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Fashion Statements |
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How – and where – you place a logo on a garment could mean the difference between the recipient wearing it regularly or tossing it into the trash. Our experts give the skinny on how to logo five popular items: caps, tees, woven shirts, golf polos and tote bags.
It’s an all-too-common scenario: An employee or client gets a cool T-shirt from a company, only to be disappointed when he finds a huge, unattractive logo blaring from the chest. Instead of putting it on, he throws it in the trash or wears it as a drop cloth while painting. Not exactly the use the marketer had in mind.
No doubt, selecting the right logo for a garment or accessory is serious business. Apparel can be a great brand extension for any corporate promotion. But with the advent of new high-tech fabrics, changing color palettes and new decoration methods, choosing logos for promotional clothing and accessories just got a lot more complicated.
To make things easier, we’ve enlisted the help of experts in five of the most popular clothing and accessory categories – caps, woven shirts, golf polos, tees and tote bags. For each category, our experts offer suggestions for fabric selection, logo placement and application methods. Keep this guide handy to ensure that your company’s apparel and accessories make the right fashion statement every time.
Golf Shorts
The biggest mistake companies make is selecting an inexpensive shirt that doesn’t reflect the message they’d like to send about their brand. Another mistake: Not ordering company shirts in men’s and women’s sizes. Often, companies purchase men’s small sizes for female employees, but the shirts aren’t cut for women’s bodies. The necks are too large and the shirts fit sloppily: not exactly the image you’d like to project.
“Pharmaceutical companies in particular have very specific needs, and you have to understand their peculiar challenges these days,” says Rosalie a business coach and author specializing in the promotional products arena. New governmental and association laws and rules have severely restricted the kinds of promotional products and incentives pharmaceutical salespeople can leave behind for physicians when promoting particular drug products, Rosalie says.
Assuming you’ve picked a good-quality shirt in the correct sizes, the next step is fabric choice, says Brian Thompson, vice president and general manager of Cutter & Buck, a supplier of upscale sportswear.
- Fabric Choice – “Moisture-wicking materials and high-tech performance fabrics are the rage for golf shirts,” says Thompson. “In addition, we’re working with thinner materials and lighter knits using fabrics like double-mercerized cotton, all of which make golf shirts harder to logo.” Thompson notes that Cutter & Buck has had to re-do all of their dyes to make sure they translate well to these newer fabrics when it comes to embroidery. His suggestion: Work with a promotional apparel distributor who understands the finer points of decorating performance fabrics.
While most golf shirt logos are embroidered, if a logo is very small (which makes it hard to reproduce via embroidery), some might opt for appliqué (fabric is inserted into the design and sewn into place).
- Size – “For brand launches, big events or trade shows you’ll want to use larger logos,” advises Thompson. If the item is a gift or a ladies’ shirt, the trend is toward “smaller, less obtrusive logos,” he says. Think the size of a quarter.
- Placement – The left chest is the most popular spot for golf shirt logos, Thompson says. Another popular option: the left sleeve. Again, it all depends on how visible you want the logo to be.
- Colors – Thompson advises that along with larger sizes, brighter logo colors are favored for product launches, trade shows or other branding events. But when in comes to corporate wear, he says, “Go with tonals, like dark-colored golf shirts with matching dark embroidery.”
Trends – “People are branching out into different golf shirt logo placements,” says Thompson. Some cool locales: on the back yoke (just below the collar on back) and on the front hem. He says that the front-hem works especially well for clients’ gifts because, “It’s completely non-obtrusive but it still reminds the customer who gave them the golf shirt. Try this if you want to be different.”
Caps
More and more companies are providing employees with caps and coordinating apparel (such as jackets or sweatshirts) to further extend their brands. But don’t just go with any old lid. Select one that’s of good quality so that people will want to wear it. And if you’re giving it to both women and men, consider offering a different style for the women – with perhaps a change in the shape of the cap or a shorter front for a more feminine look.
- Fabric Choice – Select a cap that’s made of high-quality, cotton twill, says Marie DeLucca, general manager of Adams Fashion Headwear. Cotton hats are easy to logo via either embroidery, appliqué or screen printing ( aka silk screening) but “most customers prefer embroidery,” she says.
