Tee Junction - The T-shirt Blog. Coupon Codes, Sales, Offers

Tips For Creating A T-shirt Brand

fletchy — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:26:49 PST

As most of your will know, I’ve had my own t-shirt brand now for roughly two years. But I’ve been blogging about and working for t-shirt companies since 2006. I know how hard, how gruelling, how thankless of a task it is to try and create a company in this niche, the most stuffed of all product niches. In short, the world really does not need another t-shirt company. Or thinks it doesn’t. Your job in trying to create one, is to convince it otherwise.

Recently an Etsy seller contacted me to ask for advice with his shop. I spent some time answering his questions and making suggestions for where he could improve. I thought it would make sense to share them here as well, in the hopes that other people might find them useful.

“I am a design graduate who just can’t seem to find a full time job. With a lot of times on my hands, I like to doodle random graphics, trying to make good use of these random graphics I decided to put them on a Tshirt, hoping to kill more time and making a little profit in the process. Its been over a year, almost 2 and I have been total fail, selling less than 10 Tees so far, page views of low 50s. I can’t even afford to maintain a website, spending a good amount of money on tshirt supplies. If I can just get any word of advice, one word, it would be greatly appreciated, thank you so much.”

Here was my response:

Firstly thanks for thinking of the teedirectory. I’m sorry to hear its been a slow start for your brand. I checked out your shop and I’d happily give you some feedback. Firstly, as a qualifier I have my own t-shirt business and know how hard it is to take the leap towards self-employment. It really is tough, its a long, long slog. For just trying it and getting out there you’re already braver than 99% of the population, it’s already an achievement, even if you don’t nail it this time you’ll learn tons during the process and greatly increase the odds for your next venture and the one after and so on and so on.

Feedback on your etsy – It’s okay. I’ll be honest, your designs don’t really excite me but that’s okay, the importance of designs is really over-rated. It’s about messaging and it’s about brands and about how you deliver the messaging of your brand, but most importantly the relationships you build with your customers. If I could give you feedback, it would be about the lack of harmony in your brand. There is no message, little similarity between design, no ideology, it’s just a nice little Etsy shop with some nice designs, 1000s of these already exist, more than potential customers could ever hope to actually find, never mind buy from. For those that do – you arrive, you look, you leave, that’s probably it for 99.9% of the people that visit. From my marketing experience, a good t-shirt brand:

1. Does one thing and does it well.
- If you like bicycles, start a bicycle t-shirt brand. Aim small, aim niche, pick something that you care about and make products that demonstration that passion, that will sell to people who share that passion.

2. Hits you on the head with that one thing repeatedly until you pass out.
- When people look at your brand, you’ve about 15 seconds to communicate something to them. For me its vital that if they just look for 15 seconds then leave, they leave with something. They should leave knowing at the absolute minimum, its a brand for bicycle enthusiasts in the earlier example, or in the case of the Hipstery, we’re a shop that sells mystery shirts. Simple. Maybe today you don’t need a mystery shirt, but maybe in six months, when you are stuck for a gift, or you see a banner somewhere or your friend tells you about this cool business he’s found then BING a lightbulb of recognition is going to flash, and they’ll already be 70% of the way to ordering.

3. Understands the world is not sitting and waiting for the release of your products, sadly.
- Spend at least 10x as long marketing (marketing can be as simple as communicating with existing customers, writing for your blog, posting on facebook etc, evangelising amongst your peers, commenting thoughtfully on blogs of peers in your niche etc etc) your products as making them. People are fickle, they’re bombarded by offers, products, recommendations, distractions and their own big bag of personal problems. They rarely just hear about something, get out their credit card and buy. They need to be incentivised to act. They need deadlines on those incentives. They need reminders. They need regular communication so that there’s still a small little nook for your brand in their busy lives. Do not let them forget you!

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50% off at threadless until 6th December

fletchy — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:27:49 PST

After strong Black Friday and Cyber Monday promos ($10 shirts) Threadless have been in touch to let you all know that the savings continue, as they’ve now added a 50% off coupon code valid on all shirts (40% off hoodies). This offer is valid until 6th December. In the end it’ll probably mean most shirts are $10 again, down from $20 but the savings could be bigger on older already discounted shirts and on premium select lines.

