How to create funny t-shirts

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Create some funny t-shirts and gifts

 You don't need to be a graphic designer to design t-shirts. If you are funny you can make some humorous tees.

First don't do this!

Trust me.

Don't open up a cafepress store if you are just starting out, unless you think your hard work is only worth the pittance they decide and you are fine with them modifying your design and putting them on products they were not designed for. In a few short months cp has gone from the most popular print on demand company to the most hated. I still have a store there only because I put so much work and effort into it, that I didn't want to see all my effort wasted.

How to create funny print on demand t-shirts

Here's a helpful list

1. Put your designs on appropriate products. Don't be one of those spammer types who puts some unfunny slogan you did in paint or wordart or something on every product there is without bothering to size it or check it's appropriateness. Don't clog he system with unfunny drinking shirts on baby clothes. Everyone hates that person, not just print on demand shopkeepers but customers who give up after searching page after page of products with someones clipart and times new roman I'm proud to be a Swedish-Armenian phonebooth inspector design.

2. Have some talent. I know this sounds harsh but if you are not funny you have no business making t-shirts. Go become an accountant or something. Trust me you will make much more money that way, in fact I wish I had math skills, but I don't. If you don't have any design talent whatsoever stick to slogan shirts. They sell better than you might think.

3. Remember funny thoughts that happen to you throughout the day. Take a notebook with you at all times, because you never know when inspiration will strike. At Starbucks, by the pool etc...

4. Check out other shops, what are they doing? Do you think you could do better? Don't copy them but get inspired. It seems like there are a lot of shops out there that have an I'm kind of a big deal Anchorman movie quote shirt, so I did a rebuttal: the I'm kinda sick about hearing about you're a big deal shirt.

5. Don't be too raunchy. I'm not easily offended just think this trend has been done to death. Plus if it's not raunchy but it has humor a college student or teen would like its more likely to be purchased as a gift by the parents and they are the ones with the money.

6. Get inspired by pop culture. Watch the classics: Animal House, Caddyshack, John Hughes movies, etc. Think outside the box, don't directly lift quotes but try to allude to the movie in some way, make sure people get the connection without the copyright infringement. If you don't get any ideas at least you had fun watching some movies.

7. Write what you know. If you are a sci-fi fantasy fan then go for a little geek humor. Or do some shirts about your day job. Just remember you don't need to make a shirt for every profession on the planet (Doctors do it better, Accountants do it better, Movie Theater Ushers do it better...)

8. Be nostalgic. You are not the only one who grew up in the 80's or the 70's or the 60's. People love remembering the fun times they had back in the day. Your shirts can help them think back to those happy times.

9. Don't be afraid of current events. Some people advise you to stay away from celebrity tees. I say go for it. Yes the trend will die in a couple of weeks or months, but you can always mark it down then take it down. Just don't spend a lot of time on your Save Britney shirt. Watch Best Week Ever for ideas or go to the gossipy websites like tmz.com.

10. Put up a lot of designs. Your site is not a graphic design portfolio. It doesn't have to represent your best work, in fact some of your weaker ideas may become your hottest seller. Everyone has different taste. If you think an idea is not your best then just do a text only design and see what happens.

11. Don't be afraid of cliches. We have all heard them a thousand times before but cliches can be funny if you put your own spin on them. For example a couple of years ago I found a shirt at target that says I am having an out of money experience.I get a laugh whenever I wear it.

12. Have a decent design program. I use photoshop, it's an old version but it works. You don't need to have a professional program but ms paint or something that came free with your printer or digital camera is probably not going to give you professional looking products. This is necessary even if you only do text based shirts.

13. Get some fun fonts. There are loads of places where you can get free fonts that are OK to use on print on demand products. Use them, but remember you don't always need to use a fun font. Sometimes they can be hard to read or distracting. Try to make them fit the slogan.

14. Have fun. If you're not having fun coming up with slogans then maybe it's not your particular talent. Switch your store to a focus on dog breeds or inspirational quotes. Those stores probably make more money anyway.

