Custom Tees

3 Basic Things That Make a T-shirt Great

Recently while I was walking in a parking lot I came across two young gentlemen; in the youth bracket and from their appearance, they seemed to be from the corporate world.   They had just been given some promotional t-shirts from what appeared to be a friend from his car boot.  As they walked away, I overheard one of them say ‘At least nimepata tisho ya kuvaa weekendi kwa hao’ meaning, I have found a t-shirt to wear in the house over the weekend. I clinched!
If it was my company that developed the t-shirts I would have gone away beaten, defeated with only one thought dancing in my head; we have failed!  Many organisations produce promotional t-shirts, but truth be said most of these end up at the bottom of the closet, hardly worn, hardly seen save for that day when one decides to stay indoors cleaning up. Unless this is your purpose, what does it take for people to love your promotional t-shirt? Why would people choose to put it on over a weekend out? So what makes it more valuable than the other? How can you ensure that the t-shirt that you give out will hang in the ‘preferred’ part of their wardrobe?

There are many things that make a t-shirt stand out. Some you will be able to figure out the minute you see a t-shirt while the others you will know once you have washed your t-shirt a couple of times.  Lets start with the onset:

  1. Cut and sew: This will be obvious to the eye. The seams can tell you quite a bit about the manufacturing of any t-shirt you’re interested in purchasing. Run your fingers over the thread and look closely: is the seam sturdy and even? Are there any loose threads or creases in the folds? If so, maybe you should reconsider buying the shirt.
  1. Fabric: The choice of fabric for your t-shirt will depend on the purpose for the purchase. If you want to create impression for only one day you can afford to go cheap. But if you want your t-shirt to create an impression for a longer period you have to consider quality of the garment. Cotton t-shirts are still one of the most common type of t-shirts. You will note that most of them will be indicated as 100% cotton, but this is not enough to determine if its is high quality. Some few basic terms to look out for in identifying good t-shirts include:

Ring spun – This fabric tend to be soft, uniform and have strong fabric.

Combed cotton – these have extra lint and fibre. The effect is even a softer feel.

Prewash – Fabrics are washed and treated prior to use to avoid shrinking and increase comfort and durability.

Preshrunk – These are factory washed to minimize shrinking after washing. Interrogate your supplier for this information and experiment till you get what you are looking for.  It will not be a one day affair but ultimately you will nail it.

  1. Design: Of course it is worth noting that there are considerations to take when designing your shirt, just as there are for developing any advertising campaign. Traditionally, many organizations have simply printed their company logos on a t-shirt. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this, more and more businesses are getting creative with their designs. These designs may include slogans and branding, while others use eye-catching designs or artistic prints. Obviously, the more intriguing the design or popular a company’s brand, the more likely it is that a person will want to wear it on a t-shirt. Like any kind of advertising, you should keep the medium in mind. There is only so much space available on a t-shirt and so much text that a person is willing to read. Though unique and eye-catching designs can help to ensure that people are drawn to them, if they are so complex that your company’s name or logo gets lost, the t-shirt won’t be serving its intended purpose. Additionally, you should make sure that the color or colors you choose will stand out with the t-shirt as a background.

The above tips will give you a headway when you’re looking for a t-shirt that your customers will value and keep putting on.  The result of this is that they will increase your visibility wear after wear proudly. At Create-a-tee we pride ourselves in providing high quality t-shirts that you can custom design to express yourself or your organization. Click here to check out our website for a variety of t-shirts and call us today for your durable, unique and quality promotional t-shirts.

Author : Create A Tee

Create A Tee is a garment decorating company in Nairobi- Kenya, that offers an online platform for private individuals, commercial organisations, social groups to design, buy and sell creative and personalized apparel. Our ecommerce platform enables clients to design and order customized apparel specifically t-shirts, polo shirts, rugby shirts, hoodies, zoodies, sweat shirts, canvas bags, and office shirts all made of premium 100% cotton! Our Create A Tee design lab allows people to choose from library of design ideas, clipart, fonts and colors, or upload their own images to be printed on their apparel of choice. Our print technique assures superior service with NO MINIMUM ORDER, NO SET UP FEE and a fast turnaround. Our direct-to-garment (DTG) digital printing technology will give you the good results, without compromising quality or service.

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