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Aug 24, 2023
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How to Master the Art of Design and Logo Placement

Unlock the Secrets to Perfect Logo and Design Placement on Custom Apparel: A Comprehensive Guide for Creators
Logo on a shirt

Table of Contents

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!

Print Design Terms You Should Know

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:

Diagram showing print size and print area
  • Print size: This is the actual size of your design when it's printed on a T-shirt. It's crucial to get this right, as you want your design to look as intended when it's worn. If you size your design incorrectly, it can result in a low quality or blurry print. 
  • Print area: This is the total space available on the item where your design can shine. Material, shape, and size all play a role in determining this area.

Additionally, you’ll hear many designers reference:

  • Print location: This is the area of the T-shirt where your design will be displayed. Whether it's front and center, on the sleeve, or elsewhere, the print location defines exactly where your design is. 
  • Print placement: This is determined by the print location. It is the specific positioning of your design within the print location. 
  • Maximum size: The largest acceptable dimensions that a design or logo can be printed on a garment, without compromising the quality of the print or the garment itself. This is often determined by the size of the garment, the printing method, and the quality of the artwork being used.
  • Standard size: This is the sweet spot that many designs fall into; it's the range of design sizes commonly used and provided by your print provider. The standard size is determined by the product’s print area.
  • Oversize: A print size that exceeds the standard size range, often covering a larger print area of the product.
  • Anchor point: This is the specific point on a design from which all measurements originate. This is most useful when a design is not perfectly symmetrical - all measurements and positioning stem from this specific point, ensuring accurate placement and alignment.

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!

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Front of Shirt Logo and Design Placements 

1. Center Chest Design Placement

Nike T-shirt
Source: Nike

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: 

  • Design Type: This placement is great for medium-sized designs, such as logos, words, or simple artwork. Use simple, high-quality design elements that are easy on the eyes but don’t go unnoticed.
  • Placement: You should make sure that your designs aren’t too high, low, or uncentered on your shirt. This is why we suggest placing your design around 2.5-3 inches (6-7 centimeters) below the neckline.
  • Print Size: Choose an appropriate size for your design that allows for easy visibility, and doesn’t look awkward. We suggest making your design 6-10 inches wide, and 6-8 inches tall. At the end of the day I think this is subjective/personal preference and really depends on the design used, but I agree that 6”-10” inches wide is a pretty “standard” size.

2. Left Chest Logo & Design Placement

Moschino T-shirt
Source: Moschino

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:

  • Design Type: Similar to the center chest placement, this placement is better for small designs like logos. Small artwork, and short text can be good designs for this placement, but logos are definitely the best. Popular brands such as American Eagle or Hollister are known for displaying their logos on the left chest of their tops. 
  • Placement: We suggest placing your design around 3 inches (7cm) below the neckline, and 2 inches (about 5cm) away from the armpit, to avoid an awkward look. 
  • Print Size: We suggest making this design smaller, 2.5-5 inches (6-12cm) wide and 2.5-5 inches (6-12cm) tall.

3. Full Front Logo and Design Placement

L'Agence T-shirt
Source: L’Agence

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:

  • Design Type: The full front placement is best for super complex or bold designs. These designs can be more detailed, since there’s much more room for them and they’ll be easier to see. Be sure that the file you upload is of high quality to avoid blurriness in the final print. 
  • Placement: In most cases with this placement, you’ll use the entire print area for your design. We recommend being extra careful to ensure it’s placed directly in the center of your product, not too close to the collar or the bottom of the shirt.
  • Print Size: We suggest making this design much larger, 10-12 inches (25-31cm) wide and 10-14 inches (25-35cm) tall. The design should be appropriately sized for the full front placement to be seen from all angles, without going outside of the print area. Avoid making your design too large, as it can potentially be broken up by the seams on the product. 

