I can’t remember not drawing as a child, so being an artist was always there … but I didn’t know for a long time how I could make that into a living. I took every art class I could in high school, even had teachers make up classes for me to get out of others. During that same time, I started making t-shirt designs out of rubylith and silkscreening for myself and friends. I didn’t know a thing about graphic design until I heard about it from an art school recruiter my junior year. Once I learned about graphic design I knew that was what I wanted to do … even though I had barely touched a computer.

What was your big break into the design world?

My first major break into the apparel world was with Burton Snowboards in around 2005. I moved to Orlando in 2004 to work with a magazine and my coworker (the crazy talented Joshua Smith was freelancing with Burton and gave me a shot at a few tees. I think they bought two tees including this one called the Sideliner and it started rolling for me. 

Once I saw my designs in print I couldn’t get enough and have been collaborating with Burton and other clothing companies ever since.

Who / what inspires or motivates you most when you design? 

Inspiration is all around us, you just have to notice it. It could be a movie, the clean lines of the newest Audi or an interesting smudge on the pavement. For years I’ve been collecting magazine clippings, cool ads, catalogs, tags and printed matter that I find interesting. Recently, I started collecting a ton of online inspirations on the highly addictive Pinterest. There’s something for everyone and every project on pinterest, from cool motorcycles, to surfboards and rad typography.

One motivation to design is that each project is different and has specific needs which are fun to explore. Each new client is a new collaborator and brings a new perspective or list of dreams to the table. It’s fun to dive into their world and do something new.

You design everything from apparel, logos, magazine layouts to walls. What do you dig doing the most?

I really enjoy it all, The diversity breaks things up so you don’t get burnt out. One of my favorite things though is making things that you can hold or wear. Seeing someone walking around Union Square in San Francisco with one of my tees was a huge thing for me. A few years ago I painted a pair of Vans shoes for myself to wear and it led to an awesome commissioned job from Vans themselves.

I guess a big part of motivations for creating is getting stuff out there for people to see. Taking a project like a blank wall and a bit of text and turning it into something interesting with a bit of paint, vinyl and a few other raw materials. It’s so fun and rewarding to be able to see and touch it.

What’s one piece of advice would you offer someone who is designing shirts?

Know your limitations. Not your personal limitations as far as art goes, but the actual limitations .. who’s the audience, who’s printing the tees, how many colors can they afford etc. Once you know a few of those things you’re free to be creative within the constraints.

Who is one designer that you think is just freakin awesome, both creatively and technically?

I’m digging most everything New York artist/designer/letterer Jon Contino is doing. He makes me want to bust out the ink and get my hands dirty most any time I see his work.

How do you handle creative blocks and what do you do to get past them?

I usually just work through it and try to analyze the problem I’m trying to solve. Sometimes If I’m stuck I’ll just work on another one of the projects we have cooking in the studio and come back to the project later.

What music do you listen too when designing?

It varies a lot based on my projects. If I’m designing a magazine or brochure with a lot of content, I’m listening to something cool and instrumental like Explosions in the Sky or Sigur Ros. If I’m editing photos I can learn something at the same time listening to a podcast or audio book. If I’m trying to do something a bit more crazy by hand or for an action sports company I might throw on some punk rock to get the energy flowing.

What does KENEDIK stand for? And how difficult was it designing your own logo and brand identity?

KENEDIK is really an alternate spelling of the word “kinetic”. The KEN comes from my last name Kennedy. I liked that “kinetic” implies motion, that things are happening. At the same time I created the weird spelling I created a tagline that I still use to this day. Design Excellence Since Yesterday. The idea is that I’m always learning, always growing, always working to be better and inspire that creative spirit in others.

It’s really hard to design your own logo, I had been using a custom type treatment for a while, but last year I redesigned and created the simper (K) mark I’m using now. It references my love for DIY and my name. A lot of people ask me “Why pink?” and as a print designer I work constantly with CMYK and over the years I found that “M” (magenta) looks pretty great with “K” (Black) so I wanted to challenge myself to get over my fear of pink and make it cool.

Besides design, what do you do in your free time?

My wife and I have a two year old son, so there isn’t a whole lot of free time anymore, but I still try to get some time on the water wakeboarding and surfing when I can.

We know you went to Ringling College of Art & Design, but recently, I heard at a lecture that you, more or less, shouldn’t pay big bucks for a design degree. Do you feel the same or do you think graduating with a degree in graphic design is important?