- Size – “The size of the hat determines the size of the logo,” DeLucca says. She notes that most hats have a logo that is about 2" x 4", but she recommends a smaller logo for those going for an understated look. Think silver-dollar size. “Some customers want their logo to look like a Ralph Lauren Polo insignia, so they’ll ask for a small, neatly embroidered area,” she says.
- Placement – The majority of the time you’ll see logos centered on the front of the hat, DeLucca says, “but people who want a more low-key look will move them to the right extending all the way to the left or right temple.” Many opt to put the logo both on the front and back of the hat to extend the branding message.
- Colors – Experts recommend using a multi-color logo when embroidering a hat so that it stands out. For corporate events, clients typically stick with standard corporate colors for logos, “but for outdoor events like golf tournaments they’ll often decide to move up the color scale and go for something brighter,” DeLucca says.
Hats used for incentive trips or meetings at resort destinations might have logos more geared toward the event. “For a trip to Florida, for example, you might want to go with brighter, more tropical colors,” DeLucca says. “You can be a bit more outlandish.”
- Trends – Looking for something different? Try a continuous logo – a logo that starts at the visor and continues up the crown of the hat. But be forewarned: The continuous embroidered logo can only be custom-made by a hat manufacturer because, “it’s next to impossible to embroider a visor once it’s been assembled,” according to DeLucca.
Woven Shirts
As workplaces embrace a more professional look, woven shirts are once again becoming popular. But these aren’t your father’s oxford shirts. Classy patterns and lighter fabrics make these dressy shirts the must-have item this season. Look for patterns on wovens this year that include coloring, texture and designs, as long as they’re not so loud that they compete with a logo. One other hot trend for the female set: the three-quarter length sleeve. They have a bit more style and femininity than the traditional button cuff.
- Fabric Choice – Typical woven shirts for the corporate set are combed, ring-spun cotton and wrinkle-resistant ultra-smooth poly/cotton, says Gabrielle Rohde, vice president of Rohde Royce Inc., a supplier of ladies’ apparel and men’s coordinates. “For the professional look, embroidered logos are the obvious choice,” she says.
- Size – Rohde notes that logo size is generally related to shirt size. “Because women’s shirts are smaller, they’ll tend to have smaller logos,” she says. Translation: Don’t plaster the same logo on the women’s shirts that you’re using for the men’s shirts. Scale it down to the appropriate size.
- Placement – Most logos on woven shirts are placed on the left chest. To make sure it’s placed correctly, Rohde recommends centering the logo between the center and armhole seams of the shirt. “Too often I see off-center logos, which means that when someone puts the shirt on, the logo migrates to the underarm,” she says. Rohde suggests placing the logo no more than six inches down from the shirt’s shoulder seam. “This is exactly where a woman would wear a decorative pin or broach,” she says.
Alternate locations such as collar tips, cuffs or plackets, can also be embroidered if you’re looking for a more understated look.
- Colors – “If you’re using dress shirts for a trade show or major event it’s important to identify everyone as a member of the team,” advises Rohde. To accomplish this she suggests using a vibrant, full-color logo. For casual wear or golf shirts, changing the traditional colors for softer or tone-on-tone thread combinations make it more likely that the recipient will wear it.
- Trends – “Sparkles and studs are the latest hot item in women’s shirt logos,” Rohde says. Her company is pioneering custom-logo designs in smooth nailhead and faceted metals as well as two-cut crystals or genuine Swarovski crystal. “These really stand out,” she says. “It’s a fun, glitzy way to do a logo and still get a marketing message across.”
Fabrics to Know
Here are five fabric definitions from David Bebon, president of Capital Mercury Apparel.
- Poplin. One of three basic weaves; the other two are twill and satin. Poplin is a plain weave (one yarn up, one yarn down in a cross-hatch effect). Poplin is typically made with a finer yarn in the warp (the north-south fabric length) than the weft (the east-west fabric length).
- Broadcloth. Plain weave fabrics that are similar to poplins, except they’re made with finer yarns, and therefore, these garments have more luster when dyed. Today, poplin and broadcloth often are used interchangeably.