Back of Shirt Logo and Design Placements

1. Upper Back Design Placement

En Route T-shirt
Source: Billionaire Boys Club

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:

  • Design Type: This placement generally calls for a medium-sized design, similar to the center chest placement. Logos, small artwork, or short text would work best for this placement. Consider using a design that’s wider and shorter, to take up more of the top back surface area.
  • Placement: We suggest placing your design about 5 inches below the neckline. 
  • Print Size: We suggest making this design longer, 10-12 inches (25-31cm) wide and 1-6 inches (2.5-15cm) tall. 

2. Full Back Logo and Design Placement

TMG Shirt
Source: TMG

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:

  • Design Type: This placement generally calls for a larger design, similar to the full front design placement. A detailed graphic, or an enlarged version of your logo would be best for this placement. 
  • Placement: You’ll likely use the entire back print area for your design. We recommend being extra careful to ensure that your design is placed directly in the center of your product. The design should be centered and positioned based on the collar and shoulders of the shirt.
  • Print Size: This design should be large, 10-12 inches (25-31cm) wide, 6-15 inches (15-38cm) tall.

3. Sleeve Logo and Design Placement

Side sleeve print

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:

  • Design Type: Small logos or tiny branding assets are perfect for sleeve designs. Choose something that’s small and simple, since there’s not much room for it to be displayed. 
  • Placement: Placement on the sleeve can vary, but it's typically best to print towards the top or middle area of the sleeve for maximum visibility. Try to avoid placing your design too close to the armpit of the shirt, or close to any seams.
  • Print Size: Sizing is really key for this placement. Don't make your sleeve design too large - it should be proportional to the size of the shirt and other design elements. An ideal size is around 4 inches (10cm) wide and 3.5 inches (9cm) tall.

Common Logo and Design Placement Combinations

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: 

  1. Sleeve placements that are small logos or designs can complement the primary design on any parts of the front or back of the shirt.
  2. Full back design placements are popularly combined with center or left chest placement designs and logos. 
  3. Upper back design placements are commonly combined with left chest placement designs and logos. 
KuuEater shirt
Source: KuuEater

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. 

Design Your Shirts with Fourthwall!

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!

So many shirts! Fourthwall has a huge selection of high quality T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and more that you can customize with your own logos and designs!
Try Fourthwall for Free

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!

Design & sell custom products

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Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to use Fourthwall?

There are no monthly fees, no upfront costs, and no contracts to use Fourthwall. You set your prices and choose your own margins. Here is how our pricing and splits work when you sell:

  • Products from our product catalog. All products in our product catalog have a publicly listed flat fee, which gets deducted from the selling price you set. There are no extra percentages/margins. You keep 100% of profits.
  • Products you ship yourself. No fee (0% fee)
  • Digital products. 3% flat fee
  • Subscription memberships. 5% flat fee

Additionally, all US-based credit card transactions have an added 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fee (same as Shopify). Fees vary for PayPal and other providers. Learn more.

How much money do I make on sales from the Fourthwall catalog?

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.

Does Fourthwall ship worldwide?

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.

Does Fourthwall handle sales tax?

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.

Can I connect a custom domain to Fourthwall?

Yes. You can connect a custom domain or subdomain on Fourthwall. Learn More.

Does Fourthwall offer artwork & design support?

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.

Does Fourthwall provide customer support for my orders?

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.

Can you show me examples of storefronts on Fourthwall?

Yes! Over 200,000 sellers use Fourthwall to power their storefronts. This includes creators, podcasters, artists, musicians, startups, non-profits, and more.

Get inspired and browse all examples sites.

What integrations does Fourthwall have?

Fourthwall supports many free integrations, including:

  • YouTube Product Shelf (Merch Shelf)
  • TikTok Shop
  • Facebook and Instagram Shopping
  • Twitch Product Gifting
  • StreamElements and Streamlabs stream alerts
  • Zapier
  • Klaviyo
  • Mailchimp
  • And many, many more

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