Your Embroidered Logo: Simple Is Best!

Wow! Love that logo on those T-shirts! It “pops”! Can that same logo be embroidered on polo shirts? It's really detailed, has color gradations and all the elements of the design are outlined in black...

Yes, the design can be embroidered on shirts but that won’t necessarily produce the best embroidered logo. You can remove the color gradations and small details but the embroidered design probably won’t have the same impact as the printed version because ink can reproduce finer detail than stitches and the look of individual stitches can draw unwanted attention.  A better option would be to simplify the logo for embroidery and use a shirt color that contrasts well with the primary colors in the design. Embroidered logos look best when the design is fairly simple. Then, the message of the logo can really stand out.

Your Embroidered Logo: Second Logo Placement

Want to have two logos embroidered on shirts? Wondering where the second design should be placed? On the right chest? A sleeve? Is one placement more current, appropriate or effective than the other?

Sleeve logos and other non-traditional logo placements are popular now. But, you should consider the importance of the second logo.  Is it equal to the first logo or does it support it? Will the two designs work well together when seen at the same time or will one overpower the other? Will having two logos be too much visually for the front of a shirt?

While some designs may be similar in size, shape and coloration, other logos won’t work well together and will look better and have more impact if they aren’t seen at the same time. In the end, it’s a matter of the relationship between the two logos, whether the designs work together visually and your personal preference about what you think looks good. 

Your Embroidered Logo: Heathered Shirts

It’s me, your embroidered logo. Looking for tees in a new color? Checkout all the heathered colors. There are many options like “heathered purple” or “heather sangria”. You can even choose a T-shirt in a performance fabric. Have your logo printed or embroidered in white and you’ll have fresh-looking T’s for your new business season.

Your Embroidered Logo: Simple Is Best!

Hello! It’s your soon to be embroidered polo. I peeked at your artwork. Is that the logo you’re planning for me? It’s nice. It would look great printed on T-shirts but it’s too detailed for a left-chest embroidered logo. It will be hard to read and it won’t lie flat on my fabric because the design contains too much thread. I would remove the black outlines surrounding the design elements and modify the border so it's a simple circle rather than a circle with decorative detail. Then your logo will be easier to read and it will look better on embroidered polos.

A week later...

That’s better! That simplified version of your logo will look great embroidered on me!

Your Embroidered Logo: UV Polo Upgrade

Hello! I’m an embroidered logo. I’m embroidered on a breathable polo. Tom, my person, feels cool and dry while wearing this polo.  But, he’s still concerned about the harmful UV rays that he may be exposed to. Two weeks later… Tom is doing great! He decided to try a polo with UV protection. Now I’m embroidered on a moisture-wicking polo with a UPF rating of 30. Wearing a shirt that provides extra coverage has made a difference to my person. Tom now feels more comfortable and confident when he’s outside because he has an extra layer of protection from the sun.
http://dlvr.it/SLNbzW

Your Embroidered Logo: UV Polo Upgrade

Hello! I’m an embroidered logo. I’m embroidered on a breathable polo. Tom, my person, feels cool and dry while wearing this polo.  But, he’s still concerned about the harmful UV rays that he may be exposed to.

Two weeks later…

Tom is doing great! He decided to try a polo with UV protection. Now I’m embroidered on a moisture-wicking polo with a UPF rating of 30. Wearing a shirt that provides extra coverage has made a difference to my person. Tom now feels more comfortable and confident when he’s outside because he has an extra layer of protection from the sun.

Your Embroidered Logo: Sharpen Up!

Hey! I’m the logo design you’re developing. Want to sharpen my look? Keep me simple, unique, memorable and appropriate. Make sure my colors are suitable for your business and will standout against whatever background (shirt color) you’ll use. Since your business caters to a younger crowd, consider using an unusual color palette to help create a fresh-looking distinctive logo.

Your Embroidered Logo: Artwork Challenges

Using an online program to design your logo? That can be a good way to visualize your design but it can lead to problems if you submit your work to your decorator.