- End-on-end. This means broadcloths, chambray, madras or other fabrics that have alternating warp yarns, usually one in color and one in white. End-on-end also refers to fabrics with two colors alternating in the warp.
- Sheeting. These are plain weave fabrics in the poplin family, where the warp and the weft number of yarns are equal and the yarn sizes of both warp and weft are nearly the same, producing a very smooth fabric.
- Pinpoint oxford. The pinpoint oxford weave is a version of the plain weave as well. Two warp ends (two-ply) are twisted and then are woven as one, over and under the single picks. Pinpoints are made with finer yarns that give a softer hand.
T-Shirts
T-shirts can be either well-loved and well-worn or immediately tossed. To avoid the latter, opt for a high-quality shirt with a small logo on the left chest. If you want to go crazy with your branding message, don’t worry: You’ve still got the back.
- Fabric Choice – The type of logo you’ll put on a T-shirt depends on the fabric of the shirt, says Charlie Stack, marketing manger for Hanesbrands Inc., an apparel manufacturer. “If you’re doing heat transfer you’ll find that 50/50 T-shirt fabrics (50% cotton/50% polyester) hold colors a little better,” he says, “but if you’re shooting for screen printing, you’ll want to go with 100% cotton.” Appliqué is usually used for lower-end shirts and for inexpensive small runs, Stack adds. Don’t opt for an embroidered tee: It costs significantly more and “is usually reserved for higher-end items like golf shirts,” he says.
- You'll pull clients in when you use a staple remover as your business card. Your best bet is a stylish design with room enough to imprint your company's logo, branding message and contact information.
- Size – “For trade shows or other large events you’ll see large logos with lots of information,” Stack says. “But for more low-key events you’ll need a smaller, more conservative logo.”
- Placement – Larger T-shirt logos for trade shows and major events will usually be positioned at front and/or back,” advises Stack, “but T-shirts for private corporate events will often feature a small corporate logo at left chest with an option to display other relevant company information larger on the back of the shirt.”
- Colors – “These days, printers with 12-station printing machines can turn out almost any color,” says Stack. “That means there’s virtually no limitation on what you can put on a T-shirt.”
- Trends – “Varied logo placement is a new trend,” says Stack. “Imaginative printers are coming up with wrap-around prints that can either be placed around the side of the T-Shirt, across the shoulder or around the collar.”
Tote Bags
Tote bags are a staple of any event, whether it’s an incentive trip, trade show or executive meeting. Logo them attractively and recipients will keep them for years to come.
- Fabric Choice – “When it comes to tote bags, fabric type isn’t a big factor,” says Stu, national sales manager for an advertising specialty supplier. The reason: The most popular types – canvas, poly/canvas, cotton and nylon are all easy to decorate. Screen printing is by far the preferred decoration method for tote bags, Stu says, because it’s an inexpensive process and allows for much larger logos. Embroidery is another option, although it’s more expensive.
Logos are typically placed in the center of the bag, on the bottom half.
- Size – For trade shows and meetings, Stu says, “it’s generally the larger the tote bag logo the better.” While loud logos rarely work for golf or woven shirts, they’re fine for totes. Still, for upscale events like a board of director’s meeting, Stu says, “you’ll want to make the logo discreet so that a high-level executive can carry the tote bag back to the airport without becoming a walking advertisement.”
- Placement – “Tote bag straps govern logo placement,” advises Stu. “If the straps run completely around the bag, you’ll generally center the logo between them, but if the straps are top-stitched, you can run the logo across the bag.”
- Colors – Logo colors should be counter-matched to the color of the tote bag, Stu says. For example, you need to use light-colored logos on dark colored bags and vice versa. Two-tone bags present other issues, Stu says, “An example is a tote bag with a black bottom and red top. In this case the customer might prefer to place a white logo on the red portion of the bag and leave the black portion blank.”
- Trends – One hot look: The combination tote bag and backpack. But check with your distributor before decorating: This two-function tote is typically made of heavy-duty nylon that might require special inks.
Reprinted with permission of Successful Promotions, copyright 2007
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