Episode Details

What is the most popular spot for graphics to appear on t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies? And what difference does it make?

What is the Best Spot for Graphics on Hoodies, Sweatshirts and T-Shirts?

 

Graphics hoodies, sweatshirts and t-shirts have been popular for decades. Originally, it began with printed graphics or words on the front center of the garment only. 

 

But things have changed a lot over the years.

 

Nowadays you can find graphics printed on the front, back, front and back, left chest, sleeve, upper arm and more. So which style of t-shirt is the most popular and which designs suit buyers the best?

 

Six Common Graphic Placements on T-Shirts, Sweatshirts and Hoodies

 

Center Chest Graphic

 

This is the most common graphic placement, centered in the top half of the t-shirt, sweatshirt or hoodie. The center chest can be smaller in size, especially if its an embroidery.

 

Full Front Graphic

 

The full front design covers the full length of the shirt. It is centered, but stretches from top to bottom. This is often seen for large letter message designs.

 

Left Chest Graphic

 

The left chest design is typically a small logo or iconic. It is sometimes embroidered and popular on golf shirts and polo shirts as well as t-shirts. These are simple, iconic placements avoiding too much detail due to the small size.

 

Sleeve and Arm Graphics

 

On t-shirts, the sleeve design is often a logo or another element that ties into a main graphic on the front or back of the shirt. The same goes for arm printing on hoodies and sweatshirts.

 

Upper Back Graphics

 

The upper back design is popular and often paired with the left chest design on the front. The upper back stretches across the shoulder blade area.

 

Full Back Graphics

 

When you think of full back graphics, concert t-shirts immediately come to mind. The concert t-shirt makes full use of the space on the back of a t-shirt or hoodie, often listing cities from tour dates. Of course, there are full back graphics for all kinds of things.

 

Fun Fact: The first ever concert t-shirt was an Elvis Presley shirt in 1956, while the first ever band tour t-shirt was reportedly created for the Beatles U.S. tour in 1964.

 

Disney Loves Graphics on the Back

 

Have you ever been looking for a garment in a Disney shop, found one you liked the front of…then turned it around and saw a huge graphic on the back that turned you off? If you’re not someone who likes the concert style t-shirts and hoodies with full-back placement of graphics, then it can be challenging when it comes to Disney apparel. 

 

Disney absolutely loves the back placement for their graphics. It also matters what that design is composed of: simple graphics can work well, but the overly colorful and bold cartoon-style artwork can be a bit much. 

 

We place a lot of thought into the composition of our designs on t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and more. Just because you can cover every inch of a garment, doesn’t always mean that you should. 

 

So, on the rare occasion that we do venture into back graphic placements at 1923 Main Street, we tend to stick to solid design principles, with a focus on elegant and timeless style.

 

For hoodies, the back placement of a graphic offers a lot more real estate than the front, since the kangaroo pocket on the front of hoodies limits how much space a graphic can have. 

 

Similar to graphics on the front of a t-shirt or sweatshirt, back graphics on a hoodie can be located either on the upper back or co