Custom T-shirt design and personalization is a huge market across the word and involve either business and private subjects.
With custom T-shirts we can pursue a large variety of goals and satisfy a lot of needs. There are in fact several applications we can consider, from staff dressing to communication/advertising, from personal use/fun to team building and identification and much more…the only limit is our imagination and creativity.

Nowadays there are many services out there which offer the possibility to personalize our t-shirt instead of choosing a dress with a design imposed by the manufacturers or stylists (it’s when we follow a a status symbol).

But why to limit ourselves to be all the same without personality?
Why let others decide who we are?

Let’s take back our personality to become what we deserve to be: a single human being and not just one of many.
Customize our own t-shirt design can be one way to do so (just one simple way).
This is a complex topic which involves a lot of subjects and would require many many words and days to be deeply explained. Because we are here to talk about art and communication, we are going to focus on the artistic and marketing/business aspect, but bearing in mind that even this business activity can be seen and used, at the same time, to pursue a more ethical and philosophical goal: live with one’s own personality.

Today I’d like to present you one application of a t-shirt design customization: design contests and challenges. They can have a profit or charity goal and in both cases they involve several resources and designers.
Following you can see some examples of digital works made for two challenges: WellDone on Threadless.com and Original Quotes on DeviantArt.com. Enjoy and use both of them!

√ WellDone on Threadless.com

In East Africa, WellDone provides materials and education so villagers can build their own wells. These DIY wells last longer, are less expensive to build, and help communities stay connected. This celebration of water has helped more than 30,000 people work towards self-sufficiency, develop pride in their work, and grow healthier.
The challenge has been created to make a t-shirt design that celebrates water and the human spirit. The chosen design is sold on Threadless, and 25% of the sales will go towards WellDone.

Design sample:
#1 Water Africa
A 7 colors vector illustration. Africa becomes drops, water, waves and ocean. The most beautiful place on Earth.

Watch it @threadless.com >> Water Africa T-shirt design – 8 colors vector illustration

√ Original Quotes on DeviantArt.com

This is a challenge about creating a t-shirt that combines “design typography” with an original phrase or quote. Artistically you have to shape your words verbally and visually.

Design sample:
#1 Be Free, Be Yourself
A PSD illustration with text in 5 colors.
A teaching sentence. A text for everyone, of any age, sex, ethnicity, country and job.
Will we be really free? Learn how to be ourselves first.
The t-shirt want to be the symbol of freedom and happiness.

Would you wear it? Watch it @DeviantArt >> “Hot to be FREE” T-shirt design – 5 colors PDS text illustration

What design do you prefer?
Have you ever participate t0 a design contest?
Do you know other design contests websites