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This week, I've reached out to t-shirt artists and asked them -
What is your design process like? From ideation to the end? What's your favorite part, and what do you find the most challenging?
1. Jay Longshore, Owner of Shirtmandude.com
I think of ideas all of the time and whether they are good or bad (I usually think they are good at the time) I jot it down on whatever I have nearby and then type it on a list of ideas on my computer. Then when I have design time, I look through my list and pick an idea (that I still think is good) and go to work on it. I try to think of what I call the "Cool Factor" while creating the design, some element that will push it over the top from normal to cool, as I know that is what will draw people to it.
My most recent design is the Black Mountain Strong shirt (Come Hell Or High Water). I knew people in our town would want to wear a shirt to show strength for our town after it was devastated by Hurricane Helene. Bears are prevalent in our area, so I wanted to create a strong, emotional bear roaring, and I love the expression "Hell or High Water" and that is exactly what we have all been through and are still coping with. We are selling a ton of those in the shop, and I am using the profits to repay our staff for the two weeks of lost wages we had while we were out of work due to the Hurricane disaster. And it's cool to see so many people on the streets wearing them. I'll pass by people wearing the shirt in the grocery store, or on the street, or wherever, and they don't know I made the design, and it makes me smile inside.
- Jay Longshore, Owner of Shirtmandude.com
So I work with artists from all over the world, so my design process is slightly different, I usually come up with an idea that I really like, and I then send that idea over to one of the artists I work with that would fit well with their art style.
The hardest part is usually coming up with the initial idea as you want it to be a strong concept and then executing it can be challenging too depending on the idea, but the fun part is when you reach the finish line and the process getting there is always a blast! To me each design is like crafting a song and it’s always fun to figure it out. I feel like I’m in a large band at this point in my career and it’s such a good time to get together with each band member to figure out the next song.
- Nate Huntzinger, Founder of Menottees.com
3. Paul, Popcornpunk
I doodle for hours and hours every day on printer papers. Once I'm done, I scan them all and do the final drawing digitally using a 13" drawing tablet and a laptop. My favorite part is brainstorming and sketching silly ideas. The most challenging part is drawing them digitally, there are so many factors to consider like colors, styles, fonts, color of the garments it will be printed on, etc. and sometimes it's hard to decide which visual elements work best for the design.
- Paul, Popcornpunk
4. Cindy, Snouleaf.com
It all starts with a rough doodle — a quick way to dump the main idea onto the page. After that, I usually build a moodboard by gathering references online or from books to help establish the composition and mood I'm looking for. Once the sketch is refined and visually balanced, I move on to line art. The next step is color testing, to find the best fit, which gives way to my favorite part: coloring.
Coloring is fun because it brings life to the design. I find it relaxing, especially after all the planning is done; now the focus is on making the design look cool.
For me, the biggest challenge is knowing when to stop adding extra details. I struggle to keep things simple, and it can get overwhelming after staring at the same piece for too long. Having friends to turn to for a fresh perspective helps me figure out when it's done.
Coloring is fun because it brings life to the design. I find it relaxing, especially after all the planning is done; now the focus is on making the design look cool.
For me, the biggest challenge is knowing when to stop adding extra details. I struggle to keep things simple, and it can get overwhelming after staring at the same piece for too long. Having friends to turn to for a fresh perspective helps me figure out when it's done.
- Cindy, Snouleaf.com
5. Kali, Kalirally.com (this website!)
My process is to keep a journal and jot down ideas as they come. Then I comb through the ideas and do the one I find to be the most exciting to see as a tshirt. I'll snap a photo of the original thumbnail and drop it into procreate, where I figure out the exact layout and how I want the words to read. Sometimes I'll go back to old designs and redo them I think I can make it better.
My favorite part is probably the idea generation part and reviewing recorded ideas, and also the part where the design is done. I sort of muddle my way through the middle process, but this is something I'm working to become better at. The most challenging part for me is to decide how to put the wording and how to do the lettering. Simplicity is my friend on this one.