Merch Design That People Actually Keep
Make your design available on the item that best suits your target. I’ve helped brands transform one illustration into a variety of custom merchandise. This includes pins, tees, placemats, and even paper.
What I Design for Merch
I’m a merch designer who starts on paper.
- Custom merchandise for small brands: t-shirts, tote bags, pins, stickers, and placemats. I draw the art to fit the item, not the other way around.
- Merch design for events and shops: limited runs that feel collectible, not generic.
- Visual merchandising design: I arrange the art on displays. This makes your pins, shirts, and packaging look like a cohesive family on the shelf.
- Custom rolling papers design: I set up the booklet art, the inside repeats, and the legal text area, all print-ready for your supplier.
How I Adapt One Idea To Many Products
- Draw the core. I create one strong character or scene by hand.
- Test the formats. I simplify it for a pin, keep details for a placemat, and adjust colors for fabric.
- Build the pack. You get each item set up to spec (correct size, bleed, and colour mode).
- Keep it consistent. I use the same line weight and palette, so your whole merchandising line reads as one brand.
Need a quick test? Send me your product list, and I’ll sketch how one idea would look on three items.
Frequently Asked Questions
You tell me the product and the audience. I sketch 2–3 character ideas that work small (for a pin) and large (for a shirt). We pick one and build the range.
Yes. That’s the core of good merchandise design. I redraw the art at different levels of detail so it works on a 1-inch pin and a full-back tee.
I do. I set up the booklet cover, the inside leaf pattern, and the back panel with all legal info. Files are delivered to your printer’s exact template.
It’s planning how your products look together in a shop or at a fair. I design the art system so your shirts, stickers, and displays feel like one brand, not random items.
A logo is a stamp. Merch design tells a story. I draw original art people want to wear or collect, not just brand ID.
Pins get vector AI/EPS with Pantone colors. Shirts get spot-color separations for screen print or high-res PNGs for DTG. Everything is labeled by product.
Yes. Send me their template and specs. I build to their requirements so you don’t get a rejection email from the printer.