7 Ways to Find a Designer to Create Your T-Shirt Designs

Struggling with design creation, generating new t-shirt design ideas, and keeping up with t-shirt design trends? 

Outsourcing your designs could be the solution. 

With outsourcing, you’re able to improve your product design, save time, and focus on running your business. It’s cost-effective because you don’t need to hire full-time employees or invest in expensive software. And you’ll discover talented artists from around the world to help you create imaginative designs for your products.

Get ready to take your business to new heights with design outsourcing. Keep reading to learn about 8 ways to find and hire the best designers to create your t-shirt designs.

1. Discover designers and agencies with Dribbble

Source: Dribbble

Dribbble is a platform for discovering designers and creative agencies. You can browse through their portfolios and get to know their personal style. The best way to find what you’re looking for is by going to the “Hire Designers” tab. There you can filter freelancers, designers, or creative agencies by adding keywords, experience, hourly rate, and location. If you discover something that interests you, get in touch with the agency or designer and ask them if they’d like to work with you. 

2. Find a freelance designer with a specific style on Fiverr 

Source: Fiverr

Fiverr is a freelance platform where designers offer specific design projects based on their style. The platform is user-friendly and has a convenient hiring process. You can browse through a wide range of categories and there’s even a specific section for t-shirt designs.

Fiverr has a strong reputation system, which allows you to see the ratings and reviews of the freelancers you’re considering hiring. This way you know that you’re working with reliable creatives.

Best of all, the platform has a clear and transparent pricing structure, so you can plan your budget ahead of time and filter the offers based on price.

3. Browse freelance sites like Upwork 

Source: Upwork

Freelance platforms like Upwork are a great way to discover talented professionals worldwide. To hire somebody, create a clear and detailed job listing that outlines your project, budget, and expectations. Make sure to provide as much information as possible so that designers can tell if they’re a good fit for your project. Once you post your job listing, you’ll start receiving proposals from designers interested in working with you.

Another way you can do this is by talent scouting. Talent Scout is where you meet with a recruiter and share your design needs. The Upwork platform will then give you a list of freelancers that are the best match for your project.

There are also other similar platforms like Upwork for you to try out. Some of the most popular ones are Freelancer and Guru.

4. Sell existing designs 

Source: Startup Vitamins

There are a lot of great designs out there that aren’t being sold. If you’ve spotted a design online that you think would be great on a t-shirt or a poster, why not reach out to the artist? Offer to put it up on your store, and share the revenue.

That’s what Startup Vitamins did with one of their most eye-catching posters, “This is a bullshit-free zone.” Originally designed by the London-based creative agency Sell!Sell!, they agreed to share the design for a portion of the profit.

Another option could be purchasing commercial-use t-shirt design bundles. Check out Thefancydeal to find vintage-inspired, cartoon, grunge, and other types of design bundles.

5. Use your brand logo

Your logo is one of the most important elements of your brand identity and it’s a great way to spread brand awareness. By incorporating your logo into a custom t-shirt design, you can turn it into a walking ad.

Consider using elements from your logo to create a more interesting design. If your logo is fairly simple, add your tagline or something that mentions your product or what you do as a brand.

6. Find a designer in real life

If online designer platforms are not for you and you’d rather meet in person, then try meetups. A great way to network with professionals is by using Meetup. Go to Meetup.com and search “design.” It’ll give you the closest design-related events. And voilà! You’ve got yourself a room full of designers. You can also filter the events by date, type, and distance to discover a meetup that fits your schedule. 

7. Collaborate with an artist

One of the most fulfilling and exciting ways to create your t-shirt design is by collaborating with an artist. Collabs are an effective way to raise brand awareness and gain trust from customers. A professional artist has the skills and experience to create eye-catching graphics, bold typography, and captivating illustrations that’ll help your t-shirt design stand out.

With the help of an artist, you can brainstorm ideas, and create a design that is both unique and visually appealing. Plus, the artist’s imagination can help bring new and fresh ideas to the table. Keep in mind that the best collaborations share similar sets of values, visions, and visual taste.

How to work with a designer

We’ve now covered the best websites for hiring freelancers, designers, and agencies. Plus some creative ways to get yourself the perfect t-shirt design.

No matter which one you choose, nurturing a positive and productive relationship is a must for any successful collaboration. So here are 5 tips on how to work with a designer.

• Prepare all the information a designer could use to create the best work for you. Think of brand guidelines, references, inspiration, and your target customer or marketing strategy. 

• Set clear expectations and deadlines. Establish a timeline for the design process and ensure you’re both on the same page and know what’s expected and when.

• Maintain open communication. Make sure to be open and address any concerns or questions as they arise.

• Respect the person you’re working with. Designers bring their skills, creativity, and experience to the table. They’ve invested time and energy to become experts at what they do. By treating the designer with respect, your first project can turn into a winning long-term collaboration.

• Be willing to make revisions. Design is a collaborative process, and it may require several rounds of reviews before you’re satisfied with the final product. Be open to compromising and making changes to achieve the best outcome.

Valuable read: How to Work with a Graphic Designer: 9 Expert Tips

Become a designer yourself with Prinftul’s Design Maker

Source: Printful’s Design Maker

If you can’t afford to hire a designer or you want to create simple t-shirt designs yourself, try Printful’s Design Maker.

There are 712 fonts, 20400+ clipart graphics, 3100+ quick designs, and 550+ background graphics to choose from. Plus, the Design Maker helps and guides you with gridlines and tips. That way you can make sure your designs on the final product will look the same as they did in the Design Maker.

Create your own custom t-shirt designs

Finding and hiring the best designer to create your custom t-shirts designs has never been easier. By working with a pro, you’ll save time and hassle. Most importantly, you’ll be able to focus on what really matters—growing your business! Whether you go for freelancers, agencies, or design platforms, you can find a solution that works for you.

So why wait? Let’s give your t-shirt biz a boost with some expert design help!

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