As product consultants, our job at Sonic Promos is to advise and guide our clients' choices in branded materials. Much of the time, this entails recommending apparel styles, brands, colors and decoration techniques.

Our choice in product must be synonymous with the campaign's message and budget, but it's equally important that the product appeals to its target audience. If the item's recipient doesn't like the look, feel, or quality of the product, the branding impression loses value.

Pleasing everyone is especially tricky when it comes to apparel. People tend to like clothing for various reasons: the cut fits them well, the color flatters their complexion, the material feels nice against their skin, or the imprinted design appeals to them visually. Unfortunately, these preferences aren't always homogeneous across a target marketing group. Your intended audience probably contains a mix of ages, a mix of body types, and a mix of blondes/brunettes/redheads.

Despite these surface differences, there are generally features in clothing that most people can agree on.

Just for fun, I asked a few Sonic employees to send me pictures of their favorite T-shirts. Though we are a varied bunch in terms of appearance and style, you'll notice several similarities in our choice of tees.

Jamie



These are my favorite shirts for two reasons: 1) the soft fabric and 2) the vintage-style decoration. The blue Red Sox shirt uses a washed, soft-hand ink for its screen print, and the grey Red Sox shirt is decorated with a distressed appliqué. The Celtics shirt is also really soft, but I like the color more than anything. Green looks good on redheads. It brings out the "Irish" in me.

Seth


The Quactus shirt is for my brother Gabe's band. I think the logo is fun, and the colors look nice together. It also makes me think of my kids when I wear it. There's an adorable photo of them wearing the same shirt, taken about four years ago.

The Judge shirt is another favorite of mine because it's red, and I can wear it at Caps games. I get a lot of comments when I wear it... mostly people yelling "JUDGE!". I like to respond with, "I'll be the judge of that" or "This is my Judge Reinhold fan shirt" or "You can't judge a shirt by its color, or can you?"

Lindsay

I bought this shirt a few weeks ago, and if it's not on my body, it's in the wash. Of course I love the cute imprint, but it's the comfortable material that really won me over. This is the American Apparel Track T-shirt, and I've used this model several times for work projects. For some reason, I've never owned one of my own... until now. I also adore the faded blue grey color. In the same vain vein (heh) of Jamie's reasoning above, blue looks good with blonde hair. 

Eve


This shirt is one of my favorites because it's the first T-shirt I bought when I visited Austin before moving there. Being a New York girl, I thought it represented the city's vibe well. Now I know that the "Keep Austin Weird" shirts are much more appropriate!

Jen


I got this shirt at one of the last concerts I attended in El Paso before moving to the DC area, so I associate it with good memories. I also really like the material; it's very comfortable to wear.

Michael


This sweatshirt is one of my favorite pieces to wear. It was a gift from my lovely girlfriend, and it was made by a small apparel company in Cleveland, Ohio. It's very soft, and the neutral grey color goes well with brown, orange, blue and red (Browns and Indians).

I realize this little office poll isn't exactly statistically significant, but it does show you that people look for similar features in a T-shirt. Comfort seems to be a consistent theme in our responses, for example. Though standard heavyweight cotton tees are an economical choice, it might be worth it to invest in a better quality, brushed cotton or fine jersey tee for your next apparel campaign.

It is also important to note that we all personally identify with the branding/imprint. The boys are all proud to support their favorite sports teams, and Jen, Eve, Michael, and I all have fond memories of travels and time spent in our hometowns.

So, while selecting the style(s) and color(s) for your apparel campaign are important decisions, remember that your branding is often the trump card. Ultimately, the whole point is to promote your organization/band/team/company and to connect with your supporters. Work the power of brand equity. Your fans already like you... just give them something fun and comfortable to wear, and they will.

If you have to travel somewhere for a work conference, Florida is not a bad place. No siree.

Earlier this week, Seth, Julianne, Mallory and I had the pleasure of traveling to Orlando to meet with vendors and distributor partners and to attend the ASI trade show. We saw thousands of great items new for 2012, and over the course of the next few days, I will recap some of our favorites on the blog. 

If you want to hear about the real highlights, like Seth and Julianne's harrowing tale of survival on the Amtrak train or our recap of Harry Potter World, give us a call!

There is so much to share, and I'll do my best to keep it somewhat organized. Today, I'll focus on our favorite finds in apparel. 



Eco-friendly apparel has been around for years, but we spotted one line that has really taken it to a new level. This East Coast vendor combines recycled cotton with various recycled materials to create fashionable and wearable clothing with minimal environmental impact. Ever wonder what happens to all those X-rays that hospitals and dentist offices print? They get trashed... OR they get woven into your new favorite tee.



Americans throw away an astounding 2 million plastic bottles every 10 minutes. Every one of these recycled tees uses recycled polyester from approximately 8.5 PET bottles. They're available in three colors: beer bottle brown, soda bottle green and water cooler blue. An added bonus? These tees dry in HALF the time of a normal T-shirt.



We were also very impressed with their line of hoodies, composed of recycled cotton and textile scraps from factory floors. They're incredibly soft to boot.



Another apparel trend that caught our eye (for obvious reasons), was American Apparel's line of neon tanks, tees and raglans. I expect to see several neon-clad kickball teams on the Mall this spring. They would also be great for school spirit wear and retro graphic design.



Custom boxer shorts and pajama bottoms are traditionally big sellers for schools, universities and youth organizations. I love how this vendor has used flannel material to line sweatshirt hoods and for reverse or laser cut appliqué on the front chest. You can do this with several kinds of material; there were samples on display using seersucker and polka dot cotton as well.