I really enjoyed my college experience. At Ringling I was surrounded with so many talented people, that I wanted to push myself and out do others and myself with each project. Not all schools can push you like that. But, having the degree from a prestigious school won’t necessarily do anything for you. This business it’s about your portfolio of work. We’ve worked designers who had the degree and others who didn’t even step foot into college, but had ridiculously strong artistic drive. You have to weigh the pros and cons and be highly motivated wherever you end up to succeed.

Also, I know a topic that comes up a lot is “As a graphic designer, should I intern for free?”. What are your thoughts on this?

I recommend internships, but not necessarily unpaid ones. You learn so much on the job that you never learn in school. You just have to look at the pros and cons of the potential experience. Sometimes working for free can open some doors for you. While I was working in the magazine world we hired talented interns on several occasions. We needed the hands and I had already trained them. It was a win-win for everyone.

Tell us about your side project CameraLuv? How does that coincide with your graphic design background?

CameraLuv began as side project to showcase my camera-infused art I make from my vintage camera collection, but it’s become much more than that as a blog offering daily photography-related inspiration & resources to photographers and camera lovers worldwide. One of the most popular sections on CameraLuv is Photographers We Luv, which can help photographers and art directors find amazing photo talent they can connect with for fashion, editorial or advertising projects. My ever-growing wish list of fun and interesting Must-Have Cameras may help you experiment with something new. I put my design background to use everyday on site in my curation of photographer features and my creation of overall look and vibe. It’s really so much fun.

Our designer highlight featuring Jeremy Dennedy of Kenedik Design Studio. 

Designer Spotlight: Jeremy Kennedy of Kenedik Design Studio

There are a lot of decisions that go into building the best shirt: what shirt style to use, what colors to pick, the print results to expect, how many shirts to order and the list can go on. Ordering t-shirts online can feel tricky when you can’t physically try on, see or feel each t-shirt. So, we decided to put together a list of 8 pro tips that will help prepare you for your next order and make it a much more delightful experience.

‍Order from the same manufacturer for men’s and women’s tees. If you are ordering t-shirts online for men‘s and women’s cuts, make sure you’re ordering from the same manufacturer if you want them to match, because color could vary from t-shirt to t-shirt. For example, if you order a men’s Next Level 6210 in heather gray, the color might not match up with a women’s American Apparel 2102 in heather gray. The t-shirts online are produced by different companies around the world, so the colors will likely be similar, but not an exact match.

Not only will the shirt color change, but the print color could as well. If you are ordering t-shirts online, but you are choosing shirts from two different manufacturers (like the example above), there could be color variation between the two print results. Each t-shirt blank might have the same fabric material, but the threads could produce slightly different print results. One shirt could discharge better than the other.

‍Need an exact Pantone match? Try our Bold Ink. Since we’re printing on fabric with water based and discharge ink, matching a Pantone color is not 100% accurate. However, we will get very close to the exact color you want. Any variation will hardly be noticeable. If you want 100% accuracy, we recommend using our bold ink line.

Don’t worry about printing water based on a dark t-shirt, we’ve got you covered. It is possible to print our SuperSoft water based inks on both light and dark shirts. However, when printing on dark shirts, we use discharge ink (which is still a water based ink). The only difference is that there’s a discharge agent mixed into the formula that removes the dye of the dark shirt and replaces with the ink color of your choice. Just keep in mind that certain blends will yield different results. Here’s a great article explaining discharge results on tri-blends.

Be careful when ordering women’s cut t-shirts. There is not a difference between Unisex and Men’s t-shirts. Unisex t-shirts work great for both men and women. A lot of times, customers prefer unisex t-shirts over women’s styles because they run into a lot of sizing issues. A lot of ladies tees run very small and a woman who might wear a small or medium ends up needing a large or extra large to fit “true to size.” If you’re wanting to order women’s tees, it might be best to order blank samples to see if it’s the fit you’re looking for.

Keep all of your retail add-on services under one roof. By adding custom printed tags, hem tags and bagging, you’re investing in the value of your brand and your customer’s experience. Finding a custom t-shirt printer who can handle all of these add-ons for you is a must. Explore all of the specialty and finishing services that are available to you and go for it! Although it can seem expensive to initially invest in the details, it can pay off big in the long run.

