This is super helpful. So many times i look at my draft there seems to be something missing. Hope u can make a video to share on more things to look out for design wise
I am a complete newbie. I'm trying to learn as much as possible before I list anything for sale. I've already learned so much from THIS video!! Thank you!
@@shimmymorris1 Hell yeah. I've literally searched up you both on Spotify to listen to all the podcast appearances you've made because I can't get enough of both of your content/ideas.
This was great. As a designer I feel vindicated. I sit on my work for days. I’ll load them as drafts and go back and look for about a week or more before posting. If I still like it then I post it. And other stuff I’ll not allow them to renew if I am unsure. Oh, Also the “g” has a doggy tail lol
Boom! 💯 the design is the biggest determinant of sales! Well said, my friend! Even in a profitable niche, with an excellent website, and incredible marketing - without a design that resonates with your ideal customers, sales will be tough to come by.
This video was fantastic, thanks for making it. I would love to see more like it! I was wondering, what do you think of designs that just use text e.g. a thoughtful/meaningful) humourous quote? Do you always try to incorporate a graphic/image into a design or are text only quotes/phrases also likely to sell?
Great video, and I could not agree more. Ive been doing my niche research and man, the amount of bad designs is really amazing. And the redundancy of things being repeated over and over without any creative twist or even a more eye catching design. Even with just text designs, one of the most common issues is balance and font, two of the things you point out. "Text only" can work, but it still has to engage the eye!
This very helpful, yes, thanks! Now i have another conundrum. I watched many of your videos, so glad to have realistic advice, stayed motivated & inspired that i could do this with a dedicated schedule and a commitment to hard work. I like design. But when it came to ads of all kinds and driving traffic, being that i am of, ahem, advanced years, i concluded i could not put in more hours trying to master that. Would mean probably 12 hours a day and more energy, more money, than i have. Okay, so concluded i won't do POD. The conundrum? I can't stop watching your videos!
@@shimmymorris1 I was thinking the whole process would be 12 hours a day. I am old and slow. Though design would be my strong point. Ads would be my weak point. Thanks for your reply.
I don’t regret my 20+yr background in graphic design and advertising. Worked with big brands in NYC agencies and went to a prominent school there. Anyone who ever told you graphic design degrees are worthless, I belly laugh in their face. And I don’t mean because they are useful for POD. I mean because design literally runs the world.
My guess was "B". Not for the reasons you stated. I don't like white T-shirts. They become dingy over time and I wouldn't want one of my T-shirts to end up as a dust cloth.
Why is it, i see such crappy designs that are selling? I m not sure i agree with your first statement. Going over designs is really helpful. Just what i was looking for today.
You are indeed correct. Bad designs can sell and they sell all the time. However, not as strongly as a good design. A good design writes its own script. You have to do a lot more work when selling a bad design. A lot of bad designs have community support behind them. A known and appreciated influencer is behind the sales as social proof, a message that is personal (emotion will always trump design time and time again), story, perceived value over actual value, distinct personal tastes, scarcity or availability, who did it first, or just basic economy (low vs high price).
Shimmy what kind of facebook ADS should I run? I was using "web traffic" and someone told me to switch to conversions, which will be more expensive - is it really worth it? do you see much of a difference really?
Yes 100% we have courses on kittl. Placeit isn’t a design tool and I’d never recommend using it for designs. We also have very very good deals on designs tools. Like affinity etc. as I’ve reach out to them to get the cheapest options
I am a life long artist and a graphic artist of 10 years. I started drawing and painting mine own designs, which takes hours, and realized I’m wasting my time. I can just buy png files for a couple of dollars and assemble them into a design in an hour. It’s kind of disheartening but it is what it is.
The problem i keep seeing with pod on a platform like etsy is the competition. People providing the same product for way cheaper and similar products that are higher quality and better designed than what is achievable through pod. I was looking into pod metal signs, but realized people on etsy must have their own metal cutting machine because they are selling them for the same or lower price than I would buy them from a production partner. I dont get how anyone makes pod work when your competition always finds way cheaper ways to source the base product than pod, or they have something better to offer than the generic pod style.
