Creating Designs - Where to start
Developing an iconic brand starts with creating eye-catching designs. Even with little to no design experience, there are ways to make your ideas reality. From phrases to complex artwork, you can turn almost any concept into a t-shirt design.
Idea Conception
The first place to start is with an idea, whether it’s a saying, logo, or design. Once you have an idea, think about how you want to present it to your customers and begin to visualize what product you see that design working on.
Finding Design Inspiration
Collecting inspiration for designs can come from anywhere, whether it’s in your real life or online. There are many resources online to help gather inspiration. Create a vision board and gather a collection of images and design styles to cohesively bring your ideas together. A few sites that are perfect for thought gathering:
Image from Comics in France
This image-based platform allows you to create boards and add images to (these are called Pins) that are linked to a source (typically a blog or guide). You can search through a variety of pins from their 291 million users. Search by using specific keywords to gather relevant content.
Image from Porototypr
Dribbble
Dribbble is a designer’s paradise where you can see a portfolio of work from real designers. Not only can you see artwork that is one of a kind, but Dribbble also allows you to keep up on trends with the people that are actually creating them in real-time.
Image from Web Ascender
Design Inspiration
This design-based platform features ads, fonts, digital illustration and more to help inspire your next t-shirt design. A super unique feature available on Design Inspiration is the ability to search by hex color code. This helps you create a board full of color-coordinated inspiration.
Sketching with Pencil & Paper
If you are not ready to take on full graphic design yourself, try taking the non-digital route and sketch out what you’re interested in creating using a pencil and paper. That first sketch is often going to be the starting point when it comes to establishing your design.
Bringing it to Life Digitally
Once you have an initial idea of your design, it’s time to transfer it into a digital format.
There a few ways to create digital files using design programs:
- Photoshop - Scan your designs into Photoshop. Here you can trace, clean up lines, and adjust the colors to be more vibrant. You can export your design to a vector file so you can manipulate for so much more.
- Canva - A free and easy to use online design service that’s perfect for those who may not be as familiar with graphic design. The service you can build logos, posters, and so much more by using drag and drop functions.
Or maybe you want to hire a professional…
Your sketch also becomes a map if you explore hiring a professional designer. At Threadbird we offer art design services starting at $50 per hour. Our team of designers can help you create just a logo or a full product line with t-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, and more!
Search for a graphic designer that matches your style. Fiverr and Dribbble are two websites that allow you to browse artists' work and reach out for potential hire. Fiverr is an online marketplace for a variety of freelance services and a great resource when building your business. Find everything from designers to developers all in one place. Many freelancers even offer a 24-hour turnaround time (depending on the project). If you’re looking for a specific style of design, Dribbble’s online platform is a collection of portfolios from designers all over the world so you’re sure to find someone with a design style that matches your brand.