If you use your design as artwork, mention that it is generally what you want and may need some fine tuning. Your design may look acceptable to you and it may be good. But, if you’re not accustomed to setting up artwork it may need some modifications. Often small changes like resizing an element, adjusting the spacing or adding thickness to a font can make a big difference. This way your decorator knows they can suggest improvements and your design can benefit from their experience.

Your Embroidered Logo: Logo Design For Multi-colored Fabrics

Hey! I’m a button down shirt with a subtle plaid design. I'm about to be embroidered with a business logo. But wait, the business owner is hesitant about proceeding with his order. He realizes that his design is too detailed for a plaid shirt, the colors in his logo don’t contrast well with the plaid and some of the text is too small to be readable. 

One week later...

I’m ready to be embroidered with a new logo! The business owner had his original design simplified into a bolder, single-color logo that contrasts well with my plaid fabric. Soon my fellow shirts and I will be seen with our new embroidered logo as we advertise wherever we are worn!

Your Embroidered Logo: Benifits of a Single-Color Design

Designing your business logo? Consider creating a simple, single-color logo. It will be easy to read and you’ll be able to vary the color of your logo if you want to wear different shirt colors. Plus, you can wear patterned and textured shirts as long as your logo’s thread colors contrast well with the fabric and none of the text is too small. Finally, looking for a different look? Use a tone-on-tone thread color so the color of your logo closely matches the fabric of the shirt and you’ve created a subtle, classy look!

Your Embroidered Logo: Quick Tips

 Planning on having your new business logo set-up for embroidered button down shirts? Think you might want embroidered caps in the future? Have your logo set-up for hats if it has a horizontal orientation. Then, the same embroidery set-up can be used for both your shirts and caps.

Do the colors in an embroidered design need to match the colors in the artwork? No, the colors can be changed but it’s wise to see a proof showing the new colors against the right background color so you can see how the colors work together and how they contrast against the background.

Can T-shirts be embroidered? It depends on the size and amount of detail in the design. Left chest-sized logos are usually fine unless you embroider a very detailed design on a very thin T-shirt. Larger back designs generally won’t work. The embroidery may look good initially but may not lie flat after it’s washed. Keep the design small (under 6” wide) and locate it just below the collar if you must embroider the back of a T-shirt.

Your Embroidered Logo: Shirt and Hat Designs - Can They Be the Same?

If you have a logo thats already been designed for embroidered shirts will it work for embroidered hats? Maybe.

Many logos, especially if they have a horizontal orientation, can be used for hats without needing any design changes. But, if your logo is vertically orientated, is detailed or contains small text, it may need modifications. Implementing changes like rearranging design elements and enlarging or eliminating small text can make a design work for caps. 

But, if rearranging your logo isn’t an option or you’d like to try something different, focus on one element within your design (most likely the image) and size it to approximately 1.5” x 1.5” so it fits well when located on the side of a front hat panel. This will give you a distinctly different logo that works for caps.

Your Embroidered Logo: Sleeve Design Sizing

What size logo works best for an embroidered sleeve design? A design that's approximately 3” wide that can be easily read from a 3' distance. 

What type of design doesn’t work well for a sleeve design? A left chest-sized logo that becomes too small to be readable when downsized. 

How can you fix a design that's too small? Eliminate unnecessary parts of the design so the primary elements, your business name and possibly an image or secondary text, can be enlarged so they are readable.

Your Embroidered Logo: Hat Logo Sizing

When does a logo work well for embroidered hats? When it fills the front area (4" wide x 2.25” high) and the business name is clearly readable and has the primary focus.

When doesn’t a logo work well for hats? 

• When its vertically orientated so it doesn’t fit well into the horizontally-orientated space 
• When there’s too much text or the text is too small 
• When the design is too detailed to be embroidered on a curved surface  

How can a vertically-orientated design be adjusted so it works well for hats?

• If the logo consists of stacked text and an image, place the image to one side of the text
• Modify the proportions of the design
• Eliminate part of the design

Sometimes the best you can do with a logo is to simplify it and just use the business name. If that isn’t acceptable then consider having a logo designed just for hats.