thread's not dead - doITlab

Taking Back
Sunday shirt
designed by
Jeff Finley
What Do I Need to Know First?
Designing for tees is a unique process. Tees are typically screen printed with
limited, specific colors. I don’t need to go into detail on the full screen printing
process, that’s another book in itself. Instead, we’re going to focus on design.
But to design well, you must have a pretty solid understanding of what happens
AFTER you send the design to print. This chapter will show you what makes a
great shirt design and how to keep your screen printer happy.
THREAD’S NOT DEAD • Jeff Finley
Software and Knowledge Required
You’re going to need to have a solid understanding of Adobe Photoshop and
Illustrator to get the most out of this chapter. Sure, there are other applications
that enable you to design for t-shirts but we’re going to focus on the two biggest
ones.
Furthermore, Munk One reminds us not to use software as a crutch. “Right now
it’s almost too easy to use computer programs to skip the basic design skills
artists should have. Looking at even the simplest design I can tell if someone
can actually draw and has the skills to lay something out. To help put you ahead
I would recommend learning and perfecting drawing and design skills instead
of just using software as a crutch.”
To brush up on those design principles like composition, balance, contrast, and
spacing, first learn what constitutes “good design” and follow it up by reading
Bill’s 7 Steps to Becoming a Master Designer series.
The Fundamentals of
Good Shirt Design
Despite having a solid knowledge of “design school” basics, people are still
asking the question “what makes a good shirt design?” I’m going to talk about
some of the not-so-obvious aspects that go into good shirt design.
Would you wear it?
First of all, it helps if you design shirts you actually would want to wear yourself.
It’s a pretty simple concept and I know it doesn’t apply when you’re designing
tees for a client whose audience might be twice your age and of the opposite
sex. But as a rule of thumb, ask yourself “would I wear this?” Put yourself in the
wearer’s shoes and try to imagine what it’d be like to wear your shirt.
Designing for Tees 33