Evolved from undergarments in the 19th century, later adopted by miners, farmers and others who required lightweight and comfortable work clothes, t-shirts have since become part of our daily life, worn at work and play.
Buying a casual t-shirt for yourself is easy, simply based on your own preference. What about purchasing corporate t-shirts for your teammates? Ready-made t-shirts are easily available for you to print your organisation logo and tagline. The designs may be common, simply adding your logo or tagline on the t-shirts may not fully portray your corporate identity.
With a custom corporate t-shirt, you can have a unique design and details that reflect your organisational culture. What’s more, you get to select the right fabric that best suits your needs.
So, what do you have to consider when creating corporate t-shirts?
In this first part of a three-part series, we share with you how to design your corporate t-shirt.
Part 1: How to design your corporate t-shirts?
A t-shirt may be a simple piece of garment, but you can display your creativity on the collar, sleeves and front of t-shirt to portray the right image of your organisation.
Collar Design
A distinct part of a t-shirt, there are various ways to design the collar. Knowing when you will be wearing the t-shirt will influence how you choose the right collar style and design.
a. Create contrasting colour / matching placket
TeeHause: Collar and placket same colour (left), collar and placket in contrasting colours (right)
A suitable replacement for the dress shirt, the polo t-shirt is good for daily corporate wear when you need a more formal appearance. One option is to have the collar and body of the t-shirt in contrasting colours. Coupled with an inner placket of the same colour as the collar, you will give prominence to the top part of your corporate t-shirt. Alternatively, you can opt for collar and placket to be in contrasting colours.
b. Match custom coloured buttons with collar tipping
TeeHause: Custom tipping and buttons
For a more subdue look, add a single or double tipping to the polo collar in your corporate colours. What’s more, you can give the collar and placket a soft highlight by having custom coloured matching buttons.
c. Button up or not?
TeeHause: Mandarin collar with v-shape placket
If you need a formal appearance but prefer something different, go for the mandarin collar. It is common to have a zip up or button up placket to go with mandarin collar. For a less common look, design a v-shape placket without a zipper or buttons.
d. Others
TeeHause: V-neck with tipping
Round neck t-shirt is the most common and classic. With an informal look, round neck t-shirt offers ease of wearing, easy maintenance and comfort, suited for events and sports. For an alternative, you may like the v-neck t-shirt which creates a similar casual appearance. While both necklines are simple, you may add tipping to enhance your overall design of the t-shirt.
Sleeves Design
Besides the collar, the sleeves are another part of the t-shirt that can demonstrate your creativity.
a. Add tipping or knitted cuffs
TeeHause: folded-in sleeve with tipping (left), blue and white knitted cuff (right)
Folded-in t-shirt sleeves are commonly matched with round neck t-shirt. Add a matching tipping to the sleeves to create a "double sleeve" effect.
Polo t-shirt often comes with knitted cuffs. You may consider tipping or pattern for the cuffs in matching colour.
b. Add curved pipping to the sleeves
TeeHause: Curved pipping at sleeves
For more prominent design at the sleeves, consider adding curved pipping for a sporty look. You can also choose a different fabric for the pipping to create an intricate appearance.
c. Choose raglan sleeves
TeeHause: Raglan sleeves t-shirt
If you are making t-shirts for events, choose raglan sleeves t-shirt (aka baseball t-shirt) for a refreshing look. Select different colour combination for the sleeves and t-shirt base that are aligned with your corporate colours.
Front Design
As the most visible part of the t-shirt, the front view is the best spot to reflect your organisational culture.
a. Use fabrics of different colours
TeeHause: Diagonal contrasting colours t-shirt (left), vertical contrasting colours (right)
For a striking appearance, consider using fabrics of contrasting colours. Besides adding a normal vertical panel, you can also have diagonal contrasting colours for a fun and unique look.
b. Add tipping / pipping
TeeHause: Curved pipping at sleeves and front (left); vertical pipping at the front (right)
For a sporty appearance, you may add curved pipping at the sides or stripes at the shoulders that matches with the sleeves, collar or placket design.
If you prefer a mature look, use vertical pipping instead. You can select a different type of fabric for the pipping to provide a contrasting look.
TeeHause: Tipping at sleeves and hem
For a simple and subdued look, add tipping to the hem of the t-shirt in correspondence with the sleeve and collar designs.
c. Add special features
TeeHause: Graphic pocket with tipping
Add special features to the t-shirt that portray your distinctive organisational culture, for instance, a colourful graphic printed pocket with matching tipping.
A fully custom corporate t-shirt will enhance your corporate identity and uplift your team spirit. Discuss with your t-shirt designer how to custom your corporate t-shirt.
With design ideas, learn more on how to choose the right fabric with the second part of this series: Top 3 Things to Consider When Creating Your Corporate T-shirt | Part 2