T-Shirt Logo Placement Guidelines

The global custom t-shirt market is estimated to reach a total value of $9.18 billion by the year 2030. But t-shirts are so much more than a fashion statement. They can also be a powerful marketing tool.

Your logo is what represents your business in all manner of media, from websites to custom t-shirts. When you create a custom t-shirt with a logo, you are helping to build your brand and establish brand recognition. 75% of brands can be identified by the logo alone.

Your t-shirt logo placement is one of the most important facets of the t-shirt design, just as much as the logo itself. Where you put your logo can determine how much exposure it will get. 

Are you wondering about the best places for t-shirt logo placement? This guide will help you understand the guidelines of logo placement, as well as other t-shirt design tips. Keep reading for more information below. 

T-Shirt Logo Location Basics

When putting your logo on a t-shirt, designing a logo is only one part of the process. A custom t-shirt is like a walking billboard for your business. Not only will you need to decide on the t-shirt logo placement and the location, but also the print area, and the print size of your logo. 

Print Logo Placement

The print logo placement indicates the specific measured position of the logo on the t-shirt. It is a more precise measurement to ensure that it is properly centered and positioned.

Print Logo Area

The print area may also be used to refer to the location of the t-shirt logo placement or location, but it actually refers to the total amount of surface area on the t-shirt the logo is meant to cover. It is used to denote if the logo will cover any seams, pockets, buttons, or other areas on the shirt as well.

Print Logo Size

When designing a t-shirt logo, it is important to have an appropriately sized logo in relation to its location, area, and placement. It's all about readability and appeal. You want your logo to pop, but not overpower your t-shirt design.

Large logos won't translate well when printed on smaller shirts like Youth sizes. Placing too small of a logo on a main location like the front center part of the t-shirt won't get much attention and isn't worth printing.

Whereas, using too large of a logo on a pocket of the shirt looks unappealing and can come off as unprofessional looking.

Print Logo Location

The print logo location refers to the general region on the t-shirt where the logo will go. For example, the front of the shirt or the sleeve. 

T-Shirt Logo Placement and Printing Locations

T-shirts offer great versatility when printing logos and designs, but deciding where on the t-shirt to put your logo can be a challenge if you don't understand the finer points of t-shirt logo placement first.

Again, consider the size of your logo, the size of the area where you want to place it, and the logo measurements before determining a location. You'll also need to know what types of logos are best suited for specific locations as well.

Front of T-Shirt

On the front of the t-shirt, you have three different primary areas for your t-shirt logo placement to go. They are the Center Chest, the Full Front, and the Pocket area which is also known as the Left Chest region. 

Photo by Ryan Hoffman on Unsplash

Full Front

The full front design is just as it sounds. It is a large logo with a placement of about 3" from the collar or neckline of the t-shirt. It can measure up to 12" wide and 14" long and it covers a major area of the front of the t-shirt.

For a logo design like this, it is best to not have a logo that is mostly solid with color as this will restrict the breathability of the t-shirt. Oversaturating the area with a solid logo creates what is known as a sweat patch due to a build-up of moisture underneath.

Pocket (Left Chest)

The pocket, generally on the upper left chest region, is well-suited for logos around 3 to 4" in size. You'll want to use a simple logo that isn't overly detailed, otherwise, it will be difficult to see at this size. 95% of top brands only use two colors in their logo design.

A logo in this area is a popular t-shirt design for identifying event staff or employees in a storefront. Embroidered logos and name placements are also popular styles for this region.

Center Chest

The center chest t-shirt logo placement sits directly at the center of the t-shirt about 4" from the neckline. The center chest is ideal for logos like superhero emblem designs. It provides maximum visibility.

It is a medium-range size option between the left chest and full front designs. It measures between 6" to 8" on average but can measure up to as much as 10" in size.

Back of T-Shirt

The back of the t-shirt provides an ample canvas for t-shirt logo placement. There are both full and half logo design placement options depending on your logo's size and design needs.

Top Back

The top back area falls 4" from the back neckline of the t-shirt with the t-shirt logo placement situated between the shoulder blade region. It is about 12" to 14" wide with a more narrow design across.

It can be used to identify a Volunteer, Event Staff member, or Security personnel. This is also a great space for a website address, social media handle, phone number, or special hashtag.

Full Back

The full back t-shirt logo placement can also be around 12" wide and 14" long in size but can go as large as 14" wide to 16" if the t-shirt size allows.

This creates large size creates optimal viewing for your logo as someone who is standing behind you in line can't help but see your logo design. A full back is also great for detailed full picture designs.

This works well with a left chest logo placement for a tag-team approach of a small front logo and a large back logo together.

Alternative Locations and Items for T-Shirt Logo Placement

The sleeves make terrific alternative locations for t-shirt logo placement. There are also other items such as hoodies and baby onesies where a t-shirt logo placement can go.

T-Shirt Sleeve

The short sleeve t-shirt logo placement goes about 1 inch above the sleeve's hem. It can be around 3 to 4.5" wide and should be a simple design that can be clearly seen.

These are sometimes used in combination with a front or back logo design.

Long-Sleeve T-Shirt Sleeve

Long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts offer an area for elongated logos or lines of text. Newer long-sleeve logo placements may travel down the arm or appear to wrap all the way around the arm.

Photo by Sedulur Papat on Unsplash

You should be mindful of designs that may distort at the elbow bend with frequent wear over time. 

Hood on Hoodies

The hood of a hoodie is becoming a more widely used area for logo placement. The side of a hoodie is ideal for a medium-sized logo on either side.

While the top portion of the hoodie around the head is a great place for a brand name or a line of text. This text can be placed either facing inward toward the wearer or outward for others to see.

Pouch Pocket on Hoodies

Hoodie pockets are also popular places for logo placement. It allows for creativity in utilizing the pocket itself as a part of the logo design.

The writing or logo design can be front and center on the pocket, off to the sides, and around the edge of the pocket. Or it can be on the top of the pocket appearing to pop out of or disappear into the hoodie pocket.

Baby Onesies

Although baby onesies are very small in comparison to a regular t-shirt, it is still possible to print a full picture design on them. Custom and logo print baby onesies are becoming popular gift items for parents-to-be.

For a 0-3 months sized onesie, you can place a center chest design of about 3"x3" For subsequent month ranges you can proceed accordingly with these sized images:

• 3-6 months: 4” x 4”
• 6-9 months: 5” x 5”
• 12 months: 6” x 6”
• 18 months: 7” x 7”

For a 24-month-sized onesie, you can use a design as large as 8"x8". Be cautious about maintaining the aspect ratio of the image as you move up or down a size.

Find Quality and Affordable Blank T-Shirts for T-Shirt Design and Printing at AllDayShirts.com

A good t-shirt logo can help set your t-shirt design apart from the competition and boost your brand awareness. The placement and design of your logo only serve to enhance the presentation of your brand. 

Now that you know more about t-shirt logo placement, you'll also want to know where to find the best blank t-shirts for printing. AllDayShirts.com has a wide variety of quality blank t-shirts in stock for custom t-shirt decorators at affordable prices. 

Place your blank t-shirts order on our website today and read our blog post on the Best Fonts for T-Shirt Designs for more information.