Selling t-shirts in your pro shops provides for two-fold benefits. One, it’s a great way to make some extra profit. In addition, it’s a form of easy marketing when members or prospects wear shirts bearing your club’s name.
But, where do you start in terms of designing t-shirts that people will want to wear? According to Jason Falls, the vice president of digital strategy for Café Press, Inc., an online retailer of t-shirts and other customizable products, there are two routes you can take.
The first route involves contracting a professional graphic designer. In this case, Fall suggested you look for someone who understands how to design for various printing processes. “For shirt design, you’re likely going to screen print or digital print,” explained Falls. “Depending on where you actually print or fulfill your apparel, the designer will need to know how many colors they can or should use. If they use too many, that could jack your price up, depending on the print process you use. So ask questions about designing for various types of media to get a feel for whether or not they know the down and dirty stuff you may not [be aware of].”
If you take the first route, creating a style guide — a set of design parameters for a graphic designer to base his or her designs off of — will ensure consistency with your club’s branding. For example, the style guide should include what font your company logo is written in, what colors you use, what background colors are acceptable and whether or not the logo can be manipulated to fit vertical and horizontal spaces.
“You can go about making [a style guide] by sitting down with a professional designer and discussing the various parameters you wish to put on your own brand,” said Falls. “Consistent colors, fonts and the like go a long way to helping people better identify you and your programs, offers and locations.”
The second route involves partnering with an online retailer that makes t-shirt design easy. For example, Café Press’ website features a design portal that allows you to customize t-shirts, hats, mugs and other products with your logo and/or photos, without having to involve a graphic designer. “The cool thing about CafePress’ site is that anyone can design,” said Falls.
Once your t-shirt is designed, whether via a graphic designer or by your own hand, choosing a printing company to print your t-shirt is the next step. But what should you look for in a printing partner?
Falls believes clubs should start with quality. “For apparel, are they using high-quality shirts like American Apparel or Gildan?” he asked. “Can they give you samples so you can see how the printing looks? Can they refer you to other businesses so you can check for things like holes, fading [and] print peeling off?” These are signs a company has great customer service and is willing to stand behind its products.
According to Falls, selling branded t-shirts bearing your logo is so beneficial, you may consider giving some away for free. “That’s a decision each club will need to make on their own, but more people will take and wear a free shirt,” he said. “That means more people will see them around town. If it’s a cool design and people start coming in as a result — even if they’re just asking for the shirt — you’ve won the battle of acquisition.”
In addition to t-shirts, Falls argued that other branded items could carry just as much marketing value. “We’ve talked a lot about shirts, but don’t underestimate the potential revenue of other items as well,” he said. “Whether it’s shorts, water bottles, caps, smart phone cases or even hand towels, print-on-demand doesn’t have to be about t-shirts only … So while shirts are the first thing club owners may think about offering, don’t limit your thinking. When you do, you limit the possibilities.”
Rachel Zabonick is the Editor of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@clubsolutionsmagazine.com. Reach out to her about exciting events or programs your club has implemented, or to share the amazing accomplishments of a member.