I thought this example of screen printing with puff ink was worth sharing. To achieve this effect, the printer mixes an additive into the ink that puffs up when cured in a belt oven. The end result is a print that feels raised against your fingers. 



And finally, if you're looking for great tech polo, this piece uses a unique blend of yarns that provides a cooling sensation by pulling heat away from the skin. This particular manufacturer also carries a line of garments for cold weather. Each piece is rated on a temperature scale, much like you would see when shopping for a sleeping bag for camping. The rating system even distinguishes between light to moderate activity levels, so you know which garments are needed for running in -10 degree weather versus walking in 40 degree weather.

That sums up our highlights in apparel! Be sure to check back for more of our favorites in the coming days.

Screen printing and embroidery are by far the most commonly used decoration techniques. They're familiar and affordable, but they have their limitations. Depending on the nature of your logo (including the number of colors and level of detail) and the type of garment or item to be decorated, another decoration technique might be more appropriate. Learn more about the alternatives below.

Sequin Embroidery
The addition of sequins lends sparkle and pizzazz to traditional embroidery. Use pearlescent, opaque or clear sequins in combination with colored thread for a unique look.
Recommended use: Ladies' garments



Screen Printing with Specialty Inks
Liquid foil/metallic ink and clear glitter ink are two easy ways to bump up the 'wow' factor of your screen printed design.
Recommended use: Concert tees and ladies' garments





Stain Imaging
Stain imaging is an eco-friendly decoration technique that requires no screens and uses about half of the chemicals of a standard screen printing job. Soft, dye-like stains interact with the color of the garment to create an all-over imprint with a weathered look and feel.
Recommended use: T-shirts and heavyweight apparel



Laser Etching
With laser etching, a laser is used either to remove a layer of fiber from the fabric or to remove the pigment dye on a non-piled (i.e. flat, smooth and with no upright loops) fabric. The laser can be adjusted in speed or intensity to achieve a deep or shallow cut. This decoration technique can be used on a variety of fabrics, but it is important to note that the color and type of fabric will affect the overall look. Notice the differences between fleece, suede and polyester below.
Recommended use: Tone-on-tone decoration for denim, fleece, polyester and suede







Laser Appliqué
Appliqué has been around for many years. In the past, fabric pieces were cut by hand and sewn onto the garment with either an embroidery machine or a commercial sewing machine. Today, a laser is used to cut away the fabric on the garment, eliminating the inaccuracies that come with hand placement. Tackle twill is commonly used for appliqué.
Recommended use: Sweatshirts and jackets




Reverse Appliqué
This technique of appliqué involves placing a piece of material on the back side of the garment fabric. A laser is then used to cut into the front side of the garment, exposing the appliqué beneath.
Recommended use: T-shirts and sweatshirts



Sublimated Transfer
A great option for highly detailed, full color art, sublimated transfer is a 4-color process decoration technique in which special inks are printed onto a transfer material. Through a combination of heat and pressure, the dyes on the transfer are turned into vapor and absorbed by the fabric. The result is a tattoo-like transfer that will last for many years and will not peel, crack or fade.
Recommended use: Multicolored or highly detailed logos on synthetic materials



Digital Printing
Digital printing is a 4-color process direct decoration technique for cotton apparel. An inkjet printer specifically made for the apparel industry is used to lay specially formulated inks so that they become part of the fabric and are soft to the touch. Digital printing is an excellent solution for low quantity orders.
Recommended use: Photographic art on cotton apparel



Patches
Decorative patches- whether woven, embroidered, sublimated or constructed of soft PVC- are sewn or heat-pressed onto the garment. Certain patches will have high minimums.
Recommended use: Jackets, caps and bags



Combined Techniques
Many decoration techniques can be combined for a unique look. In the example below, screen printing and embroidery lend depth and interest to the design.
Recommended use: Any and all apparel

We've written before about the number of decisions that go into printing a T-shirt. One of the more basic questions to answer is- what color shirt do you want?

White T-shirts are less expensive than colored T-shirts, so most people opt for the more economical option. Unfortunately, this is also the main reason so many of us own more white T-shirts than we can count on two hands.

Rather than default to white like everyone else, get creative with screen printing. If the colors of your imprint contain a commonly used T-shirt color, consider purchasing a colored shirt and allow the shirt’s color to show through the design. You'll achieve the look of an extra spot color, without the additional color run charge. In the example above, the yellow T-shirt has been printed with just two colors- red and blue. The white T-shirt has received three colors- red, blue and yellow- yet the overall effect is the same.

The money saved by printing two colors instead of three will help offset the difference in price between a white and colored shirt.

Have you ever taken a photography class? A common piece of advice given to novice photographers is to experiment with angles.

Repeatedly snapping photos from the same eye-level, frontal position can make for some dull shots. Getting low to the ground and shooting upwards or capturing a head shot from a side angle can greatly increase the visual interest of your work.

The same lesson holds true with promotional products. Unless you’re creating a fully custom piece, your artwork/logo is often confined to the item’s imprint area. When the art itself can’t be modified either (for instance, when adhering to very specific branding guidelines), a good trick is to experiment with angles.

In the example above, the water bottle affords a long, skinny imprint area. That’s not exactly conducive to printing a logo (Coca-Cola) that is wider than it is tall, huh? Rather than size down the logo to fit horizontally, rotate it to fit the space vertically. You make much better use of the imprint area, and the user will actually be able to read the imprint when drinking from the bottle.