Working with an artist Part I.

I love t-shirts. I love design. I love art. And I wish I was blessed with the talent to turn the images in my head into artworks in Illustrator – but alas, I was not. That’s why when it comes to putting together designs for my clothing label I like to work with professional artists. They’re experienced, they’re great to work with and most importantly – they’re talented.

If you too decide that certain things, including the artwork on your t-shirts, should be left to the professionals then it’s time to start hunting down an artist to work with. In this two-part post I’m going to go through the basics of picking the right artist, the right designs, and how to get the ball rolling.

When it comes to finding the right match for both you and your clothing line, it’s really important to get the chemistry just right. There are countless artists out there who would be willing to work with you, and the majority of them can produce some incredible designs. But what you really need to do is find an artist who’s style will compliment the overall theme of your brand – that is, their style has to suit your branding and appeal to your target market.

If you jump onto any design submission site such as mintees you have the freedom to trawl through literally hundreds of  t-shirt designs. And this is the best place for you to start. When you find a design you like, click on the designers profile and check out their other works.  If you think their style would work well with your brand, you’re one step closer to finding your match.

Next, it’s time to contact the artist. These guys go out of their way to provide label owners with the kick-ass designs that make their brands famous and they do it for very humble fees – so it’s important to treat them with the respect they deserve. When you contact them, take the time to write an individual email (ie no generic emails to multiple artists), show that you are familiar with their work and make a point of telling them why you want to work with THEM.

Check out Part II of this post for tips on how to work with an artist to get the best results for your t-shirt brand.

Peace + Love