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.

Your Embroidered Logo: Locate Styles?

Trouble finding your favorite embroidered polo shirts? Tired of shuffling through various styles in search of the perfect shirt only to learn that your preferred style is temporarily out of stock in some sizes? Putting together a large order can be particularly frustrating now.

How do you navigate through current supply challenges? Plan ahead, prioritize your needs and be flexible. Your embroiderer can help by making style suggestions. They have access to additional search tools which can make it easier to locate high-inventory styles with certain features so it’s easier to locate a shirt that meets your needs and is currently available in all sizes.

Your Embroidered Logo: Supply Issues?

No 100% cotton black polos in size 2X? Your favorite, two-toned, mesh-back hats are back-ordered for two months? 

Recent supply chain delays have made it difficult to obtain some types of decorated apparel. Items like black polos and sweatshirts are especially hard to find. How do you navigate supply chain issues?

Order early. Then you’ll have your embroidered and screen printed items when you need them.

Start small. Your order will be easier to finalize if you limit the number of styles. Then, place another order for the additional styles you want while your initial order is being processed.

Be flexible. Can you use a substitute style or color? 

Make a change. Have you always wanted to try another style or type of item?  Now is a good time to try something different. If you’ve always ordered a shirt that is currently unavailable now may be the time to order embroidered jackets.

Reserve what you want. While waiting two to three months may seem like a long time, preordering backordered garments will allow you to get what you want and you’ll know when to expect your order.