Double-check your mockup before approving. You can customize your shirts by using our online mockup tool on our website, but you will always receive a personalized mockup of your artwork before your order moves to press. The mockup is an accurate representation of how your shirt will look once printed and includes details such as sizing, Pantone colors, etc. Make sure you double check spelling, grammar, and your design before you hit approve!

Give your new shirts a quick wash for best results. When you first get your new shirts, you might feel the ink slightly. This is completely normal and will totally go away with one wash! To ensure the longevity of your shirts, we recommend washing with cold water and drying on low.

If you ever have any questions about ordering t-shirts online, please ask us! Our friendly team is here to help via email, phone & text.

Order your t-shirts online like a pro. Eight tips & tricks you need for ordering t-shirts online.

Order your t-shirts online like a pro. All the tips & tricks you need for ordering t-shirts online: 

Ordering Custom Shirts Online: 8 Pro-Tips

Let\'s imagine you’ve had an idea brewing in your mind about starting a clothing line. You’ve come up with a fun company name and maybe even started sketching out some design ideas. It can be easy to sell t-shirts online, but it’s important to set yourself up for success so you can make money doing so. Here are a few pointers that will send you in the right direction selling t-shirts online to make money.

Any good idea should have a business plan behind it guiding it forward. This is not to say things won’t change. The plan will more than likely have to be altered as your company grows, but the outlined structure will hold you accountable as you make decisions.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, “A business plan is an essential roadmap for business success. This living document generally projects 3-5 years ahead and outlines the route a company intends to take to grow revenues.” Your business plan should cover things like company summary, mission statement, product description, SWOT analysis, marketing plan, timeline and more.

Financial planning should be included as a piece of your business plan, but it’s so important we decided to highlight it independently. You need to look at the overall picture, not only what you will spend on making the t-shirts and how much you will sell them for.

There are other very important things to consider as you evaluate your cost: startup cost, monthly cost, annual cost, marketing and advertising cost, starting inventory cost, taxes, licensing and legal fees, shipping, office type equipment, profit and loss forecasting, etc.

Here’s an article with more information on How To Create A Budget For Your Business. Also, we highly suggest searching for a free budget worksheet and start filling it out, so you can see what you need to make it happen.

Selling t-shirts online to make money can be simple if you choose the right ecommerce platform. Squarespace has built beautiful ecommerce templates that give your customers a flawless experience as they navigate through each product on your site.

They’ve also set it up as a one stop shop. They’ve made it simple to choose a theme, get your domain registered, set up an account with Google and use integrated software for accounting and shipping. The pricing of their plans is easily worth the amount of features (some free for the first year!) you have access too. Using a company like Squarespace will help get you up and running quickly and efficiently.

Figuring out your budget should certainly outline how much you should sell your t-shirts online to make a profit, but there are other determining factors that should be taken into consideration. It’s important to decide the value you are offering to your customers.

Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself:

Is it printed on a premium shirt with premium ink?

Did you have custom screen printed tags in each shirt?

Are there branded hang tags attached to each shirt?

Is it coming in pristine custom packaging that will excite the customer to open the box?

Are you including any other small token, like a sticker, with the shirt?

Also, do a little research. Check out your market and see how much other companies are selling t-shirts online to make money for and where you fit on that scale. Remember, you can always adjust your prices as you roll out new designs.

If you have a game plan, you’ll always know where you’re at and where you’re going. There are a lot of valuable steps in creating a brand and making shirts online. It can take a lot of upfront  work between building out the business plan and actually creating your designs, but if you want to make money and keep selling shirts don’t skip these steps!

P.S. Make sure to check out 8 Pro Tips For Ordering T-shirts Online before you buy! 

Learn how to successfully and efficiently sell t-sell shirts online and make money. 

Sell T-Shirts Online & Make Money Doing It

We’ve made it our mission to make t-shirts easy to print but getting a great design still takes some skill. That’s why we hunted down 18 of the best designers on the planet and got their feedback on how they approach design.

Having t-shirts printed is easy (just ask us).

Having a great design created is another story.

And it becomes a bit of a problem if no one at your company has the slightest artistic talent.

In this post, we hunted down some of the best shirt designers on the planet. We’ve asked each designer how they approach design for a client. Some responded, and others simply let their design speak for themselves. Check out their skills below and feel free to contact them!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yellowbirdvisuals/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenyymarie/

"There are so many options when it comes to designing a great shirt. I start by listening to what the client is trying to accomplish. I think of how I can visually create something with different colors, textures, and shapes to communicate a certain message. I also think of the audience these shirts will be for, and what they are drawn to.  It's amazing to see a clients reaction once their idea are real and tangible!"

