R.A.G. New York

1. People are okay to pay $10 for a graphic t-shirt. This was not the case a few years ago. Now you can make high-end designs and get creative with fabrics and stitching without worrying about whether someone will want to pay for the quality. Graphic t-shirts are today being sold for up to… $13 000 (http://www.vintagevantage.com/products.php?productcat_id=1&product_id=198&color_id=9). Okay, that is a bit of an exception, but these days many designer graphic t-shirts sell for around $40.

2. New weaving technology gives you more options. Very fine cotton is being used these days to make the t-shirt on your back. As a designer, you have the possibility to get creative with the fabrics you use to accomplish a certain kind of effect.

3. The return of retro irony and themes from the computer world. “All your bases are belong to us.” These days, you can use any popular theme from the geek world as a graphic t-shirt design. Thanks to the Internet, a design that used to be understood by only a small community now is well-known enough that a graphic t-shirt can be marketed well enough to be worth the trouble.

4. Emergence of super-soft and distressed finishes lets you age shirts. Now vintage t-shirts can look really vintage. Not only can you design the graphics that appear on the t-shirts, but you can also decide on how the fabric will be treated. Will it look like it has been worn for 3 years, or brand new?

5. New cuts and sewing techniques let you use the fabric as part of the design. Cuts are becoming more edgy as years go by. People are willing to wear basically anything, as long as they convinced that it’s cool. Now what is happening is that this philosophy is spreading to the realm of t-shirts, which was not the case before when these things were relegated to high-end fashion.

6. Websites that allow you to submit designs make it easier to get noticed. It’s never been easier to become a graphic t-shirt designer now with web sites where you can easily submit designs and get instant understanding of what people have to say about your design. You could even test your designs before investing in a project to sell them by using one of these type of sites.

7. New necklines give you something new to work with. Did someone say v-necks in 100 different styles? With or without v-neck – you must decide. A v-neck can complement a design, by cutting into it, or sitting next to it. Today there is a great variety of v-neck types to choose among.

8. People can now where your designs to go out in clubs. This allows you to design shirts that meant for this type of crowd. It opens up a whole new audience looking for edgy, original designs that are sexy and flashy at the same time, but with class.

9. Easy access to graphic design software opens up designing to everyone. It is easier than ever to become a designer. Just get a computer and an Internet connection.

10. An increasing number of people want to display messages on their clothing. It did not always used to be like this, so this is a chance for graphic t-shirt designers to take control of this large market.