Thursday 20 March 2014

Design Tips When Getting Custom Shirts Printed

Ever wanted to have your own fashion label? Many people do and you can cut your teeth on custom t-shirts until you’re ready to start your own label which, as many budding young clothing designers have discovered, isn’t impossible.

Know your market

Chances are you’re not trying to appeal to too many people just yet, perhaps just friends and friends of friends as is often the case, not to mention a good starting point, but even so you have to know your market otherwise even your friends won’t want to get around in your designs.


Trial and error … the cheap way

Good design is a lot of the time, a case of trial and error, usually more of the latter than the former. If you’re an artist and can draw, freehand draw your designs before printing them and ask friends for an understanding of what works and what doesn’t in their opinion.

You might have access to cheap t-shirts and printing services but why waste a t-shirt and ink on something that doesn’t work?

There are some cool t-shirt design programs you can use too, some of which like OpenTshirts is open source and free to use, whilst some like GraffixPro Studio® you’ll need to buy, though depending on how serious you are, likely to be well worth the money.

Keep your t-shirt designs simple

Next time you walk down the street, take a look at the t-shirts people are wearing these days – what do you notice? In general, they’re opting for simplistic t-shirt designs because simple designs have the greatest impact and if you’re trying to convey a message with your t-shirt designs this is what you should be aiming for – t-shirt designs with impact.

That isn’t to say that full-front graphics don’t work because they can, though you need the skills to deliver.

Create artwork at the actual size

By creating your artwork at its actual size, i.e. the size you want it printed, you can avoid having the printer use his/her judgment and print your designs at a different size than what you had envisioned.

If you specify the exact size you want the t-shirts printed at you can avoid this problem, though be sure to take into account different-sized artwork for different-sized t-shirts.

Convert text to outlines

Any article you read on the subject of t-shirt design will tell you this – convert the text on your designs to outlines. There’s a very good reason for this the font you use might not be supported. To avoid incompatibility problems, convert text to outlines to be viewed as an image.

Work with a reputable printer

By working with a reputable printer, one you find easy to talk to about how you want your t-shirts to look and can make astute suggestions from experience, you can mitigate, to a great extent, problems like the two directly abovementioned – the printer printing your designs at a different size and font incompatibility problems.

Moreover, there’s more involved here, such as using high-quality inks and the correct technologies and techniques, plus working with someone you feel comfortable talking to is essential for good communication and that’s important for producing products of saleable quality.
What’s more, as you undoubtedly want to make money from your designs, you’ll need to source a cheap t-shirt printing service, though bear in mind that cheap shouldn’t mean low budget but rather cost-effective – there’s a big difference.
You too can design and print your own t-shirts and there’s no reason why you can’t be successful at it either.

About Author:

A company that has state-of-the-art equipment and an integrated facility, Mad Dog Promotions is a reliable provider of quality though cheap t-shirt printing services in Australia. They do not only screen printing but also digital transfers and dye sub-prints.

Wednesday 12 March 2014

Circle K Craftholic Candy Collection Premiums

These adorable premiums at Circle K are bound to bring smiles and hugs to your everyday life. These items up for grabs are from the Craftholic brand that is a massive hit all over Asia. Craftholic is a series of characters developed by Ikuko Yamamotothat feature cute characters in striking prints.



In order to obtain these premiums, one has to collect 12 OK stickers of 6 stickers plus $20 HKD to redeem one item. An OK sticker is obtained upon every purchase of $20 HKD. This offer is only available till mid April so hurry and get your hands on them now!

Why offer premiums?

Believe it or not, these tiny investments can provide you with a better return on your investment than tv ads or billboards. Advertisements may be able to provide you with great visibility but premiums can provide you with massive reach. It also serves as daily reminders to remind users of your premiums about your brand name. Premiums like this also serve as walking advertisements. Can you ask for a better low-cost investment? 

Collaborating with popular brands to offer premiums!

Like Circle K, your company can consider collaborating with known brands to offer premiums. The benefit of doing so is that both brands will be able to leverage off each other’s strengths and market appeal. This will serve to benefit both parties involved! Furthermore my collaborating, parties involved can share the costs of the promotional offer.

For more gift and premium offers by other companies, check out these articles:

Monday 10 March 2014

Trip Advisor Emergency Charger Promotional Gift

Trip Advisor gave visitors an emergency charger kit as a promotional gift for their last event in Hong Kong.   Since I just had a very long day at work before the event I was running low on "juice."  Really appreciated this well thought out marketing message. 

This kit consists of a portable charger and a variety of charging heads. This kit will come in handy for everyone because the multi charging head function allows all phone users to charge their phones!

Trip Advisor Emergency Charger Promotional Gift
Trip Advisor Emergency Charger Promotional Gift

What is an emergency charger?