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/prettyuglydesign

“My t-shirt designs typically evolve out of a branding project, so by the time we're discussing apparel printing the design itself is complete. The main task is then adapting the vector art for a one or two color screen print and selecting the best shirt and ink colors to work with. I've never liked heavy, plastisol style printing on shirts, so I usually try to steer clients away from that and towards softer, discharge style printing. I studied screen printing at art school when the shift was happening from oil to water-based inks, so I've always really appreciated the work that goes into a quality textile print.”

Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/SockMonkee

“If the client doesn’t have the initial direction they would like for me to explore, I usually shoot over a few sketches and see what piques their interest. From there, we refine until both parties are happy with the end result.”

Website: http://www.glitschkastudios.com/

“My favorite shirts now are simple one color; I like to work texture into them, so it’s not stark shapes but more approachable. I try to be simplistic but conceptual at the same time.”

“Quite a bit of how I approach a tee design revolves around how much control the client would like to have. Sometimes I get a client who is interested in a streamlined process where the rate is reduced a bit in exchange for trusting me more. I typically really enjoy this process because it gives me the freedom to make something I’m really excited about (in combination with their direction) without the need for many rounds of revisions. In comparison, sometimes clients want a lot of control with sketches, variations, and revisions in which case I typically approach that much slower and more methodically. I touch base at every step of the process from sketch to refined sketch to computer render to polished render to a color palette."

Website: http://www.certifiedclassicbrand.com/

“I usually give a client a brief asking about colors, style (modern, vintage, edgy, etc.). Basically, just try to get in the ballpark as far as direction goes. Other than that I crank out on some music and just get creative. Offer an initial draft and work from there!”

Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/nathanyoder

"My first objective, in working with a client, is to understand the creative problem at hand. If a creative brief is not provided, I do my best to listen to the client and understand the appropriate steps needed to bring us closer to an effective solution. Once I feel that I have a general understanding of the client’s needs, I begin my work on paper with a series of quick pencil sketches. Ideas are explored and refined to a point where the general idea of the sketch is being communicated clearly. I pitch the sketches to the client along with my rationale for each sketch and work with the client to understand what is working and what could be done better to bring us closer to the end goal. Once a sketch has been revised and approved by the client, I then render the final drawings using pen and ink on paper. Once the drawings are completed, I scan the artwork into the computer to make additional modifications, add color, and prep the artwork for final delivery to the client. My goal is to give the client work that is unique in its execution - drawn by hand using traditional mediums - and unique and appropriate to them - created with their taste and needs in mind. All in all, giving the client a personal touch both in the work created and the experience of working with me.”

Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/kyleanthonymiller

Website: http://www.kylemillercreative.com/

“As far as my process for designing a shirt for a client, I am usually given a message or concept they need to get across to a very specific audience. My job is to figure out how I’m going to visually communicate that idea in an impactful, easily reproducible, cost effective method. I try to keep the imagery as simple & graphic as possible for a quicker read. Then I do my best to make sure the design, style and color palette is appropriate for the industry and demographic I’m targeting. The fit and style of the shirt also play a factor. You wouldn’t want to design on a slim fitting, deep V-neck for a group of accountants attending a trade show. Lastly, I guess, the ultimate goal is that the client generates buzz, loyalty and more business as a result of the shirt I design for them. It’s always nice to hear when clients have to reorder a particular design only a couple days after delivery, simply due to the insane demand.”

Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/studiotemporary

“Every project generally starts the same for me, and this design for my table tennis brand, Traject, is no different. Once I figure out the goals and limitations, I jump right into my Field Notes and get sketching! At this stage, anything goes. Crazy shapes, colors, type or whatever pops into your head. After my initial sketches, I start paring the designs down to only the most important elements. Always remember, don’t lose sight of who will be wearing it, where they’ll be wearing it, etc. Once you’ve got it all vectored up, send some options and show the tee in use! Always show context. AND HAVE FUN!"

Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/BenStafford

“When I approach a design for a client, I want to make sure I create something that is visually memorable, simple and if possible, something that has a couple meanings or connects several ideas. I try very hard to see things from a different perspective instead of going after obvious visuals. I believe people crave ‘different’ and will likely choose something that has more meaning behind it if it speaks to several ideas.”

