How to Come Up with Catchy T-Shirt Slogans

A guide to creating funny, catchy t-shirt slogans so you and your company will stand out from the crowd!

You already believe in what you're selling. But even the best product in the world won't get traction if people don't know your brand. The best branding requires exposure.

Company T-shirts are one way to achieve exposure. They're not the only way, but they're an important component.

But before you start printing T-shirts, you need to do some research into T-shirt slogans. While a well-thought-out slogan one will make people curious about your business, a bad one will turn people off.

Keep reading for a few tips on finding T-shirt slogan ideas that will help your business establish its brand the right way.

1. Keep It Short

No one wants to spend a lot of time reading a T-shirt that looks more like a newspaper page. Newspapers are on the decline for many reasons. But it doesn't help that people want to get their information in snippets that are short and snappy.

Think of T-shirt slogans as book titles. The longer the book title, the harder it is to get someone's attention. That's why some editors think book titles should be no more than six words.

On a T-shirt, you've got a little more leeway. But shirt slogans still shouldn't be more than eight or 10 words. You might be able to squeeze in a dozen words, but that's pushing it.

Remember that you'll also want room for a good-sized company logo.

2. Remember Your Audience

Some types of businesses can get away with edgy humor. For instance, if you own a bar, you can make a joke about people getting drunk.

But be careful with funny shirt slogans. You don't want to get so close to the edge that you fall off the side. Something isn't clever if all it does is shock people.

If you're having trouble deciding if something is appropriate, think of the audience you want noticing your T-shirts. If you want families to notice your shirts, then that means you need to keep it kid-friendly.

Don't create R-rated T-shirts with curse words or lewd images. PG-13 is as far as you should go. Even then, that only works sometimes.

3. Avoid Getting Overly Aggressive

Let's say you run a bakery. Avoid using shirt slogans like "The best darn bakery in town." That's not, well, fresh.

You can say something about your company without declaring yourself the best. If a local newspaper or consumer poll votes you the best, then say that. But don't call yourself number one without something to back it up.

Customers can get turned off by slogans that feel too aggressive or dishonest. We know that marketing isn't the same as a scientific study. But we still don't want to feel like someone is giving us the hard sell.

Think of your shirt like a TV commercial. We've all seen and heard ads that are so loud they startle us. Don't be like that.