Key takeaways:
- Today’s technologies and embellishment options are giving decorators new ways to move beyond standard logo placement and create apparel that feels more like retail than promotional.
- Successful branded apparel strikes a balance between creative expression and everyday wearability.
- As brands look for merchandise that stands out, decorators who challenge assumptions and introduce new ideas can become strategic partners instead of order takers.
Today, everything is about standing out. Brands can no longer afford to be boring.
And that definitely applies to branded merchandise — I know that for me, personally, a girl can have only so many sleep shirts.
Deana Iribe, owner of The Print Bakery, says this push for uniqueness is just a sign of the times: “People are just trying to always be more creative. They’re always trying to outdo somebody. People always say, don’t compete against other people, but legitimately, everybody competes against other people. They want to make things bolder, basically they just want more visibility of what they’re doing.”
So as a decorator, how do you ensure your customers take a step beyond the standard left-chest logo? How are you helping elevate their brand?
Digital Decoration is Changing the Game
Iribe believes that this push for bolder designs also stems from the use of digital decoration. She believes that ever since direct-to-film (DTF) has come onto the scene, customers are seeing that they can go bigger and bolder with their brand designs.
“With the explosion of DTF, people are able to see that they’re able to create designs that are more than just one or two colors at a larger capacity,” she says. “I have noticed that their design philosophies have been more rewired — like more color, more images — rather than simple text logos. Because of AI and the ability to edit those images for digital printing, I’ve seen more full front design work incorporating brands.”
Read this full article on Apparelist, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
