Ready to learn how to customize your merch? Customized apparel and accessories are hot items right now and such a great way to spread your brand awareness and develop a loyal customer base. Developing custom merch can be a bit more complicated than it seems. Apparel and accessories often have different requirements when it comes to size and placement. Weight and feel are also important factors to consider. Below, we’ll outline some key design tips to keep in mind when developing your merch.
Alternate Logos
Apparel is a great way to test out alternate logos and different branding looks. Sometimes your main logo isn’t the best fit for an apparel item or accessory. Maybe the orientation is wrong, too tall or too long. Or the details can be too small. That’s when an alternate logo can step in and save the day. Read more about alternate logos here.
Size
Go big! Or, go small! Some apparel items and accessories like stiffer button downs, thick sweatshirts, jackets, aprons, bags are ideal for showing a big logo. Go to town and display your brand full size, or maybe even oversize. You’ll want to carefully consider placement, but a great big patch on the back of a jacket is about as loud and as cool as it gets. If you’re more of the understated type or you’re decorating a small accessory, you can size down. Use a woven or suede label, or a small patch that is just your emblem or initial. Super sleek.
Placement
Yeah, most of the apparel on our site shows a patch on the left chest. But you can get creative and try the right chest (gasp!). You can also do patches or labels on the upper sleeve or cuff. You could put a label on the placket of a shirt or the flap of a pocket. A clip label on the hem is a cool place for all you understated folks. A small or medium size patch looks really great at the center back neck on a jacket or shirt. Take a look at our handy guides below for placement ideas.
Weight
Don’t forget to consider the weight of the garment and the weight of a patch. Putting a PVC patch on an athletic shirt is guaranteed to cause some unsightly draping and pulling. Not only will it look odd, but it’s going to feel pretty odd too. Leather and PVC patches will sit best on heavier garments or accessories, whereas fabric patches and labels are suitable for all types of garments. Size matters, of course, a small leather patch will still look pretty fresh on a lighter weight shirt, but a normal sized full embroidery patch could be too heavy and thick for a polo.
End Use
While we stand behind the quality and durability of the items we send out the door, we think it’s important to consider the type of wear, tear, and care a garment might receive once it’s in the hands of the consumer. A leather patch on a rain jack might be a silly choice, it will only ever get wet, but a PVC patch will be functional and cool looking. On the other hand, a leather patch on a flannel or sweatshirt will hold up really with moderate washing.
All of these factors are things we consider when designing your garments. We’re happy to make whatever you’d like, but if you need some guidance, your designer will be able to tell you whether or not what you’re looking for is the best use of your money and brand. Ultimately we want you to LOVE love your items, and choosing the best material, placement, and application can be a bit complicated. Don’t settle for something mediocre, let’s get creative and make your merch the best it can be. Email us today!
