A good event shirt gets worn again. A bad one gets worn once, for the photograph, and then quietly disappears.
The gap between the two is almost never budget. It is these few things.
ONE IDEA, CLEARLY
A shirt is read from across a room, in motion, usually by someone who is not paying attention. It can carry one idea and no more.
Pick the single thing you want remembered, which is usually the brand or the occasion, and build everything around it.
SIMPLE DESIGNS AGE BETTER
Fine detail, thin lines and small text all struggle on fabric, especially after a few washes. Bold shapes and strong contrast survive.
It is also cheaper to print a design with fewer colours, so simplicity usually pays twice.
BE CAREFUL WITH DATES AND SPONSOR WALLS
A date on the front means the shirt expires. If you want it worn beyond the weekend, put the year somewhere discreet, such as a sleeve or the back hem.
The same applies to sponsor logos. A row of them across the chest turns a shirt into a notice board. A tidy block on the back works far better and sponsors are usually happy with it.
CHOOSE A COLOUR PEOPLE WILL ACTUALLY WEAR
Bright colours photograph well on the day. Neutral colours get worn afterwards. If the shirt matters to you beyond the event, that is a genuine trade off worth thinking about.
A good compromise is a neutral garment with a strong brand colour in the print.
THINK ABOUT WHO IS GETTING IT
Staff shirts, participant shirts and giveaway shirts are three different products.
- Staff need to be identifiable at a glance, so bolder and more visible is right
- Participants want a keepsake, so the design should feel like it belongs to the occasion rather than to a sponsor
- Giveaways need to be wearable by anyone, so keep the branding modest
GET THE QUANTITY SPLIT RIGHT
Order by actual body shapes, not evenly across sizes. For a typical South African adult group, the middle sizes go first and you will always run short of large and extra large.
Build in a few spares. Someone always arrives unannounced.
DO NOT SKIP THE SAMPLE
See the design on the actual garment colour before you commit. Screens lie about colour, and a design that sings on white can disappear on navy.
THE HONEST MEASURE OF SUCCESS
Count how many of them you see three months later. That number tells you more than any feedback form.
Have a look at our branded apparel options, or see how shirts fit into a bigger event setup. Tell us about your event and we will help you get it right.