15. Don't be afraid to rework a design or just take it down if you are embarrassed by it. If your first design was that Swedish-Armenian phonebooth inspector design, and now you know better you can definitely go ahead and remove all 24,000 examples of it.

Go buy yourself at t-shirt at
the T-shirt fort

Where to open a store

There are tons of print on demand companies out there. Here are some of the most well known.
Zazzle
Zazzle is rapidly overtaking cafepress as the fastest growing print on demand company.
Printfection
Printfection is known for it's high quality printing process.
Skreened
Now you can have bigger sized designs done with a screen printing process.
Spreadshirt
Spreadshirt is print on demand company based in Germany.
redbubble
Red Bubble is one of the up and coming print on demand companies.

Funny Shirts to buy


Doing all your own stunts is so 2002. Don't try it at home. Funny stick figure on fire shirt is perfect for anyone with a sense of humor and a lack of common sense.


I found my passion and they're not hiring. This design is for all those times you tried reaching for the stars and found your self empty handed. Wear it with pride to your dead end job.


It's the 1984 all valley karate championship. Watch out! Legs will be swept. Inspired by a classic 80s movie, Kids from Encino and Reseda can both agree on loving this design. Wear it to a go-cart park or under your shower costume.


Who needs pick up lines when you have a trumpet. You have skills and are a total player. Tell everyone in the band about it with this design. It's something to toot about.


Poor guy, he died doing what he hated. Do you hate to exercise? Do you believe the local gym is secretly a portal to hell? You are not alone. Sweating sucks. Tell the world with this design

Youtube Zazzle Advice

Find out why exactly you suck at zazzle!
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More of my Funny Shirts from Zazzle























Vintage funny shirts on eBay

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Great Stuff on Amazon

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  • Reply
    PhotoshopWarrior Jun 29, 2011 @ 6:37 am | delete
    Awesome tutorial, need to try it out to make a funny t shirt lol
  • Reply
    sandyspider Jun 18, 2011 @ 10:31 am | delete
    I am not able to add to the plexo. It states I have to login. A Squidoo glitch. Here is my main shop. http://www.zazzle.com/sandyspider*

    Great Zazzle tips.
  • Reply
    Meriker Apr 20, 2011 @ 12:44 am | delete
    Your lens is really useful, thank you very much, and welcome to visit my website scissor lift table.
  • Reply
    CCGAL Apr 9, 2011 @ 10:24 pm | delete
    This lens has great potential - you're off to a great start here. I really enjoyed reading your commentary - you delivered some solid information and did so with great wit.

    I actually own one of the books you've got in your Amazon list: "How to Write and Sell Greeting Cards, Bumper Stickers, T-Shirts and Other Fun Stuff" by Molly Wigand, so I can attest to the value of this book.

    You might want to check out the zazzle module that may not have been available when you started this lens - it is visually attractive and puts your images in blocks of 9, which I think is easier on the eyes than the scrolling through long list of small images.

    I think you could easily create an entire niche of t-shirt related lenses and link them together - you've covered a lot of ground on this one. I'm not sure that a person who is wanting to learn to create and sell funny t-shirts is going to be a customer for funny t-shirts, but they would most certainly be a customer for educational and production items to help them. The shopper for a funny t-shirt isn't going to be looking for how to create one, so you might find that aiming a lens at a shopper while keeping this one for the person looking to learn could earn you more in the long run.

    All that said, I did enjoy this lens a lot, and am giving it a thumbs up. Good job!
  • Reply
    DallasNicole Jan 15, 2011 @ 2:08 pm | delete
    This is a great lens.. And I learned a few things as well! Like the way you worded this.. Blessed!
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Funny shirts on Amazon

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Get Inspired with a classic movie!

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Let Homer Simpson Inspire you

Just don't try to put spider pig on a shirt!

by

tshirtfort

I write young adult novels and create hilarious t-shirts and gifts.

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