The coupon code is fuzzy2011

This year they also added new christmas gift guides (I guess they have to really, since otherwise you’d be drowning under the sheer weight of options from their huge catalogue of shirts. With nice categories like:

It’s been almost a Threadless sponsored christmas in my family the last few years, looks like this one will be similar

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RIPT kicks off Artist Appreciation Month in November

Ivy — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:06:43 PDT

RIPT Apparel has come a long way since its launch two years ago. Several cheap daily shirt sites have come and gone, but RIPT has continued to flourish with an ever-expanding range of designs. They’ve managed to keep their service and release schedule on track. They’ve even branched out into hoodies and kids’ clothing! All while keeping the price at a low $10.

However, this post is for the artists and aspiring designers. This November, RIPT is offering a special prize to all artists with printed designs. Every artist will get a $25 Amazon gift card on top of their $1/tee sold commission, and the artist behind the most successful tee will win an incredible $1,000 bonus! Basically that’s a 1/30 chance of winning. This seems like a great way for lesser-known artists to get their foot in the door and earn some money without facing down the behemoths at larger competitions, such as those held at Threadless, DBH and the like.

Be sure to check out the details here if you’re interested, and get cracking on some great designs!

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Miles To Go Wows Again (Unsurprisingly) With Fall 2011 Line

Ivy — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:34:58 PDT

It’s been a few years since I first discovered Miles to Go, and boy has it been a treat. I have loved watching the brand evolve and grow with each new release, going from simpler designs to complex masterpieces that are sometimes abstract, sometimes vintage, and sometimes something I can’t quite describe. Greg always finds new ways to innovate on the literature theme and this newest line for fall is no exception.

The works covered in this line span from Darwin’s Origin of Species, to a classic Poe poem, to Perks of Being a Wallflower. Brave New World is revisited in a new design and Catcher in the Rye gets a gorgeous type art design featuring its most famous quote. There are also some new logo shirts, though they are done in the tastefully branded and classy fashion I have come to expect from Miles to Go. I’m really impressed by how well-rounded this release is.

Ayn Rand and I disagree on a lot of things, but this design based on her book Anthem is just terrific. It is, perhaps, the best example of the sophisticated dark beauty present throughout the entire line. The illustration is haunting and thought-provoking and will almost certainly draw curious interest.

There’s something I love about vintage book covers. This tee based on Poe’s short story The Masque of the Red Death captures that something perfectly. The rough lines, distressing, and old-timey font are well-chosen details. This design is also available with a gray print, but I prefer the red for its tie-in with the book title and the striking contrast it has against the black tee.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower tee is one of the more intricate pieces, filled with interesting shapes, colors, and lines. I’m not familiar with the book, but I wish I was just so I could understand this design!

Brave New World is one of the only works featured in Miles to Go tees that I’ve actually read and thoroughly enjoyed. (Not much of a literature person myself.) I think this new design represents the book and its message to a tee, no pun intended. This black aqua version is nearly sold out, but you can still nab it in black.

Interested? Go and check out the line!

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$10 Tees and 20% off Hoodies at Threadless for 48 Hours!

Ivy — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:57:54 PDT

There’s something deeply charming about Threadless‘ throwback to the 90’s with their current sale, featuring garish colors, marquees and fonts which shall not be named. Of course, there’s also the fact that all shirts are $10 and all hoodies are 20% off, plus free shipping if you spend over $75 (which shouldn’t be that difficult)! I admit I haven’t really been staying on top of Threadless ever since they switched over to new blanks, but that won’t stop me from admiring some of the quality pieces they’ve been releasing lately. If you’re having trouble finding some of the better ones, scroll down for some of my own picks.

A lot of red tees are hit-or-miss just because the color is so in your face, but I feel these designs make artful use of the vibrant background, and would look great going into the fall.

Prefer something a little subtler? Here’s a cute retro character tee and a cool design perfect for Halloween.

Finally, we close with a design reminiscent of Imaginary Foundation’s surreal masterpieces, and a tee featuring a perfect combination of good color choice, vintage comic art, and classic pop culture.

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Imaginary Foundation Debuts Sublimation Tees

Ivy — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:19:11 PDT

You can always count on Imaginary Foundation to release the latest and greatest innovations in the humble art of t-shirt design, and their latest collection is no exception.

Sublimation printing has been around for a while, but sublimated tees are still a rare sight. It’s used to produce full-color, high-resolution prints across the entire breadth of a shirt. The process does cost more than traditional screenprinting — not to mention most brands will never have a need for it — which is why you don’t see it that often. If there is any brand that’s a perfect fit for sublimation printing, though, it’s definitely Imaginary Foundation.