“Whenever working with clients, I like to just treat them like friends. I have a fun conversation with them about what they’re wanting to make or hoping to achieve, offer advice that I think may be pertinent, and then hit the ground running. I generate ideas and concepts that I think solve the problem and share the process with them so that we’re creating something together. In the end, a lot of the designs I create are an exciting bit of people’s everyday lives, and I try and treat every step of a project just like that as well.”

Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/Live_Design

“When I get a new project for a client, I take a lot of time to understand their needs, from an aesthetic and business perspective. I then do a bunch of research, followed by sketching and concepts before I deliver a presentation to the client. I work hard at finding try to peel away layers to find simple, yet strong solution.”

18 of the best designers on the planet, who are available for your next project 

Designer Spotlight: A Roundup of T-Shirt Designers For Hire

Find out how to print a custom printed tag in 7 steps.

1. Design Your Tag:The first step in building anything great is in the design. Your tag is the master touch of your brand. Take time to look at some of our templates, get inspired and make something incredible!

2. Organize Your Content: The placement of sizes and your company name are key. Be creative and feel free to switch things up. For those of you selling shirts after they are printed, please note that certain content is mandatory.

3. Approve the Tag Mockup:  Our designers will send you a mock up reviewing tag placement and styling. Once you approve the tag mockup, your shirt will be queued for printing.

4. Remove the Tag: The tags in your shirts will be carefully removed by a team of seamstresses.

5. Print the Tag; Inks are tested, screens are printed and then a tag printing press runs the shirts, masterfully placing each tag.

6. Dry the Shirt:The shirts are then run through the dryer. Each one is reviewed by our finishing team to assure quality and consistency.

7. Ship Your Order: Shortly after drying, all the shirts are gently packed away and shipped to you directly.


Your story rules. Add another detail to share it even better. Get tags now.

Ever wondered what all goes into custom tag printing? While the process can seem daunting from the outside, we've broken it down into 7 steps right here.

Looking for the best way to feature your shirt? This collection of hi-res background photos is the perfect way to highlight your newest creation.

Skip the stress of a photo shoot. Real Thread photographed 6 different background images for t-shirts in their natural habitats and in their highest quality. These backgrounds were chosen for their subtle feel and simple beauty. This collection includes: 

White Brick 
Red Brick 
Tan Wood 
Traditional Wood 
White Paneling 
Orange Clay 

Available file types for download: JPG

It's November—which marks the busiest season of the year for eCommerce retailers. The calendar change means that the holiday shopping season—Black Friday, Cyber Monday, all of December—is looming.

Fret not, we’re here to help you prepare. Yeah, yeah—we're a custom t-shirt company. But we also have a lot of industry knowledge when it comes to squeezing the juice out of moment-in-time shopping situations, so we're sharing a few tricks of the trade with you.

With that being said: here are 15 Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Holiday marketing tips, plus a downloadable checklist to keep you organized and on pace.‍

Editor's Note: This post has been updated for accuracy and freshness.

You might be thinking, does my brand really need to bother with Black Friday? Seems like the kind of thing that Best Buy, Target, or Amazon have to worry about, but do I really need to?

Big box stores are not the only ones experiencing sales bumps during the holiday season. eMarketer reports that last year, eCommerce sales jumped 17.8% during the holidays. That's a lot of revenue up for grabs as shoppers are scouring the web for deals.

Other insane stats about holiday shopping:

Holiday season comprises 30% of all sales during the year

In some industries, the window between Black Friday and Christmas makes up 40% of yearly revenue

Mobile spending was up 40% during the holidays last year

Shopify merchants collectively raked in over $1 billion in sales just between Black Friday and Cyber Monday last year

Takeaway: people are shopping more than ever around the holidays, and in more unconventional places, leaving the perfect opportunity for your brand to rake in sales. All you have to do is make sure you're ready.

Don't forget to download our Black Friday eCommerce Marketing Checklist before you get started!

This is something that you should always do, but with the holidays around the corner, it's critical. Per UPS' Pulse of the Online Shopper, 66% of online shoppers will look for your return policy before making a purchase. You want to give prospective buyers every reason to feel comfortable buying from you, and having your return policy easily located will give them the peace of mind they need to make a purchase.

In the age of Amazon, consumers are becoming more and more conditioned to getting their products fast. Free shipping, or offering expedited shipping on orders of a certain value work really well for getting people through the purchasing process. When customers are weighing buying your product versus a competitor's, something as simple as free or faster shipping can make all the difference.

