How to Design Your Own Company or Gym Shirt: Placement and Template Guide

Designing a company or gym shirt is a narrower problem than designing a whole clothing brand from scratch. The business already has a name, a logo, and probably a color palette. The job is translating that into a design that looks good at garment scale and holds up whether it is worn by staff, members, or handed out at an event.

Start with what already exists

Before designing anything new, pull the existing logo, brand colors, and any tagline the business already uses. A shirt design that matches the business's actual branding reads as professional; a shirt design that invents a new look just for apparel reads as disconnected from the brand customers already recognize.

The layout that works for most company and gym shirts

• Left chest logo, small: the subtle, everyday-wear default. Good for staff shirts worn daily.
• Full center chest: bigger and bolder, works well for member or event shirts meant to be noticed.
• Front logo, back tagline or motto: the most common combination. Since front and back prints cost the same as one side, this layout gets used constantly.

Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.

Color choices that hold up on fabric

A logo built for a website or business card sometimes has fine details that disappear at shirt scale. Simplify to one or two colors for the actual print, and test the design against both a dark and a light shirt color before finalizing, since some logos read cleanly on white but wash out on black or vice versa.

What to check before ordering the first batch

Confirm the file is a transparent PNG at high resolution before uploading; see our design tools guide for the specifics. Order a single sample piece first if the design is going on a large staff or member order, rather than committing everyone's sizes on an unproven design.

Where to actually build and order the shirt

A gym or business does not need to buy in bulk to outfit staff or members. Set up a free shop, upload the logo, and order exactly the number of shirts needed, in the sizes needed, with no leftover stock sitting in a closet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should a company shirt use the exact website logo?

Usually yes, simplified if it has fine detail that will not hold up at print size. Consistency with existing branding matters more than a new design.

Does a front and back design cost more than one side?

No, front and back prints run the same base price as a single-side print, so there is little reason to leave the back blank.

What is the safest color combination for a first shirt?

A dark shirt (black or navy) with a light logo print is the most forgiving combination and holds up across most brand colors.

Can staff and member shirts use the same design?

They can, though many businesses use a smaller, subtler placement for staff and a bolder version for member or public-facing shirts.