A kit design lives or dies on a handful of practical decisions made before anything gets printed: which colours actually work together on fabric, where a sponsor or club name sits without clashing with numbering, and how to keep a design legible once it's moving around on a pitch rather than sitting still on a screen. Here's how we approach it.
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Starting from your club or team colours
Most kit design starts from two or three fixed colours — a club's established palette — rather than a free choice. The practical question is how to use them: as solid panels, as trim and piping, or as a print colour against a neutral garment base. Two strong contrasting colours (like a dark shirt with a bright trim) tend to photograph and read better at a distance than three or more colours competing for attention.
Where a sponsor or club name sits
- Front chest, centred — the standard position for a main sponsor or club name, sitting above or below the club badge/initials if there is one.
- Above the back number — reserved for the player's own name, keep sponsor text off this area so the two don't compete.
- Sleeve — a common spot for a secondary sponsor, kit manufacturer mark, or a smaller club crest-style graphic.
The most common design mistake we see is cramming a sponsor name, a club name, and a number all into the same front-chest area — it's rarely legible once printed at actual garment size, even if it looked fine at screen size. We'll flag this in your proof if a layout is going to be too tight.
Colour combinations that hold up in practice
- High contrast wins at distance. White or pale text/numbering on a dark garment, or dark text on a pale garment, stays legible from across a pitch. Similar-tone combinations look sharp in a mockup but flatten out at range.
- Full colour costs the same as one colour with DTF. Unlike screen printing, there's no extra charge for a multi-colour crest or sponsor graphic — so colour choice can be driven by what looks right, not by cost.
- Consider the garment colour itself as part of the palette, not just a neutral background — a coloured base garment interacts with whatever's printed on top of it.
Designing for movement, not a static mockup
A kit design is judged sitting still on a screen but worn while running, stretching and folding. Fine detail and thin linework can lose crispness once printed at garment scale and viewed in motion — bolder shapes and clearer contrast tend to hold up better on the pitch than they might look 'safe' in a flat design file.
A practical design sequence
- Confirm your fixed colours (club/team colours, any existing crest)
- Decide sponsor/name placement using the standard zones above
- Choose print colours for maximum contrast against your garment base
- Review the free proof at actual print scale, not just on screen, before approving
Frequently asked questions
Does adding more colours cost more?
No — DTF printing costs the same regardless of how many colours are in the design, so colour choice is a design decision, not a budget one.
Can you help me choose colours if I don't have a fixed palette yet?
Yes — tell us the vibe you're after and we'll suggest combinations that print and read well.
What's the most common design mistake you see?
Fitting too much text or too many graphics into one small area, usually the front chest, which reads poorly once printed at actual size even if it looked fine as a flat design.
Can I see my design at actual size before it's printed?
Yes — every order gets a free proof, and we'll flag anything that's likely to look cramped or lose legibility once printed.
See this in practice
- Personalised Football Kit Printing
- Sports Team Kit Printing
- Name & Number Printing: Font, Size & Placement Guide
We reply personally, within 2 minutes