Look at the icons in the image above, pulled from online retailer Huckberry’s holiday landing page last year. Free shipping, check. Best price, check. Free returns, check. Everything you need to give customers peace of mind, displayed right away.

3. Display your holiday offers prominently on your website

With the ever-growing internet landscape and all of the options people have to make purchases, shoppers are increasingly priding themselves on their ability to find the best deals. People are sifting through information quickly, scanning to see what kind of deal you can offer them. So if your offers aren't immediately clear, they're going to move on. A new hero image or pop-up box with your holiday offers work really well here.

The above image is from Amazon's homepage last Black Friday. The hero image effortlessly identifies what items they're offering, and how much you'll save. Too easy.

4. Use promo codes to encourage bigger purchases

Promo codes are an excellent way to encourage people to fill up their shopping carts.Passing along a promo code that lets customers take a percentage off their order total when they spend a certain amount is a quick and easy way to encourage more and larger sales.

Just because sales don't start until Black Friday, doesn't mean you have to start promoting them on Black Friday. If you start promoting your sales prior to the holidays, it'll build anticipation with your consumers, making them excited and ready to take advantage as soon as Black Friday or Cyber Monday hit.

6. Sync your marketing message across all channels

In the lead up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you want to make sure you have a plan for communicating your products and deals. One of the best things you can do is sync up your messaging across social media, emails, and paid advertising (i.e AdWords, Facebook Ads).

A long-standing marketing adage is the Rule of Seven: meaning a person needs to see your message roughly seven times before they take action. Integrating your message over social, email, and paid advertising will ensure that your message is heard loud and clear. Plus, companies who took the time to invest in their social, email, and mobile marketing saw 30% higher sales on average.

Key to success here: make sure your content carries visual continuity across platforms. That way, each time someone comes across your post/ad/email, the image will be instantly recognizable.

Warby Parker released new holiday packaging last year that was bold, stylish, and eye-catching. They displayed the packaging in images across their marketing channels, making their content instantly recognizable and lingering in people’s minds.

7. Make sure your email journeys are ready to deploy

Email may not sound like the sexiest marketing option in 2018, but it's effective! Per Shopify's 2017 Black Friday Cyber Monday Report, Email had the highest conversion rate when compared to search, direct mail, and social.

MailChimp says that 67% of online shopping carts are abandoned before a customer completes a purchase. That's a lot of revenue walking out the door! One of the most effective ways to turn those website visitors into sales is to reach out to them.

An abandoned cart email flow will help keep you in the customers’ mind, and if done right, nudge them towards purchasing. Try giving the customer some extra value in this email by offering them some additional incentive, like 10% off their order.  

Another effective email use is to offer opt-in deals –– meaning giving your website visitors some value, say 15% off their order, if they sign up for your newsletter. Not only is this an incentive to purchase now, but it will also set you up for success down the road, as they will now be subscribed to your mailing list.

Gift guides are a great way to guide your customers towards gifts intended for the people they’re shopping for. By curating your products into lists generated for people with specific interests, it will make the shopping experience easier for your customers.

Rifle Paper Co. makes it easy to search for gifts by personality, pattern, and price, making it fun to browse the specific lists, and convenient for shopping for whoever you have in mind.

Black Friday through Cyber Monday is a short window, and making sure your customers know that is a really good way to get them to make a purchase. To create a sense of urgency with your customers, a really good practice is adding a countdown clock so they know how long the deal lasts. 

Or, include text on your website that makes it clear that your holiday deals won’t last long.

11. Make sure your site is optimized for mobile

In 2017, online retail brands can no longer get by with a poor mobile website experience. For the past few years, even though mobile traffic was steadily on the rise, an overwhelming majority of purchases happened on a desktop or laptop. However, as people adapt to their phones, the number of purchases happening on mobile is rising.

Last year, Black Friday sales came out to $5.03 billion, with mobile accounting for over $2 billion of those sales — up from $1.2 billion the year before. Moreover, one of the biggest reasons people are migrating to mobile is convenience. If your mobile experience isn’t convenient, there is a huge piece of market share that you could be missing out on.

Allbirds’ site is equally pleasant to scroll on mobile as it is on a desktop, making it easy to purchase from any device.

Luckily, most e-commerce platforms make it easy to edit and optimize your mobile site, so make sure you review it before the holidays roll around.

