Looking for inspiration to speed up the merch designing process? Our merch hacks are to help you get your designs out to potential customers faster.
Staring at a screen for hours on end will only get you so far. Speed up the creative process by seeking out additional resources. Try FREE design software, hire a professional designer or even get advice from fellow creators.
At Spreadshop, we know how important it is to have a community you can rely on. Sure, you can build a community thanks to your merch. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have one behind the scenes, too. These merch hacks are going to help turn that into a reality and make your life as a shop owner easier!
Don’t Pay to Play
If you’re hesitant about paying monthly for design software, FREE software options are a good starting point. GIMP is a comparable option to Photoshop that has many of the same features with no cost. Fine-tune existing images so they’re ready to live on your merch.
Have a photo in your camera roll that stands out from the rest? Change the style of it to fit with the theme of your merch. Enhance certain features and play around with coloring. You can even use GIMP to create icons ideal for small merch items like stickers, or even a logo for your shop.
If you’re looking to replicate the results from Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape is the way to go. Create high quality images thanks to a wide range of features. They have flexible drawing tools that can take your designs to the next level. And their text tools really enhance your designs to give them a professional look.
Save Your Fonts
If you’re making designs that have text in them, make sure you’re saving those fonts somewhere. This is incredibly important if it’s a font that’s relevant to your branding. This is a font you want to take advantage of and use for your shop promotion.
If you have a consistent font, it’s going to make you more identifiable. Your followers will be able to easily spot you on their social media feeds. It’s going to make your merch feel consistent, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be boring.
Change up the color and tweak your font from season to season. The Holidays are prime time for this kind of seasonal style. You will be able to design faster if you have these fonts on hand, especially if you’re going to be using them a lot.
Join a Design Community
You can only stare at your computer screen for so long before losing your mind. It helps to have additional eyeballs to take a look at your designs and offer feedback. That’s where the Spreadshop Community comes in.
The community is a FREE platform where shop owners can connect and collaborate with other creators. Share the origins of your shop and the inspiration behind your merch. People are eager to engage on the platform, so feel free to ask questions. They can be technical and be related to different design software or just general input. Ask anything to help get your merch designs out faster.
Make a post saying you’re looking for someone to design a logo or graphic for your shop. Many of our shop owners are also artists and would be happy to help. You can get their contact information and negotiate pricing and other details with them. You should take advantage of the community and actively post there. You’ll become a better shop owner as a result.
Create a Moodboard
A Moodboard brings all your ideas together to create an engaging visual medium. It’s easier to find inspiration and design merch faster if you can see everything at once. And a moodboard can include anything: places, fashion, people, things. Pinterest can help take your moodboard game to the next level.
A Pinterest board consists of a collection of images (or “pins”) that revolve around a certain theme or vibe. They are whatever you want them to be. You can find particular images by typing keywords into the search bar. If you have photos of your own that you want to include, you can easily upload them as pins and add them to your lists.
It may sound like a silly thing initially, but it’s really going to get you thinking differently about your designs. Pinterest is a goldmine for inspiration and another channel to market your merch.
Get Someone to Design For You
If you don’t have time to seek out these resources, you can always hire someone to do the work for you. Graphic design services have a team of designers ready to work with you and fulfill your vision.
You may have heard of Fiver: a network of freelancers that provide their services to paying customers. Feel good about supporting a fellow creator and get pro-level designs when you use Fiver. Design Pickle is another great option. Many trusted companies have turned to Design Pickle to help them boost their brand.
Having an outsider perspective is essential for growth. They’ll also help get your merch designs out faster. While you’re waiting to hear back about designs, think about growing your shop in other ways. Map out a social strategy, consider tackling another side hustle and more.
These merch hacks will make your life as a shop owner less stressful. You’ll be able to get merch designs out faster to your customers.
Don’t have merch? Launch your Spreadshop today to start building your brand!
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