Make your festive designs magical

Where does the year go!? It seems like summer just got started. Now it’s October – and high time you prepared your shop for the Christmas holidays. We’d like to give you a helping hand – so we’ve put together a few useful tips for the perfect winter-inspired designs. Have you got that festive feeling like we do? Happy reading!

Christmas design dos and don’ts

You’re sure to have an idea of which designs you’d like to delight your fans with this festive season. There are a few things to bear in mind when coming up with your designs – and others to leave by the wayside.

The dos

1. Use festive signs and symbols

Sprinkle a touch of festive magic on your brand logo or slogan by surrounding it with seasonal signs and symbols. These could include Christmas trees, presents, bells, stars or Santa himself.

This gives your shop a wonderful and welcoming festive feel that’s sure to attract potential customers’ attention.

2. Use Christmas colour palettes

The colours you use are crucial to creating that Christmassy feel. Consider adapting the colours of your logo, claims or designs accordingly. Popular Christmas colour schemes include blue and silver, red and green, silver and gold, purple and white, and red and cream.

These colour combinations often make us think of Christmas right away, giving your designs a more festive effect.

3. Search for inspiration / create moodboards

Inspiration is the key to creativity. Use platforms like Pinterest to find festive inspiration. Browse your feed to discover ideas and trends.

You can also create moodboards using tools like Canva or Placeit to help you plan the visuals for your festive designs. Work out how you can include trends and inspiration in your own creations.

Are you still missing that creative spark to kickstart your designs? Check out the templates on AI-assisted design tool Kittl. This will get your creativity moving faster than Santa’s sleigh.

The don’ts

1. Don’t overdo your logo design

You’ve put in a lot of work over the years to make sure your logo is recognised by customers and fans alike. This is called brand recognition – and it’s worth its weight in gold. People often return to brands they already know and which have positive associations for them.

Don’t destroy this recognition factor by redesigning your logo or slogan too drastically. In this case, less is more. Even if we often associate Christmas with opulence and that little bit extra.

2. Don’t go over the top with your designs and logos

This tip follows on from our first point. Take care when decorating your designs. A little festive feature here and there usually does the job.

Of course, you should always keep your target audience in mind, too. If your customers are crazy about Christmas, you don’t need to worry about going that little bit further. Feel free to get glitter-tastic.

However, if your customer base mainly consists of confirmed Grinches, you might want to opt for subtle decor with an ironic touch.

3. Consider copyright

Intellectual property is a precious commodity. Father Christmas will swiftly put you on his naughty list if you use copyright-protected content to create your designs.

Sometimes it isn’t clear what’s protected and what isn’t. National and international databases can come in handy here. Examples of where you can do your research include the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUPIO) and the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO)

Top tip: Use the Spreadshirt Design Service:If you need help bringing your festive ideas to life, feel free to use the Spreadshirt Design Service. Our experts can help you create and tailor your design to make sure it’s perfect for Christmas.

Design ideas for the festive season

A few design themes are perfect for the Christmas period. Others are a little quirkier but could represent the creative breakaway that sets your shop apart from the rest.

1. Top mums and dads

Let’s be honest: we might fight from time to time – but Mums and Dads are usually pretty decent. Christmas designs for parents are guaranteed to draw custom to your shop.

2. Family favourites

The same goes for the whole family. Inside jokes and funny quotes about family life at Christmas time have real potential, too.

3. Better halves

At this celebration of love and togetherness, lovingly created designs for that special someone make a perfect addition to your product range.

4. Ugly Christmas sweaters

Festive fans and grouchy Grinches usually agree on one thing: the ugly Christmas sweater has moved beyond a trend to become a popular fixture of everyone’s festive wardrobe.

5. Make it personal

Create festive designs with an option to personalise the item. Initials and little personal details help turn a gift into a customised surprise.

6. Shape it up

Try out different geometric shapes, lines and colour combinations. This adds a touch of style to your festive designs.

7. Style to the letter

Designs featuring lettering are popular all year round. During the festive season, you can adapt them to suit the Christmas theme.

8. Serve up festive flavors

What would Christmas be without the food? Turkey, Christmas pudding and all the chocolate you can eat. Designs featuring these delicacies are the best way to create a feelgood factor for your customers.

9. The man of the hour

Of course there’s one important figure who’s a must for your festive guest list: Santa Claus, the Christmas VIP. Father Christmas, Père Noël, Pai Natal – he may go by all kinds of names around the globe, but one thing’s for sure: he and his reindeer achieve something incredible at the end of the year. That’s a good enough reason to dedicate a design to the man himself and his trusty companions.

10. A good quote says it all

Festive wisdom isn’t just for Grandma’s crochet masterpieces. With a funny design and even a little wordplay, there’s sure to be a spot for it in your shop.

11. Dashing through the snow

It might sound odd at the end of summer, but it won’t be long before chances of snow and ice are on the rise. A winter wonderland with festive firs and footprints in the snow…This scene inspires childhood memories and sparks wishes for a white Christmas. Tap into this theme to create a design.

Time to market your Christmas merch

December will be here sooner than you think – so you should start preparing your product range and getting your shop fit for the festive season. You’ll find tips on last year’s top sellers in our blog.

Upload a few new festive designs and advertise your shop on all your channels. This is a good way to remind your community to get started on their Christmas shopping a little earlier this year.

We wish you all the best for your festive campaign – with plenty of success and the right drop of creativity!