As discussed, you want to eliminate as many potential barriers or roadblocks. One easy way to help out your customers is to have a live chat feature up on your site.

Being able to answer questions while someone is currently browsing your products is huge. Questions about fit or feel of a t-shirt might deter someone from buying, but if you’re there to answer, this could give them the confidence they need to purchase.

LiveChat, Intercom, and Drift are all good options for assisting your customers as they shop.

You may not think this is a big deal, but your customers sure do. 46% of shoppers have said they’ll never return to a slow website. Don’t let it be yours.

Use Pingdom Tools to check your internet speed. If your site is running slower than it should, try using a tool like compressor.io to make your image sizes smaller without losing quality.

14. Consider giving or donating time to a charity or cause

Donating a small portion of sales, or even simply donating your time to a cause or charity is a great way to stay grounded in what the holidays are really about. Not only will it be good for your own company culture, but you will also get to show customers a more human side of your brand.

Adventure brand United by Blue is choosing to spend their Black Friday leading a nationwide cleanup movement, and inviting you to do the same! They’re known for their responsibly, sustainably produced goods, so this initiative is very on-brand for them, and resonates with their customers. Plus, by inviting people to join in and share what they’re doing, they should get some strong social media exposure.

15. Start early, and don't stress too much

The holidays are an incredibly important time for retailers, and it can be easy to let that pressure get you, but don't get overwhelmed! If you start planning and checking things off your list now, you'll be perfectly prepared and ready to go by the time Black Friday and Cyber Monday roll around.

We hope this list serves as a great launching point as you prepare for the holiday season. Did we miss anything in our 15 eCommerce marketing ideas for Black Friday and the holidays? If so, let us know! We’d love to hear your holiday secrets, and what you do to make the holiday season a successful one.

This is your one-stop marketing checklist for everything you need to prep before Black Friday. 

15 eCommerce Marketing Tips for Black Friday

15 eCommerce Marketing Tips for Black Friday and Beyond

Negative space in design, is the space that surrounds certain elements of the object. The negative space draws attention to the positive space, or the design elements, of the subject. Here’s 4 reasons why negative space in graphic design is important and effective:

It draws attention to the focal point in your design. 

It brings balance and flow to your design. 

It can be used to place a hidden image in your design. 

But more importantly, negative space designs can actually create the illusion of having another color in your t-shirt design! When you’re designing your image, keep in mind the color of the shirt. Using negative space in design is a great way to add a color without the cost, as well as create a cohesive feel to your design.
Design tip: The smallest negative space designs we can print is 1.3 points. If you decide to go smaller, then try using a texture to hide any elements that might close up. 

Here are two texture packages you can try: 

Textures create even another dimension to your negative space designs, giving them that unique feel!  

Discover 4 reasons why negative space in graphic design is important, and how to use it well. 

4 Reasons Why Negative Space in Graphic Design Matters

After you submit your order, our design team gets to work fast! They spend a meticulous amount of time creating the best high-res digital mock up for your approval. The custom screen printed t shirt mock up includes all the finite details, so you will know exactly what your shirt will look like once it’s printed. Here are 5 steps you don't want to miss when prepping your t-shirt design files to send to our team. 

Before all of your files are submitted, the fonts should be “converted to outlines” or attached to your order. Unfortunately, when fonts are not outlined and we don’t have the font file in-house, the fonts used in the design will not show up in Illustrator. This means we are not able to properly mockup artwork for approval or printing. Here’s a quick and easy guide on converting text to outlines.

Before you submit your final file, any linked images should be “embedded” into the artwork not just pasted in. When elements in a design are not embedded or linked to your design, they are not part of the final art file which means we can’t see your awesome design. The same goes for any textures used in the art. This hinders us from making any needed adjustments to your artwork. If you are not familiar with the process, check out Adobe’s information on linked and embedded artwork.

Choose your design colors from a PMS book, which is a universal color pallet. Since screen colors can vary from monitor to monitor, what is see as a particular color on one could look  completely different on another. We want to mock up your shirt and mix the exact ink color you’re looking for, so you get the final results you want. 

Negative space in a design is the space that surrounds certain elements of the object. The negative space draws attention to the positive space, or the design elements, of the subject. It can be everything from texturing, to shapes cut out in the design. Unfortunately, if the negative space is too small, the ink could close up which would distort your original design. The best way to avoid this is adjusting your negative space at any point in your design to be at least 1.5pt.