People don’t buy on quality. They may _return_ and _refund_ on quality, but they don’t buy on quality. It’s impossible to know the quality of something on a few slideshows on a screen. People buy on visuals. Make your visuals better and you’ll start getting eyeballs on your page.
I have a great idea of a niche for POD - a type of image made w AI. Its so big I need to hire someone from fiverr or somewhere else. My quandry is, once I explain the plan to anyone, whats to stop them from just doing it - not doing it for me - but rather on their own?
It’s definitely a video to learn a lot from, like the spacing, matching fonts etc., but… in the end there definitely is personal taste involved as well, not just on the design side of things, but also on the buyer side… from a me-as-a-buyer view, which I am as much as a designer in progress (still learning) I have to say, I don’t like the design you classified best of the dog walking. I absolutely don’t like the combination of the two fonts, no matter how often I look at it. If I was to decide, okay, I want to buy me a this is my dog walker shirt, I absolutely wouldn’t buy that one. Most likely none of the other two either, but I say it as I see it, from a 100 % personal view, the middle one wouldn’t be it for me.
There will always be a level of subjectivity to design. However, if you follow design principles and rules you will be appealing to the masses. And that’s who we are trying to sell to. We don’t design for us. We design for others. As design theory goes, those 2 fonts would be font pairs 100%. If someone doesn’t like it. That’s of course ok as everyone is entitled to their opinion but that doesn’t stop the fonts being considered pairs in design terms
Do you have a design background? Good break down on why a design is good or bad. But I have to wonder, have you seen people who create bad design like the ones you showed improved to the good design level?
Yes! Many many times. After practice and understanding the fundamentals the designs in our community have gotten significantly better. I’ve seen real improvements from a lot of people. I’ve always loved art
Print on Demand is a mud on the wall business. You throw mud against the wall and some of it sticks and some of it doesn't. The only way to be successful at PoD is to throw lots of product against the wall. Some designs will sell, and some won't.
So, every time someone posts a video "how to start print on demand [no skill]" it's a lie 🤣 you DO need the skill, or at least a bit of talent to quickly pick it up. Unless all designs are going to be ordered from actual designers.
The problem with all 3 examples, including the middle one, is that phrases are easy for a customer to duplicate. Maybe a customer can’t find that exact font, but they could find something similar on Kittl or Canva. Customers will only pay big bucks for something they don’t think they could create themselves. Once customers discover Printify and Kittl, why would they pay you double for something they could create themselves for half the price? That’s why I think focusing on original art is a better strategy than focusing on font.
Sorry but That’s not true at all. Most customers do not think they can make a T-shirt when they find a good design. Our third most popular design is the most simple 4 words you’d ever see. Normal customers do not think they can make T-shirts. Original is good too. But then you’re reinventing the wheel. I think a healthy mix of both is good. How’s sales going with just original? Out of curiosity?
There is nothing to stop them. I'm pretty sure tons of people are doing just that. Luckily there are enough people that don't think they can create the designs themselves to hinder your business. That's why designs are so important. Take that phrase, and make a better design from it. In addition, Kittl et al are very easy to use. But you still need to know what makes a great and unique design.
I may be wrong, but I doubt that most people are interested in making their own t-shirts. Why would a typical person even have heard of Kittl or Canva? Or even POD? You know about them because you're interested in selling t-shirts. I believe that most people just want to wear them.
haha, it really isn't. That's like saying the clothing industry is dying.. Unless we're transitioning into a nudist society, i think we'll be just fine selling t-shirts
They get more views. Means I can reach more people. And ultimately help more people. That’s what I care about. At the end of the day. If the video is good and helpful. No one minds
@@shimmymorris1 For me, it kinda makes them all blur together, it doesn't stand out like a new topic. But hey whatever works, I respect the marketing game
@@Paul-yk7ds😂😂😂 You pay attention. It’s despicable, but it works. Hell, I’d do it myself. It reaches new viewers unfamiliar with the channel. The titles are not meant for current viewers.
