Color Smart

Choosing Logo Colors for the Ultimate Custom T-shirt or Hat Design

by Taylor McDonald

If you are designing a custom logo for a shirt or hat you will want it to make a statement. Your logo or special text design apparel is just the thing to stand out from the crowd of brand name apparel. Therefore, you will want to consider a number of color options to get just the look that you want. For example, consider choosing colors for your shirt and embroidery that are on the opposite side of the color wheel to get a bold look. If you want a more subtle or sophisticated look consider selecting a tone-on-tone color combination by choosing colors that are in the same color family but in a lighter or darker shade of the same color.

The first thing to consider when selecting your colors is the type of feeling you want to evoke. For example, if you are designing boat or yacht apparel you might want to start in the blue color family. If you are designing a baby shower gift you might want to start with pinks or blues for the perfect custom design for the new baby girl or boy. If you are designing a family reunion t-shirt, vacation or looking for a unique gift then get creative but keep in mind the personality of the person you are designing for or the theme of the event you are working with.

Consider using two colors for your design including both a primary and secondary color. The primary color will be the most dominate. The secondary color should compliment the primary color. You might also try using a combination of fonts to separate two lines of text. For example, if you are designing a baseball cap for your boat name consider using a script font for the boat name and a non-script font for the city and state name of your home port. If you want, you can add a third color or a third font but do not add too many different colors and fonts or your design will get a bit crazy.