To make sure any text in your design is legible, especially text in a custom printed tag, it needs to be at least 6pt. If the text in your printed tag is too small, it might not be readable once it’s printed. Although it’s something we always try and catch before printing, we have two sets of custom screen printed labels (tags) that you can use to create your tag art. Everything is already set, so you can just drop in your logo, additional details and submit with your order.

Once you’ve followed these simple 5 steps, upload your design to our free mockup tool for a quick look. If you’ve forgotten how, just can’t quite figure it out or just simply need a little help with any of these, let us know. We would love to help you out in the process of screen printing on t shirts. Give us a call or email us any time. 


Follow each of these steps to get the perfect set up for custom printed t-shirts! 

How to Prepare Your Design File For Custom Screen Printing

Rifle Paper Co. designs and sells greeting cards, art prints, stationery as well as wallpaper, apparel, and phone cases. Their flagship store is located in downtown Winter Park, FL, but their products can be found all over the world.

And for all the Rifle fans out there...Nathan lets us in on a little secret. They are launching two new product formats! Listen now!

Nathan Bond, co-founder and CEO of Rifle Paper Co., chats lessons learned from building the brand. 

Brand Building: A Chat with Nathan Bond of Rifle Paper Co.

A great t-shirt and a great design go hand in hand. When deciding how to design a shirt, there are a few things you should consider to help you create an amazing design.

Designing for your audience. Make sure your design makes sense to the audience you are designing for. If you are creating a design for a rock band, an elegant cursive typeface and flowers may not be the most suitable design. Take time to research your audience to learn what works and doesn\'t work. See what is trending now, and what design elements have stayed timeless for that audience.

Picking an overall color scheme. There are so many different colors to choose from. When picking colors for your design, stick with colors that create a uniform feel to your design. Complimentary colors, cool colors, or colors opposite each other on the color wheel are great options. If you need help picking the perfect colors, check out Adobe Kuler. This site helps pick colors with an overall scheme in mind so you can focus on other things in your design.

Don’t overdo it with color. Once you pick a color scheme, it may be tempting to use as many colors as possible in your design. Make sure to consider how detailed your design is and what you want the main focus to be. For a highly detailed design, we suggest using up to 3 colors. Keeping the colors to a minimum can help draw attention to certain areas and not overwhelm your audience. If your design does not have a lot of small details, feel free to use more colors! This can add some more detail and interest to a simpler design.

Choose a great typeface. A great typeface can really bring a design together. They can even become the main focus. Take some time to find the perfect ones for your design. With so many amazing options, it may be hard to pick just one. We recommend using no more than 3 typefaces in your design. If you have one really decorative typeface, balance it with a more simple one, like Helvetica or Arial. Make sure to check out Font Squirrel for some amazing downloadable type!

Specialty Elements. Add interest and depth to your design with foil, metallic ink, or glow in the dark ink. Rather than using them for the whole design, use them in small areas to accent your design 

Creative a cohesive design. To make sure your t-shirts have a polished retail quality look to them, create a cohesive design throughout the whole shirt. If your design has a distressed and vintage look to it, make sure your printed tags, sleeve print, and hem tags do too. Check out our free texturing resources to get started! 


Use the shirt color to add interest to your design. The color of the shirt can be incorporated in the design and used as an additional color. It can also help to complete the design and create a uniform feel. See what your design will look like on different shirts with our image uploader!


Planning on creating your own custom t-shirt? Read our custom t-shirt design tips. 

To get you started on your custom printed tags, we’ve revealed 12 of our favorite tag templates.

Your shirt is going to be incredible. Start working on your custom t-shirt tags today!

To get you started on your custom t-shirt tags, we've provided 12 of our favorite tag templates. 

12 Custom Tag Templates for Your Next T-Shirt Project

Tell us a little about yourself (your background, when you started designing, the moment you decided to make design a career)

I grew up in a small town in Central Pennsylvania with the itch to always get out. In spring of 2012, I fled for the beautiful hills of Los Angeles with one goal in mind: to find my best self. In this case, that meant I was going to do whatever it took to take my career to its full potential.

Inspired by modern architecture, I initially wanted to be come an architect, or maybe I just wanted to design anything with meaning. To create something that people would interact with everyday, whether they live in it or use it it to represent their company. In high school, I dabbled in some screen printing classes which led me to designing apparel.

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