My review was less than 5 minutes long and not really valuable. And as you are not able to show some proof of your success like Chris did. You are just another RUclipsr that want to trick people into a paid community!
as a member of the paid community, I can attest that it's been an invaluable investment to me - not only do we get feedback from Shimmy, Lauren, and Josh, but my fellow members are so generous in their support/feedback/encouragement and sharing little tips and tricks they've come across (and the scammers that are endemic to the free communities aren't in the paid community)
@@elizabethbourquin8721 As a former member I attest that it is not woth the money. The course is for free at wescale (and it was there before). But if you like what you get for the buck it's ok.
This is very educational. Please do some more in the future
Yes for sure!
This is super helpful. So many times i look at my draft there seems to be something missing. Hope u can make a video to share on more things to look out for design wise
i will be! I have also scheduled a whole bunch of live calls in our community going over desings
I am a complete newbie. I'm trying to learn as much as possible before I list anything for sale. I've already learned so much from THIS video!! Thank you!
you're so welcome!! i'm so happy it helped
Love your stuff Shimmy. You and Chris ought to start your own Podcast. I know I'd listen to it
oooo i like that idea!!
@@shimmymorris1 Hell yeah. I've literally searched up you both on Spotify to listen to all the podcast appearances you've made because I can't get enough of both of your content/ideas.
@@brettmcguinness191 wow thank you!
This was great. As a designer I feel vindicated. I sit on my work for days. I’ll load them as drafts and go back and look for about a week or more before posting. If I still like it then I post it. And other stuff I’ll not allow them to renew if I am unsure. Oh, Also the “g” has a doggy tail lol
Yes it does!!
Ye perfectionism is a blessing and a curse
There are SO many bad designs out there!
Boom! 💯 the design is the biggest determinant of sales! Well said, my friend! Even in a profitable niche, with an excellent website, and incredible marketing - without a design that resonates with your ideal customers, sales will be tough to come by.
yesssss exactly!
You’d be surprised what marketing can do. Convince people of something ugly being beautiful. Everything is by design.
Absolutely appreciate your videos !! Your great !!!
This video was fantastic, thanks for making it. I would love to see more like it!
I was wondering, what do you think of designs that just use text e.g. a thoughtful/meaningful) humourous quote? Do you always try to incorporate a graphic/image into a design or are text only quotes/phrases also likely to sell?
Great video, and I could not agree more. Ive been doing my niche research and man, the amount of bad designs is really amazing. And the redundancy of things being repeated over and over without any creative twist or even a more eye catching design. Even with just text designs, one of the most common issues is balance and font, two of the things you point out. "Text only" can work, but it still has to engage the eye!
yes for sure!
This very helpful, yes, thanks!
Now i have another conundrum. I watched many of your videos, so glad to have realistic advice, stayed motivated & inspired that i could do this with a dedicated schedule and a commitment to hard work. I like design. But when it came to ads of all kinds and driving traffic, being that i am of, ahem, advanced years, i concluded i could not put in more hours trying to master that. Would mean probably 12 hours a day and more energy, more money, than i have. Okay, so concluded i won't do POD.
The conundrum? I can't stop watching your videos!
You don't have to do POD on a commercial scale. Design for yourself, family, and friends. You'll have at least one customer.
Well I’m glad you like my videos. But ads should not take 12 hours a day. It’s a step by step process to make the ads.
The designs are the hard bit
@@shimmymorris1 I was thinking the whole process would be 12 hours a day. I am old and slow. Though design would be my strong point. Ads would be my weak point. Thanks for your reply.
Great content, please make more of these 😊
Comon designers lets get out there and do this !
Super helpful--Yes, please do more videos on this topic!
Great video! Would love to see more videos like this ☺️
I don’t regret my 20+yr background in graphic design and advertising. Worked with big brands in NYC agencies and went to a prominent school there. Anyone who ever told you graphic design degrees are worthless, I belly laugh in their face. And I don’t mean because they are useful for POD. I mean because design literally runs the world.
The design critiques are helpful
Very helpful video. Enjoyed your chats during Amplified!
Thank you!!
Great video, Thanks Shimmy, but I am surprised that you didn't mention that the first g includes a dog tail. That was obvious to me.
I guess I missed that one! A lot to think about with the design. The subtle designs were just so good!
Love this vid. You are the best teacher on the business.
