You Don’t Have to Be a Designer to Make Merch

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

There are plenty of easy-to-use design tools out there to help you create custom merch designs. They allow you to stick within your niche and brainstorm ideas that `best suit your brand.

If you don’t have the 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 find a designer with a portfolio that suits your needs.

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

Use Free Design Software

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 all your design needs.

Canva has hundreds of free premade graphics and text options you can use to create unique designs. Find designs that suit your niche simply by typing keywords into the search bar. These designs will look great on all kinds of merch: stickers, water bottles, totes.

And it’s easy to upload them into your Spreadshop. Download them with a transparent or solid background and in whatever dimensions you please.

If you want to make these designs more true to your brand, Canva allows you to upload colors specific to our brand using their brand kit tool. This makes it easy to tweak designs that appeal to your aesthetic.

When using text in your designs, it’s important to show movement. You can easily curve your text or arrange it in different shapes. These simple tweaks will heighten your merch designs.

Phone a Friend

It doesn’t hurt to ask family and friends if they know someone with design experience, especially if you don’t feel like playing around with these tools. A young designer or college student would be the perfect person to help you satisfy 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. Or do it the old fashioned way: put posters on bulletin boards around your local campus.

This can also be a great learning experience for you when it comes to 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.

Hire 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.

It’s 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.

A lot of designers have affordable rates. It’s worth paying $20 for a quality merch design that you know will sell.

Stick to Your Niche

Your merch line is nothing without a niche, which could really 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 don’t have to be a professional designer to achieve that.

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