How to Customize Tie-Dye Shirts

Does your design work with a tie-dye tee or against it? While a lot of designs look amazing on most shirts, tie-dye works very, very differently. And the reasons why something might stand out on a normal shirt will cause that design to get lost on a tie-dye because there's already so much going on. 

Think of a tiger running through the snow. He's going to stand out, right? How about a tiger running through a jungle? He's basically designed to blend in! Likewise, picture somebody wearing a plain white shirt on a snowy mountain. Now picture them wearing that same shirt in a jungle. Which is going to be more visible? 

In short, things that stand out in one setting can wind up overlooked in another. And that's why a gorgeous multi-color print might be eyecatching on a plain white or black shirt... yet go virtually unseen on a tie-dye tee where that design is competing against all of the tie-dye's colors.

So, what's the best choice?

When customizing tie-dye shirts, it pays to stay simple. You'll want to go with a single color that strongly contrasts the other colors used -- which, in most cases, would be either a black (if the tie-dye pattern is light) or a white (if the pattern is dark). And, very importantly, you'll want to use thick lines in your design. After all, the thicker any element is, the easier it's going to be to see. 

Ultimately, you want strong, bold designs with or without text that follows the same principle.

Limiting the amount of text in a design will make it much easier to read, as will enlarging your letters as much as possible. Another major factor will be your font choice. The best options tend to be blocky fonts since they're naturally thick and show up well on tie-dye.

Great playful & lighthearted fonts include:

 

Great athletic fonts include:

Ready to start designing a custom tie-dye tee?

Check out our bestselling customizable tie-dye t-shirt. Want something a little less conventional? How about our tiger stripe tie-dye tee?

Or, if you'd like to learn more about custom shirt design, be sure to check out our complete guide.