Looking to have customized apparel created? Well you’ve found us, so you’re off to a great start! The tricky part can sometimes be putting your apparel vision into visuals… and good looking ones! Here at Rogue Star, we can provide design services that aren’t just for a flat image, but for designs that wear. If you have an idea, we will work with you to bring it to life, but if you’re more of a do-it-yourself-er (or have a tight budget) then we have a list of great tools for you to use!

Lets start with a few specialized tools:

  • Word Swag
    • An app that you can use to create custom text layout. You can add captions, create stylish quotes, and make graphics with text overlay. The app can suggest complimentary fonts if you’re wanting to use more than one and offers backgrounds for your text.
  • Ucraft Logo Maker
    • A website for designing logos. They have many stylish options for text, icons, shapes, colours, etc. There are enough presets to keep your strain at bay but enough freedom to customize as you want. Bonus: you can download high resolution files to send to printers like us.
  • Vector Magic
    • A website that lets you upload pixel based images and turn them into scaleable vectors. Once converted, you can make changes and touch ups (if you so choose) and you can download the file in a variety of vector friendly formats. Perfect for if you have an image of your idea but need it bigger and better. 😉

Here are some general design and image editing tools that offer similar features with their own personal twists. These tools offer typical features like templates (useful for collages), image editing/effects, image libraries, graphic tools, and various fonts:

  • Canva
    • Offers easy drag-and-drop for elements you want to add to your designs with a heavy focus on offering/suggesting templates. Templates are editable and the design tools are ‘smart’. You’ll never get bored of what templates and elements are available to use.
  • Picmonkey
    • Offers photo editing and design tools. They offer standard design tools for adding shapes, text, or other elements, they have a huge menu of overlays, and they offer tools for photo enhancement. Perfect for giving a photo a quick fix or a little something to spice it up.
  • Snappa
    • Offers a fast and simple way to edit images. They focus on offering different graphics tools, graphic/image libraries, and templates. Use this if you’re looking for a decently quick in and out design experience.
  • BeFunky
    • Offers smart/intuitive editing tools and templates. The help this tool offers makes it easy to use and their filters and effects are pretty much guaranteed to make your images look great. You feel guided, but not limited when using this tool.
  • Fotor
    • Offers image editing, collages, and graphic tools. They focus on adding effects to images and retouching them. Fotor allows you to add borders, effects, and image editing. Fotor seems to focus heavily on filters, which will give your images an ‘Instagram’ look.
  • Stencil
    • Offers images, editing, and even functions to create quotes that you can explore and use. Focuses on speed and ease of use by removing a lot of the ‘unnecessary’.
  • PiZap
    • Offers fun but basic edits, effects, etc. but gets the job done. This is another tool/resource for you to explore your creative options (ie background, sticker, text, template choices), even if they are kind of silly. With this tool, it’s easy bein’ cheesy.
    • Image result for pizap

A quick tip for any tools you make use of: choose the highest quality settings possible when saving. We know that “dpi” and “MB” mean very little to most of you (we don’t blame you). Highest quality and larger size files ensure the best possible results for your designs when they are being printed to your garments. Artwork submitted at low quality, low resolution, or small size may result in a low quality or blurry/pixelated print and that simply just won’t do!

Give these tools a spin and see what you come up with! We’d love to receive designs that you’ve made so that your custom apparel dreams can come true. If you just can’t get the hang of these tools then no worries! Give us a call and we can do the work for you here at Rogue Star. We’re happy to help!