IF already manages to achieve stunning images with just traditional screenprinting. In their latest release, they dial up their trademark surreal style with more color, more detail, and more size. All of the designs fill the entirety of the shirts with color, including the backs, which I love — most brands with sublimated tees leave the back blank to save on costs. I feel that if you’re going to go with such a flashy print, you should go all the way so the entire piece looks complete; it looks incongruous when one side is all-color, and the other is just plain white. It’s great that IF thought of this, even if it means the shirts are more expensive.

My only qualm is that the front and back prints are exactly the same. I guess some kind of print is better than nothing, it just looks kind of strange.

All of the tees are 100% polyester and come in unisex sizes XS-XL. (For some reason the XS sizes are listed as “Sublimation” in the drop-down.) They cost $39.00 each. Click the “View Detail” links on each product page to check out some model photos (including female models wearing the XS) and some important notes on printing imperfections.

Personally, I like these shirts more for the art and technique than as actual shirts. The designs are top-notch as always, and the printing looks amazing, but they’re just too flashy for me. If they offered “Day” in a tank top form, though, I’d be all over that in a second.

Check out some more below!

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Indie Spotlight: Type

Ivy — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:46:50 PDT

I discovered the work of Glasgow-based designer Euan Gallacher on MySoti when I first started learning about the t-shirt world, and I was enchanted by his bright colors, bold forms, and creative typography. Since then I’ve seen quite a few more of Euan’s designs among the lines of other indie brands, but not until recently did he branch out into his own!

Type has a medicine theme, the first I’ve seen in the indie brand world. Euan has truly gone all the way to make sure the branding is consistent. Sizes are “types”, and custom orders are “prescriptions”. “Vital statistics” is information about the company, and the packaging has prescription-style labels. Theme brands are a lot of fun to begin with, but they’re even better when the theme extends even into the more mundane things like size selection and garment care.

Of course, there are some damn excellent tees as well. The style is simple, clean, and functional. I can see influences from both pop art, modern graphic design, and the no-nonsense design style of medical labels and materials. Euan also infuses each piece with his style’s trademark bright colors and quirky concepts. The results are quite pleasing to the eye and very wearable. And at £16 apiece, they’re very affordable even to those of us shortchanged by the exchange rate. It’s no surprise that a lot of sizes are sold out. (If there’s an design you really want, though, there’s a custom order option.)

Right now Type has only six designs, but it has already shown that it has the potential to be a highly interesting brand and one for indie tee enthusiasts to keep their eyes on. All of the designs are strong and have a sense of unity in the brand, but without losing individual uniqueness.

Plus, you can get 15% off with our exclusive coupon code, TYPEJUNCTION! What’s not to like about that?

Visit: Type

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Shirtspotting: Science Friction, Arquebus Clothing, Babble Tees

Ivy — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:08:18 PDT

Three awesome shirts for Thursday!

My favorite Science Friction design is still the Space Wolf (now available in an alternate blue colorway on both a tee and triblend tank!), but I’ve featured that design in the past so it’s time for something new! “Digital Dreaming” immediately caught my eye with its interesting blend of native art with futuristic elements. From afar it looks like a dream catcher, but as you get closer you notice it’s actually made up of graphics you’d expect to see in sci-fi: sharp, angular lines and geometric forms. At the heart of the “catcher” is a hologram-like arrowhead dream-like and ephemeral in stark contrast to the rest of the piece. A haunting, very well-designed tee that fits well with Science Friction’s brand image.

Buy It: $20 at Science Friction

Adam and I recently stumbled upon Arquebus Clothing, a hidden gem of a company with some fantastic graphic tees. Everything is worth looking at there, but what caught my eye in particular was “Blueprint“, and illustration chock-full of detail and intrigue. Like Science Friction’s shirt above, this tee combines overt science fiction/cyberpunk themes with a more ‘organic’ form of art. The coils surrounding the figure, and the figure’s face, remind me somewhat of medieval art. What’s more, it’s fully-stocked in all sizes for both men and women!

Buy It: $20 at Arquebus Clothing

I remember seeing Babble Tees shirts on Etsy, and I’m glad to see the brand has branched out into its own store. This is really your one-stop source for wearable science tees that have a bit of a designer’s touch. This simple but elegant tee depicting various kinds of minerals seems like it could be at one of those high-end t-shirt brands — in fact, I thought that’s where it came from before I realized it was from a science/nature-inspired company!