An emergency charger is a charger that allows users to charge their mobile appliances anytime and anywhere. One simply has to charge up the emergency charger for 4-6 hours beforehand in order to use it on the go.

This promotional gift comes in really handy as it is highly portable and can be carried around in ones bag easily.

Why offer an emergency charger as a promotional gift?

The charger comes in a wide variety of colors and you will certainly be able to find a color that suits your marketing needs! On top of that, you will also be able to customize the charger with your own logo and brand name!

The best part of this promotional gift is that it is compatible with many different brands and models of mobile phones. Simply plug the respective charging head into the charger and you will be able to charge any device you desire!

People love receiving items that have a high utility value and this charger is a promotional gift like that! It is extremely useful and is certainly a gift that your customers will appreciate receiving! This will make your customers feel very valued and will help to build up customer loyalty. Furthermore it will serve as a constant reminder to your customers of your brand’s generosity in rewarding customers.

For more promotional gift ideas, check out these articles below!

Friday 7 March 2014

High End Corporate Gift - Virtual Keyboard

This virtual keyboard is the perfect example of a high end corporate gift. It is compatible with most operating software and will definitely come in handy for your customers! Read on to find out more!

High End Corporate Gift  - Virtual Keyboard
High End Corporate Gift  - Virtual Keyboard 

What is a virtual keyboard?

High End Corporate Gift  - Virtual Keyboard
High End Corporate Gift  - Virtual Keyboard
A virtual keyboard is a software component that allows the use to enter characters on selected devices. With a single flick of a switch, this magic cube will project a full QWETY virtual keyboard onto the tabletop allowing users to use it as per a normal keyboard. It can be easily paired with any smart devices simply through the use of the Bluetooth function or by connecting the USB cable. 

Why offer a virtual keyboard as a high end corporate gift?

This virtual keyboard is a rather new technology to enter the market, therefore it has a high perceived value. If you are looking to offer your customers some high end corporate gifts, there is really nothing better than a product that is new, innovative and extremely cool. Rewarding your customers with such an awesome gift will definitely aid in building up brand loyalty.

Furthermore, by offering such a creative gift, your company will be able to distinguish yourselves from the rest of the competitors. Customers like companies that are innovative thus this can also help to boost support for your company!

Remember that it is always key to invest in marketing products as it will reap great benefits for your company! If you really want to make an impression, high end corporate gifts are definitely the way to go!

For more high end corporate gift ideas, check out these blogs:

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Macys and One Direction Gift with Purchase Offer

Macys is currently offering an exclusive gift with purchase deal! The deal involves a free One Direction purse with the purchase of Our Moment perfume. This deal is only available at Macys for a limited period of time so do get your hands on it while the promotion is still available.

One Direction Gift with Purchase Promotion
One Direction Gift with Purchase Promotion
One Direction is an English pop band based in London that rose to fame after coming in third in the seventh season of the British “The X Factor” competition. With the help of social media, One Direction’s three albums have broken several records and topped many music charts globally.

Why offer a gift with purchase?


As mentioned above, a free gift with purchase helps to make customers feel like the overall value of their purchase is higher as they get more items than what they paid for. This is merely one advantage for offering a free gift with purchase. Offering free gift with purchase also helps you to market your brand further. Imagine giving away a complimentary purse like Macys, this tote allows you plenty of surface area to brand your logo or message. This drastically improves visibility of your logo towards bystanders, onlookers, people who might not yet be your customers.

Offering a free gift with purchase can also help positively boost your company’s image. It shows to your customers that you care about them and you want to make their shopping experience with you a positive one! Furthermore, your free gift with purchase can be made using recyclable materials! This improves your company image in terms of corporate social responsibility; therefore, the public will tend to trust your company more. People are more willing to buy a product from a company that uses a portion of it for corporate social responsibility!

More examples of gift with purchase offers!


Grey Goose Duffel Bag Gift with Purchase Promotion
Grey Goose Duffel Bag Gift with Purchase Promotion
This promotion was spotted at the Sydney airport in the duty free section. Customers simply had to purchase some Grey Goose Alcohol in order to receive the duffel bag that was being offered. The bag is handy for those frequent travelers who can use it for short trips. When offering gifts, companies must always remember to keep the clients in mind and to understand how the gifts will benefit the customers.

Aramis Umbrella Gift with Purchase
Aramis Umbrella Gift with Purchase
Another gift with purchase promotion is this umbrella offered as a marketing gift by Aramis. The gift with purchase being offered is an umbrella in the colors brown and gold. It is branded with the Aramis logo, making it look expensive and classic. Branded umbrellas are highly cost effective and are an exceptional way of drawing more attention towards your business. This gift with purchase helps to increase brand awareness when your customers use the umbrellas in public. Those who cross paths with the users will learn more about the company and may even become interested in your brand. This definitely is a plus point because it will help to generate more sales for your company in the long run.

For more ideas check out these articles listed below:

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