I spend far too much time admiring T-shirt graphics. It’s partly because I love the designs and partly because I’m always looking for a T-shirt I’d actually wear. My family will confirm how picky I am; I’ve repeatedly told them not to buy me anything they happen to see in a shop.
It must be my age, but I like designs that feel vintage or workwear-inspired, particularly when they have a dry sense of humour. I like buying into the motorcycle look, but I don’t own a motorbike. I love designs that borrow from tattooing, but I don’t have any tattoos—I like the visual language without wanting it permanently on my skin.
If I wanted to sound clever, I could drag Nietzsche into it and call it symbolic consumption: tattoos, motorbikes and rebellion, all without leaving leafy Teddington or having to find somewhere to park a Harley.
My family and friends have a shorter phrase for it: awkward to buy for.
That probably explains why I like graphic T-shirts so much. They let me borrow from all those different worlds without having to commit to any of them.
I can have the tattoos, motorbikes and rebellion printed across my chest, then take it all off and put the kettle on.
What makes a good graphic T-shirt design?
A good graphic T-shirt design has one clear idea, strong type or illustration, and a layout that works with the shirt rather than treating it like a rectangular poster. The best designs also have an unusual detail—a strange image, worn print or awkward bit of type—that stops them looking like stock artwork.
All the rebellion, none of the commitment
The best T-shirt designs often appear simple but usually contain a clever idea. That might be the right typeface, an unexpected image, a slightly unusual layout or a distinctive print finish. Here are ten I really like and why I think each one works.
01 Cherry Cola by Hellcats, designed by Clark Orr
First up is the Cherry Cola T-shirt from Hellcats, designed by Clark Orr. The shirts have a tough, old-school feel, but there’s enough humour to stop the designs becoming too serious. Behind it all is illustrator and graphic designer Clark Orr, who clearly knows how to turn a strong image into something people want to wear.
The “Hellcats” lettering uses a fat face pushed into an italic, with most of the weight sitting in the thick strokes and the thins cut almost to nothing. That gives the word its swagger. A bit vintage cola, a bit hot rod. Sweet, with some bite.
I don’t own it. I’d happily wear it, which is probably the most useful test for a T-shirt.
02 Too Short Smokes by The Dudes and mcbess
The Too Short Smokes T-shirt by The Dudes and mcbess has pretty much everything I like in a graphic tee: a grinning skull, a stupidly large cigarette and the words “Life’s too short to give a shit.”
The black linework looks brilliant against the off-white cotton, and the lettering curves around the illustration to hold the whole thing together. It sits somewhere between old tattoo flash, an underground comic and a battered workwear graphic. Funny, beautifully drawn and loud.
I’d wear it without a second thought.
03 Fish Finger Sandwich by Batch1
The next one is the Fish Finger Sandwich T-shirt from Batch1. A fish finger sandwich is practically an English institution: fish fingers, cheap white bread and enough tartare sauce to sink a ship.
The walking sandwich, closely followed by the truly dreadful “Oh my cod!” Pun, awesome . The white print stands out brilliantly against the black shirt. It’s the sort of tee you’d find in a seaside chip shop.
Funny, retro and properly thought through. It’s familiar, slightly ridiculous and very British, and I’d happily wear it on a T-shirt.
04 Lucky Shot by P&Co
I found the Lucky Shot T-shirt at P&Co.
Vintage Americana, motorcycles, workwear and graphics this has all of those things. The blindfolded cowgirl firing at a beer can caught my eye but what I really like is the hand painted look of the design, almost like a watercolour.
I’d wear it for that old workwear look, and because P&Co make good-quality T-shirts.
05 Bobskull by Deus Ex Machina
Deus makes good T-shirts, and I’m a sucker for a good skull. I found the Bobskull T-shirt on its website. It was designed by creative director Carby Tuckwell.
Nothing here is polished. The letters wobble, the spacing is awkward and the baseline wanders. Badly drawn letters and deliberately badly drawn letters are different things, and this is clearly the second one—the wobble is even across every character.