Wow, thank you so much
I would say thank you for this very informative and very detail breakdown video
Wow, this is a wonderful vedio man , great analyze + plenty of information 🙏🤞🏻😉
thank you so much!
My guess was "B". Not for the reasons you stated. I don't like white T-shirts. They become dingy over time and I wouldn't want one of my T-shirts to end up as a dust cloth.
oh interesting, i'm not the biggest fan of white shirts either when its POD. I like white plain shirts in general though
Why is it, i see such crappy designs that are selling? I m not sure i agree with your first statement. Going over designs is really helpful. Just what i was looking for today.
@@1suitekitty can you share an example
You are indeed correct. Bad designs can sell and they sell all the time. However, not as strongly as a good design. A good design writes its own script. You have to do a lot more work when selling a bad design. A lot of bad designs have community support behind them. A known and appreciated influencer is behind the sales as social proof, a message that is personal (emotion will always trump design time and time again), story, perceived value over actual value, distinct personal tastes, scarcity or availability, who did it first, or just basic economy (low vs high price).
Very helpful. More like this Shimmy, PLEASE
You got it
Shimmy what kind of facebook ADS should I run? I was using "web traffic" and someone told me to switch to conversions, which will be more expensive - is it really worth it? do you see much of a difference really?
This was awesome! Pleeease make more❤
Great... GREAT.!! video 👍👍👍
Thank you!!’
The other G turns into a dog tail.
This is very informative, as usual. Also I would be lying if I said I didn’t burst out laughing @ 14:30
if I want to use a design tools like kittl or place it, will your community still apply to me? Or do I need to subscribe to the design tools you use?
Yes 100% we have courses on kittl. Placeit isn’t a design tool and I’d never recommend using it for designs.
We also have very very good deals on designs tools. Like affinity etc. as I’ve reach out to them to get the cheapest options
The community offers some great discounts for these tools, but yes, you still need to subscribe to them yourself.
I am a life long artist and a graphic artist of 10 years. I started drawing and painting mine own designs, which takes hours, and realized I’m wasting my time. I can just buy png files for a couple of dollars and assemble them into a design in an hour. It’s kind of disheartening but it is what it is.
it took an age to make!
The problem i keep seeing with pod on a platform like etsy is the competition. People providing the same product for way cheaper and similar products that are higher quality and better designed than what is achievable through pod. I was looking into pod metal signs, but realized people on etsy must have their own metal cutting machine because they are selling them for the same or lower price than I would buy them from a production partner. I dont get how anyone makes pod work when your competition always finds way cheaper ways to source the base product than pod, or they have something better to offer than the generic pod style.
Just another reason why I prefer Shopify
Using a platform like Shopify eliminates the competition. People will see your ads and go directly to your own store.
People don’t buy on quality. They may _return_ and _refund_ on quality, but they don’t buy on quality. It’s impossible to know the quality of something on a few slideshows on a screen. People buy on visuals. Make your visuals better and you’ll start getting eyeballs on your page.
Thanks Shimmy
You’re welcome
Other subtle elements = dogs tail coming off the back of the word dog
Yes!
I have a great idea of a niche for POD - a type of image made w AI. Its so big I need to hire someone from fiverr or somewhere else.
My quandry is, once I explain the plan to anyone, whats to stop them from just doing it - not doing it for me - but rather on their own?
It’s definitely a video to learn a lot from, like the spacing, matching fonts etc., but… in the end there definitely is personal taste involved as well, not just on the design side of things, but also on the buyer side… from a me-as-a-buyer view, which I am as much as a designer in progress (still learning) I have to say, I don’t like the design you classified best of the dog walking. I absolutely don’t like the combination of the two fonts, no matter how often I look at it. If I was to decide, okay, I want to buy me a this is my dog walker shirt, I absolutely wouldn’t buy that one. Most likely none of the other two either, but I say it as I see it, from a 100 % personal view, the middle one wouldn’t be it for me.
There will always be a level of subjectivity to design. However, if you follow design principles and rules you will be appealing to the masses. And that’s who we are trying to sell to. We don’t design for us. We design for others.
