is the placement you’re going with:
Full-back design placement is a popular choice for any designs that require lots of space to be displayed. Here are some things to keep in mind to effectively place your logo or design on the full back:
The sleeve is a great place to print a simple logo or design that complements the primary design on the front or back of the shirt. However, it's important to keep in mind that the sleeve area is more limited in terms of space, so it's important to keep designs simple and clean. This is a great placement for embroidery.
If you're considering adding a design to a shirt's sleeves, here are a few tips to consider:
Of course you can mess around with designs and combine whatever placements make the most sense to you, but there are a few combinations that are commonly used by brands:
Try out different combinations of design placements to see what looks best. These are suggestions, but you can always push the boundaries and have fun trying out different looks. Streamer and producer KuuEater does a great job of combining different placements and artwork on all of his products.
Art and good design are all about thinking outside of the box; these are all suggestions for design placements, but they’re not necessarily rules! All of these suggested measurements are dependent upon the actual design, and the general look or vibe you’re going for. Creating your own apparel line should be a fun and rewarding experience!
Fourthwall helps creators bring their creative visions to life by giving them an easy to use platform to create and sell high quality products, from T-shirts of all styles to hoodies, polo shirts, sweatshirts, and so much more. Sign up to Fourthwall today (for free!) to put this guide to use, and get ready to launch your very own exciting apparel brand!
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Product costs are listed directly in our product catalog.
If a t-shirt is listed in our catalog at a $10 cost, we will automatically deduct that amount from your profits whenever you make a sale. You can sell products for any price you want.
For example, if you sell the shirt for $22, you'll make $12 in profit on each unit sold. If you sell it for $50, then you'll make $40 in profit on each unit sold.
Yes! Fourthwall works with manufacturing & fulfillment partners around the globe in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Japan.
Shipping rates are dynamically determined by the size of package and destination. We work with most major carriers and pass through the true cost of shipping. That means that you can offer low-cost, fast shipping to your fans. Most items have a delivery window of 5-8 days.
Be sure to browse our product catalog to find products that are fulfilled out of your target regions to provide the fastest & cheapest shipping for your community.
Fourthwall operates as the "Merchant of Record", which means that we're responsible for handling all sales taxes. This includes nexus registration, collecting sales tax, and remitting this to US states & other countries.
That way you can focus on designing products and promoting your shop, not taxes.
Yes. You can connect a custom domain or subdomain on Fourthwall. Learn More.
If you need help finding an artist or designer, check out our design community.
This is a vetted network of exceptional designers that can help you make great quality designs for your audience. We also recommend tools like Canva or Kittl.
Yes. For any product from our product catalog, we'll handle all customer support for you.
From answering general order questions to making address changes, our team is there to ensure that your buyers are treated with the same level of care that you would personally give them. We have a 12-hour or less average reply time, including nights and weekends.
For any items that you source on your own and ship from home, however, you'll need to do customer support.
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Get inspired and browse all examples sites.
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