What’s more, all shirts ship free domestically, and you can get 25% off your order with our coupon code!

Buy It: $20 at Babble Tees

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5 Great Brands for the Classic Vintage Look

Ivy — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:08:33 PDT

The logo tee with the vintage-style branded design and text reading something like “est. 19XX” is a veritable staple of the t-shirt world. Walk into any mall clothing retailer, and you’ll usually find at least a couple of these. I call this “genre” of t-shirt design “classic” because it’s tried-and-true and has been around for ages, and it’s not just limited to major fashion companies — you’ll also find plenty of these guys in the collections of a large percentage of indie brands. A lot of us in the indie community tend to scoff at these for being formulaic and overplayed, and in most cases I would have to agree. However, just because a lot of these ‘classic’ designs stick to a pattern doesn’t mean they can’t be good or innovative.

Charleigh Co.

Indie brand Charleigh is one of the first examples that comes to my mind when I think of this look. I still remember when this brand was first starting out, with only a couple of tees on hand. Now they’ve expanded into a much larger line and a nicer-looking website. However, one thing has remained consistent: the clean, timeless style of their branded shirts. The blending of vintage and modern graphic design sensibilities is just fantastic.

Price Range: $16-22

Make Believe Clothing

Make Believe Clothing Co. is another one of my favorites. The shirts here will especially appeal to those who like vintage American iconography. Like Charleigh, the designs here represent qualities of both vintage and modern design, this time more the latter than the former. I’m a big fan of the bold forms and typography. I just wish they had a bit more!

Price Range: $25

CXXVI Clothing Co.

CXXVI is the priciest option on this list, but nonetheless worth checking out if you don’t mind shelling out a bit more. This brand boasts exceptional branding, a slick website, a huge catalog, and of course some fantastic vintage-style designs. The distressed textures, antique fonts, and Americana work together to create a very appealing, unified visual style. Surprisingly, CXXVI tends to stay away from incorporating their own name/logo into the designs, instead using iconic images, slogans, and emblems.

Price Range: $36

MNKR

MNKR goes back to the basics with simple but effective typography and a more lighthearted feel than the other brands mentioned here. I’m a big fan of the way MNKR’s designs are clearly inspired by vintage shirt designs, but with a cheeky sense of humor flavored by current events. I also like the proliferation of tri-blend tees, which are insanely comfortable during the summer!

Price Range: $26-28

Regan Smithe Clarke

Regan Smithe Clarke has moved away from the elaborate illustrations inspired by vintage art into simpler pieces, but the retro inspiration is still alive and well. I especially like the way the designs are more artistic plays on older design styles, instead of simply imitating them. The store is also home to several equally-good non-branded designs.

Price Range: $25

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Miles to Go Launches New Spring Line

Ivy — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:13:05 PDT

I’m starting to think Miles to Go can do no wrong. It’s been an absolute pleasure watching the brand grow and develop ever since discovering it two summers ago. It has matured from mythology-based creations to artwork inspired by classic literature and poetry, such as Moby Dick and the works of Poe. The overall look has matured as well — the color palettes are more subdued, and the art more intricate, dark, and beautifully abstract. The prices are also slightly higher than usual, at $25 per tee rather than the $22-23 of past lines.

Tell Tale Heart (inspired by Poe) and The Illustrated Man are two of my favorites from the new collection. What can I say, I’m a sucker for red-on-black. I also love the painstaking detail in both illustrations, particularly in the latter. The Illustrated Man tee is also available in two other colorways, both of which look great!

Honestly it’s hard to pick a favorite from this line, just because the design quality has improved so much. These illustrations look like they could be vintage book covers, dredged up from the back of a library. The Sun Also Rises makes great use of a red accent and blends together all the elements in the design with artful skill. Howl just is chock-full of gorgeous textures. The tri-blend tees make great backgrounds for this illustration.

Finally, I wanted to feature two reprints from previous lines, but in new colors: Moby Dick, a best seller (for obvious reasons), and The Invisible Man (another popular design). I especially love the black aqua tee for Moby Dick — it really suits the illustration and ocean theme.

All these tees are $25, but you can knock 25% off that price ($18.75) with our coupon code, teejunction!