A few weeks ago, we put out a call to readers of Pop Culture Tees to help us bring new views and content to the site.

Stuff that YOU want to read about.

The response was great, and we’re really thrilled to have Blake from You Design It as one of our first guest authors.

Blake’s post (we’d tell you what it’s about, but we don’t want to ruin the surprise) will appear on Friday, but we wanted to introduce him to you today, and ask him a few questions about t-shirts, design, and everything else.

Here’s what he had to say:

Can you talk a little bit about your background in the apparel industry? (How did you get involved? Which aspects are you most passionate about?)

I got started in the apparel industry as a teen sweeping the warehouse at a local printing company. I moved into a sales position after college and really found my niche on the apparel side (the company printed paper, tags, etc.)

The part that made it less of a job and more of a passion was t-shirt design and more specifically… design that prints the best. We like to come up with creative ways to simplify the print but still maintain the design’s integrity.

You must see a lot of artwork come through your doors… what are some of the biggest mistakes you see artists make when designing for t-shirts?

It would have to be to much use of gradients, shading and glows. Those techniques are great for web design and digital printing on paper, but they rarely translate into 100% quality for screen printed t-shirts. We can do it and it will still look good, but the expectations of the designer have to be in line with the limitations of the print process.

What’s the single most important thing that you would tell someone who was designing a t-shirt for the first time?

Have fun! Don’t take everything too seriously because there will be some obstacles and headaches but they can all be overcome. Have some flexibility to compromise but also be willing to push the limits. You will learn the most from going through the process firsthand.

Great advice Blake.

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Are you interested in guest posting on Pop Culture Tees? Get all the details about it right here.