As design theory goes, those 2 fonts would be font pairs 100%. If someone doesn’t like it. That’s of course ok as everyone is entitled to their opinion but that doesn’t stop the fonts being considered pairs in design terms
Never thought I would watch 5 (of your) videos on Print On Demand... BUT I AM READY FOR SWAG!
hahaha! thanks for the support!
This was very helpful, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Do you have a design background? Good break down on why a design is good or bad. But I have to wonder, have you seen people who create bad design like the ones you showed improved to the good design level?
Yes! Many many times. After practice and understanding the fundamentals the designs in our community have gotten significantly better. I’ve seen real improvements from a lot of people.
I’ve always loved art
The tail of the g in dog in B is also a dog's tail.
yup!!! i missed that
This is my Dog walking shirt = B
good stuff
thanks!
🔥YEP
Now we dont have to worry about making good designs bc AI does it for us xD
shimmy's video is so helpful! Thanks so much xoxo.I really need to exchange experiences and help, can everyone comment to help me choose a supplier?
thanks so much! We use Printify, I think they're best
Print on Demand is a mud on the wall business. You throw mud against the wall and some of it sticks and some of it doesn't. The only way to be successful at PoD is to throw lots of product against the wall. Some designs will sell, and some won't.
with a level of skill, creativity, and research yes. I would say just throwing mud without trying at all, you'll only ever come up short
want to expose a myth ? talk about zendrop and CJ etc. all beginner dropshippers getting their money ripped away.
So, every time someone posts a video "how to start print on demand [no skill]" it's a lie 🤣 you DO need the skill, or at least a bit of talent to quickly pick it up. Unless all designs are going to be ordered from actual designers.
The problem with all 3 examples, including the middle one, is that phrases are easy for a customer to duplicate. Maybe a customer can’t find that exact font, but they could find something similar on Kittl or Canva.
Customers will only pay big bucks for something they don’t think they could create themselves. Once customers discover Printify and Kittl, why would they pay you double for something they could create themselves for half the price? That’s why I think focusing on original art is a better strategy than focusing on font.
Sorry but That’s not true at all. Most customers do not think they can make a T-shirt when they find a good design. Our third most popular design is the most simple 4 words you’d ever see.
Normal customers do not think they can make T-shirts.
Original is good too. But then you’re reinventing the wheel. I think a healthy mix of both is good. How’s sales going with just original? Out of curiosity?
There is nothing to stop them. I'm pretty sure tons of people are doing just that. Luckily there are enough people that don't think they can create the designs themselves to hinder your business. That's why designs are so important. Take that phrase, and make a better design from it. In addition, Kittl et al are very easy to use. But you still need to know what makes a great and unique design.
I may be wrong, but I doubt that most people are interested in making their own t-shirts. Why would a typical person even have heard of Kittl or Canva? Or even POD? You know about them because you're interested in selling t-shirts. I believe that most people just want to wear them.
Print on demand is dying
haha, it really isn't. That's like saying the clothing industry is dying.. Unless we're transitioning into a nudist society, i think we'll be just fine selling t-shirts
b best
nice one!
man, all your videos are titled like "exposing the myths/lie of POD" lol
They get more views. Means I can reach more people. And ultimately help more people. That’s what I care about.
At the end of the day. If the video is good and helpful. No one minds
@@shimmymorris1 For me, it kinda makes them all blur together, it doesn't stand out like a new topic. But hey whatever works, I respect the marketing game
@@Paul-yk7ds😂😂😂 You pay attention. It’s despicable, but it works. Hell, I’d do it myself. It reaches new viewers unfamiliar with the channel. The titles are not meant for current viewers.
My review was less than 5 minutes long and not really valuable. And as you are not able to show some proof of your success like Chris did. You are just another RUclipsr that want to trick people into a paid community!
as a member of the paid community, I can attest that it's been an invaluable investment to me - not only do we get feedback from Shimmy, Lauren, and Josh, but my fellow members are so generous in their support/feedback/encouragement and sharing little tips and tricks they've come across (and the scammers that are endemic to the free communities aren't in the paid community)
@@elizabethbourquin8721 thank you! Appreciate that a lot.
@@elizabethbourquin8721 As a former member I attest that it is not woth the money. The course is for free at wescale (and it was there before). But if you like what you get for the buck it's ok.