No Design Experience? No Problem! Create Merch Like a Pro

It doesn’t take a four-year degree to make merch that’s true to you and your passions! DID YOU KNOW: You can create awesome merch with zero design experience!

Plenty of easy-to-use design tools are available to help you create your custom merch designs. Use them you to develop your niche design style and have fun brainstorming ideas that best suit you and your brand.

If you don’t have the creative brain power to come up with merch designs, it might be worth it to hire someone! Ask your family and friends if they know anyone with design experience. Or go it alone and seek out a designer with a stacked portfolio that suits your needs.

Learn more about why you don’t need to be a professional designer to create quality, custom merch!

FREE Design Options That Are Easy to Use

Design tools like Adobe can be such a pain to figure out; even the pros have problems. It goes to show you don’t need fancy design software to make standout merch designs. We personally think tools like Canva can fulfill any and all your design needs.

Canva has lots of ready-made graphics and text options for making special designs. Find designs that suit your niche simply by typing keywords into the search bar, like “gaming”, “retro” or “dance”. These specific, niche designs will look great on all kinds of merch: stickers, water bottles, totes. An easy design like this will help to elevate the overall look of your shop.

And it’s easy to upload any designs you make in Canva directly into your Spreadshop. Download them as a transparent or solid background and in whatever dimensions you please.

Canva also lets you upload any brand colors you have to help you create designs that create a cohesive look. Use their brand kit tool to unlock this customization factor. This makes it easy to tweak designs that appeal to your overall aesthetic.

When using text in your designs, it’s important to show movement or offer some form of self-expression. You can easily curve your text or arrange it in different shapes. These simple tweaks will heighten your merch designs instantly.

Phone a Friend

If you don’t want to use design tools, ask family and friends if they know someone that has design experience. A young designer or college student would be the perfect person to satisfy your needs and complete your vision.

“Merch designer” is a title that looks great on a resume. You can make it known you’re looking for someone by posting on relevant Facebook groups for local artists or graphic designers. Or do it the old fashioned way: put up posters on bulletin boards around your community. Seek out local colleges and libraries.

This can also be a great learning experience for your merch line. You’ll be able to collaborate with someone who knows how to design. And they can help you decipher what does/doesn’t work for your merch designs!

Seek Out A Professional

If you need a designer with more experience, look into a service like Fiverr. They have thousands of designers ready to fulfill your requests. Type in “t-shirt design” or “merch design” into the search bar and you’ll find plenty of designers with different specialties. You can narrow it down from there.

Try to be specific with what you want. Maybe you just need a logo for your business. Are you looking for a bundle of similar graphics? This will make it easier to find a designer that meets your needs.

Also helpful to see what work they’ve already previously created. You’ll know immediately whether their style resonates with you or not. And cost shouldn’t be an issue since a lot of designers have affordable rates.

Our design service has a team of in-house designers ready to fulfill your requests. They can bring your ideas to life for a flat fee of $19.99.

Get your design in 4 easy steps:

1. Fill in the form below and let us know a) where you want to use the design, and b) what you want it to look like.
2. Attach your file to the form. Possible file formats are jpg, png, gif, bmp, eps, ai cdr, svg, psd or pdf.
3. Go to your shopping basket and place your order.
4. After 3-5 workdays you will receive the finished graphic design file via e-mail.

Stick to Your Niche

Your merch line is nothing without a niche, which could truly be anything: women’s sports, camping, stargazing, etc. Your niche provides you with focus and allows you to fully engage with your target audience. This way, you won’t have to worry about making merch designs that appeal to everybody.

We’ve seen plenty of shop owners showcase their niche with simple merch designs. Mila the Chi is a great example. Mila is a chihuahua with a voice and flair all her own. Her merch is cute and captures the persona that people get from her content.

Use insider phrases or terms in your merch designs, it’s a great way to capitalize on your niche. Your audience will appreciate the specificity of your merch and be proud to wear it. You’ll be creating custom apparel and accessories that people in your niche can’t find anywhere else. And you must not be a professional designer to achieve that.

Now it’s time to start designing your merch! Open your own Spreadshop for FREE today.