5 Pro Tips for Designing Team Uniforms
Well designed, eye-catching team uniforms can serve many purposes for those wearing them beyond just looking cool. Presenting a united front, feeling confident and ready to face your opponent is important, but as our Customer Experience Manager, Ryan Love, likes to say, “You look good, you feel good, you play good!”
Here’s our top five pro tips for designing high-end, eye-catching team uniforms:
1. High-Contrast Color Schemes
Draw attention from near or far with high-contrast color schemes. While tone-on-tone or monochromatic looks may be popular right now, keep those for spirit wear. For on-field or on-court uniforms, stick to complementary color schemes on contrasting colored garments that will draw the eye to the logo and the players’ names.
2. Unique Logo Placements
Standard names and numbers with a team logo are a classic look that will never go out of style but adding unique number or logo placements is a great way to add interest and excitement that will unquestionably elevate your team wear.
Utilizing heat transfer gang sheets is a great way to facilitate this with little to no added cost. Simply fill the gang sheet with as many logos in various sizes as you need, cut them apart (or let us cut them for you), and apply them. Couldn’t be easier.
3. Retro and Modern Font Choices
Don’t get us wrong, the classics are nice but retro and modern type styles are having a moment right now. Most professional sports leagues feature special retro-style uniforms like the MLB Throwback Uniforms or retro modern-style uniforms like the NBA City Edition Jerseys.
4. Performance Fabric Options
While polyester and nylon are commonly used fabrics in manufacturing of team uniforms, you’ll want to pay special attention to the fabric quality. Polyester needs to be decorated at low temperatures to avoid scorching, but thin, cheaply made polyesters will need to be treated with even more care as opposed to their higher quality counterparts.
Other factors to consider are the environment in which the uniform will be worn – indoors or outdoors. For example, polyester may work well indoors, but nylon better outdoors where the players will be exposed to possible weather.
5. Durable Decoration Methods
Always opt for a durable decoration method when customizing team uniforms. No matter the amount of wear and tear the garment will get during on-field use, it’s likely that it could be washed several times weekly at home.
Additionally, many high-school team uniforms will be re-used year after year. Selecting a decoration technique that’s tough and long-lasting is crucial. Check with suppliers to ensure the washability of each product before you select the right transfer for the job.
Our top recommendations for durable on-field or on-court decoration methods include: Evergreen water based screen printed transfers, Endure ultra durable screen printed transfers, and Howard Multi-Purpose plastisol screen printed transfers.