The red and blue print gives it the feel of an old garage sign, while the chequered cap and pipe add the character.
It gets the scruffy workshop look right and genuinely looks vintage.
06 Ride Hard by Iron & Resin
The Ride Hard T-shirt from Iron & Resin is much simpler than the others, which is probably why it works.
The chunky slab serif landed first, followed by the red shape above it that nods towards old cigarette packaging—Marlboro in particular. I’m surprised nobody from Marlboro has sent a letter.
The slab is a proper Clarendon-ish thing with bracketed serifs and heavy ball terminals.
The cracked texture running through the lettering and graphic makes it feel worn rather than digitally distressed. I don’t know how they do that, but I love it.
If you like that worn print finish, I’ve also written about how to create cracked T-shirt ink in Photoshop.
Big, blunt and doesn’t need explaining.
07 Cool of Jazz by Universal Works
The Cool of Jazz Pocket Tee from Universal Works lets the type do everything. Large grey capitals run across the shoulders and chest, set tight enough to feel more like a poster than a clothing graphic—the leading is pulled in so far that the lines almost touch, which gives it that packed, printed look.
The angled pocket covers parts of the words. It should make the design harder to read, and it does, and it’s better for it. The text links jazz, beatniks, punk, mods and hip-hop—the subcultures behind the brand.
Just type, scale and awkward positioning. Nothing else here is doing that.
08 New York City by American Eagle
I used to be a big fan of American Eagle’s stretchy jeans. Then the company opened stores in the UK and, a few years later, closed them all. I still miss them.
The New York City Graphic T-shirt from American Eagle takes three words and gives each one its own typeface.
“New” and “City” use heavy slab-serif capitals, while “York” gets the more decorative treatment in the middle.
The changing type styles, oversized lettering and tiny seal underneath make it look like an old souvenir or college shirt.
It’s not especially cool or clever. If I’m honest, it’s a bit boring—but I still like it.
09 Rare Spins by EDWIN
The Rare Spins T-shirt from EDWIN uses green ink on white, with two cartoon devils looking very pleased with themselves. The Japanese lettering across the top is thick and ragged, with pointed drips giving it a horror-film feel. Underneath, “Rare Spins & Deep Digs for Twisted Ears” switches to bold, tightly packed sans-serif capitals.
I don’t really understand it, but I like it. I doubt I’d bump into anyone else wearing it around London.
It looks like something you’d pick up in a record shop. I approve.
10 Ramen Lovers Club by Yeaaah! Studio
The last one is the Ramen Lovers Club T-shirt from Yeaaah! Studio, designed by French illustrator Stéphane Casier.
A furious-looking Kabuki actor slurping noodles fills almost the entire front, printed in a single worn red on vintage white. The curved serif lettering at the top and bottom holds the whole thing together, and the Japanese text down either side means “cheap and delicious”.
There’s a lot crammed into this design—flowers, bowls, banners and noodles. The illustration is on another level. It’s so cool I wish I’d created it.
I bought this one. It’s in the wardrobe, and I’ve never seen anyone else wearing it.
Ten T-shirts later
So, that’s the ten: T-shirts I like enough to wear.
Some are beautifully illustrated. Some are almost entirely type. One is a walking fish finger sandwich, because a fish finger sandwich is a thing of beauty.
Someone has thought about the drawing, the type, the colour and where everything sits. There’s nothing worse than a logo dropped into the middle of a tee—lazy and unimaginative.
I’m notoriously picky about clothes, as my family will confirm at length, so finding ten I’d genuinely wear feels like an achievement. None of them came from the high street, which probably explains why I haven’t accidentally bought all ten.
Ask me again in six months and I’ll have found another ten.
This is permission for anyone related to me to buy one as a surprise.
One of these ten, obviously. Don’t get carried away.
Written by Simon Stratford, type designer and graphic designer. These are my opinions, reached after too little sleep and too much coffee. You can also follow my antics on @itsmesimonok, or leave a comment below. Despite all the opinions, I’m actually quite nice.