Tips to Help with Your Custom T-Shirt Brand
What Is Your Custom T-Shirt Brand?
Unless your goal is to fill the generic t-shirt rack at Walmart and convenience stores, your custom t-shirt line needs to have an identity. There needs to be meaning behind the name and purpose behind the product. When someone is digging in their closet and feel in a certain mood, they’ll bust out a certain article of clothing that portrays that mood. When someone has a party to attend and they want to portray a certain image of themselves, they’ll bust out a certain article of clothing that will portray that image. When someone…well, you get the idea. Your custom t-shirt brand should convey a sort of attitude, belief, or idea you feel is worth representing.
Who Is Your Custom T-Shirt Brand For?
Billabong started out making durable board shorts for surfers in Australia. Now the company has grown into a brand that isn’t just for surfers but for those who love a laid-back, sunny day filled life on the beach. The Hundreds is all about trendy, urban alternative street culture where as Starter has found a revitalization in the ironic hipster scene. Who is your custom t-shirt brand for? Finding and understanding your demographic is key in creating a successful brand. If you’re producing your own line of custom t-shirts because you feel a certain idea or style you like is hard to find, then marketing to like-minded individuals will increase your chances of success. Once this happens, your brand will appeal to those who are attracted by certain elements of what it represents.
Honest Feedback Is Golden
Friends are awesome. They’ll bail you out of a Mexican jail after a wild night in Tijuana. Well, unless they’re in there with you. True friends will always support you, but sometimes, that can be a problem. Especially, if you’re in the creative field. Ideas and creativity can be stifled by overly supportive feedback. Don’t limit feedback to just friends. Find opinions from a variety of people you know will be constructively honest and thoughtful regarding what you’re trying to accomplish. The more honest feedback you get on your brand, the better of an idea you’ll have on the direction you’re taking.
Make a Quality Product
We talk a lot about quality t-shirts and screen printing here at Oh Boy. It’s the staple of our business and should be for anyone serious about their custom printed t-shirts. Quality is everything and first impressions are paramount at any level of the fashion industry. If you believe you have a quality idea, then the finished product must be on the same level. Do the research. Look into the different types of fabrics and garments that are out there. Work with the best material your budget allows for. Far too many times we’ve seen great design ideas stifled by poor execution. The level of quality represents the amount of respect you have for your custom printed t-shirts. It must be up to your own standard. We have a great piece on the type of garments used in the screen printing industry here.
Market Effectively
Budgeting is essential for any small start-up so it’s important to ensure money is being invested wisely. If you’re in the garment industry, then your custom t-shirt brand needs to be seen. It’s a very good idea to invest in hiring models and photographers that will capture the essence of your brand. The models should represent what your brand is about. The photographers should be able to manifest your vision into work that does your line justice. You don’t want your brand to be seen as amateurish or cheap so the services you hire shouldn’t be either of those two. Of course, if you’re on a budget, you shouldn’t pour all your money into marketing, but ensure that the money you do spend yields professional results. Remember that in the creative industry, you get what you pay for. Creating an online presence is also key when marketing effectively. Utilize social media to all of it’s potential.
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
We can sit here and pretend we don’t know the lyrics to Hanson’s “mmm bop” or Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping”. We do. Especially after a few pints. We all love one hit wonders, but in the creative industry, a one hit wonder is you want to avoid becoming. Having an incredible custom t-shirt that sells is awesome but the last thing you want to do is bet the success of your t-shirt brand on just one hit. Ideas for the next round of clothing must always be coming. Ideas that still represent the brand, but are fresh and different. If you’re mostly doing custom t-shirts, also consider tanks or sweaters. Avoid pigeonholing your clothing line, but continue to perverse the essence of your brand.
Keep at It
Failure is almost guaranteed. That’s kind of a harsh statement to read especially if you’re trying to get a business off the ground, but it’s the truth. However, it’s in our failures where we learn the most about ourselves. One road may close but we can always find another path. And if there isn’t one, we can get our machetes and axes out and make one. If you truly believe that you have a solid idea that can become successful, then make that a reality. Success doesn’t normally happen overnight. It happens through long hours and missed lunches. Believe in yourself and believe in your brand.
Great Tips!
Regards:
Kendall smith
T-shirt Printing Company
http://colortrack.ae/
Hi!
I love your website and how easy it is to navigate and the plain English language! How many different styles of t-shirts do you offer? Also, is there a sample package that can be ordered?
Thank you in advance.
Allison
Thanks for the kind words, Allison.
Please send an email to info@ohboyprintshop.com, we’re glad to help!
Printing on a t-shirt is fun when certain steps are followed. This is why some schools let students design their own tees during certain events.
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Great blog. Keep up the good work. Cheers
I appreciate your comment on getting real feedback. I think there is a fine line between getting constructive criticism and having people just talk negatively about your designs. You have to know what to take into consideration to progress. Thank you for the article, you had some great shirt tips.
My daughter loves when she can get a customized shirt because she loves designs! I’m glad you talked about being able to grow your customized shirt brand and be able to have some good feedback from friends and family on the way. My wife and I think that our daughter and her eye for a great customized shirt is something that she could be great at, so we’ll have to get some more feedback and see if it’s really something she should pursue!
These are some really great points, especially about how important honest feedback is. After all, if you want to reach a wide audience with you’re t-shirts then you have to know what they want. That’s why talking to your friends and family about the designs and getting some feedback on what could be improved is an absolute must.
Excellent article. I sell T-Shirts online and I find these tips very helpful. Thanks for sharing the tips with us.
I like how you said that finding and understanding your demographic is key in creating a successful brand. I am thinking of printing my own graphic design shirts. Thanks for the tips on making custom shirts.
It makes sense that you would want to market clothes effectively. This is a great way to make sure that you are getting the right printing service for your needs. A cousin of mine that is looking into making his own clothes might like this tip.
Wow, great article. Really this information is very valuable for those people who are selling custom made t shirts. Thanks for sharing this information with us.
I liked how you talked about getting honest feedback that can help you better your t-shirt designs or ideas. Sometimes friends are too nice, and so is family. Finding an outside source of constructive criticism can be important for making your next creative t-shirt print idea work.
Great post and very informative tips for a custom t shirt brand.
Thanks for sharing this!
My sister plans to put her own customized shirts online shop next year. Thank you for this; she’s been looking for ways on how to properly market a brand. I think hiring a great photographer and models who are going to represent the brand’s identity is an excellent idea.
Thanks for explaining how to find the right custom printed tee shirts. I agree that you want to consider what customer feedback they leave in order to know they are qualified. In addition to this, you probably want to find a printing service that is well-liked by their other customers by checking the BBB rating.
I like how you said that quality is everything when it comes to custom shirts. I think a lot of people assume that the design is the most important part. If the shirt isn’t comfortable, then it is worthless to me.