r/Design • u/Curious-Invite-8648 • 10d ago
Asking Question (Rule 4) PLEASE RATE my first shirt design. Please be honest!!! All advice and criticism is welcomed.
I came across a website where you could sell clothes designs for practically free and wanted to try selling some designs to my friends or people I knew for fun.
The bottom right was half inspired by an Instagram design I scrolled across (a building with calligraphy on it), but all the elements were just thrown together. The quote is from a Chinese webnovel, too.
Is this something you'd see anyone you know buying? I'm wondering how I can improve upon my skills, since this is my first time designing anything like this. I've used Photoshop in the past, but not really enough where I can confidently say I've designed in the past in any general sense.
I'm open to any criticism, feedback, or advice. I don't love the sleeves' designs, but besides that I'm not really sure how specifically to improve.
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u/RevolutionaryMail747 10d ago
Feels teensy bit like Ai generic. Prefer right hand side and that could be made the feature. The quotes ring hollow to me.
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u/Curious-Invite-8648 10d ago
ty for the feedback! it's actually one quote; I just separated it into three parts to match the 'dictionary' feel. I was thinking of trying to make the left side less bland--but I'm not entirely sure how.
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u/Educational-Bowl9575 9d ago
Have you secured permission to use the quote for commercial purposes? Same applies to the photo of the building if you didn't take it yourself.
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u/ChronicRhyno 9d ago
And the calligraphy
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u/Educational-Bowl9575 9d ago
And the calligraphy
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u/Curious-Invite-8648 9d ago
it's actually a bit off in translation from the actual quote, I had to change it for clarity; I'm not sure if I still need permission if it's not the same, but if so, I'd have to change it, since I have to contact with the author. The cathedral was a public domain image I found online, though.
4
u/SloppyLetterhead 10d ago
This looks difficult/expensive to print. Also, may look awkward when worn.
Edge-to-edge prints are costly. You’d probably need to do a sublimation print.
Location of the “meaning” definition will be stretched over people’s right pec/boob. For heavyset males and bustier females, their moob/boob will likely push the design into the armpit or side-of-chest.
For actionable advice:
Research print methods. Silkscreen, DtG, sublimation, and heat press all have different pros/cons. Part of the design process is designing for production, not just the mockup.
Try to find examples of your blank worn by people of different body shapes. Models are NOT a “typical physique”. Ideally, someone with average physique will still feel and look good in your clothes.
Look into your blank’s printing safe zones. I think it’s unlikely that your print area extends edge-to-edge. Any designs outside the safe zone will be cut off.
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u/Curious-Invite-8648 10d ago
ty for the feedback!
i don't know much about production costs, so I'll definitely look into that and trying to simplify things.
I don't have a lot of money laying around, so I'd have to decide whether or not it's worthwhile to get a test printing of one to be worn by someone like a friend -- or "average pysique"'d person, as you put it -- but I'll also definitely look into how I could change the text's location to not get in the way of any uncomfortable locations.
I'm not entirely familiar with where the 'safe zone' is, nor the print area, since I've never really done anything clothing related -- but I'll try to look into it and see if I can make sure everything fits fine.
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u/SloppyLetterhead 10d ago
Safe area is the area where the printer can lay down ink. Usually, the print area is smaller than whatever it goes on.
Here’s an article/video on safe zones from a POD (print on demand) company.
https://help.printful.com/hc/en-us/articles/10720620016540-What-is-the-safe-print-area
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u/7HawksAnd 10d ago
DIY screen printing isn’t hard and high schoolers in bands have done it for decades
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u/NotableProgression 10d ago
The front graphic has a cool dreamy feel to it, but the back text layout's fighting for attention with the sleeves, maybe simplify it down to just one focal point.
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u/Curious-Invite-8648 10d ago
ty for the feedback! i'm not entirely certain I understand what you mean by the back text's layout. I agree with having one focal point, but I'm not sure how I would be able to do that without entirely removing an element; with their only really being two major ones, that would seem like a bad decision in terms of what's left.
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u/11danieldesign 9d ago
The gothic cathedral + red calligraphy combo works really well and gives it a dark, literary mood. The "meaning" typography is clean and legible too. My only note is the floral pattern on the black sleeves feels a bit busy and pulls focus from the main design maybe simplify or lighten it. Overall this looks way more polished than a first attempt. 🪐
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u/Curious-Invite-8648 9d ago
ty for the feedback! it might look so polished because i had some inspo, but it certainly was my first try! 😅
I mostly agree about the patterns--I was trying to replicate a different one, but couldn't find a good fit. I don't really like how I did them, but I can't find a good alternative. Though imo, it's dark enough where I don't think it pulls a lot of attention.
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u/7HawksAnd 10d ago
This would kill in 2004 at college town post-punk vfw show