Think about your favorite t-shirt. What do you like about it? It could be the flattering silhouette, the beautiful color scheme, or the fact that it depicts your favorite candy bar. In an ideal world, your shirt would check all three boxes, striking a perfect balance between high-quality garment construction, artistry, and personal expression.
T-shirts may be a basic closet staple, but they’re far from simple. In fashion, small details—a subtle logo here or a hemline there—can mean the difference between cutting edge and passé. In the crowded custom t-shirt market, staying current with the latest fashion trends helps aspiring designers unlock their best creative ideas and win customers.
Read on to explore popular t-shirt design ideas for your small business, categorized by subject matter, artistic style, and construction techniques to help you create designs that sell.
Popular shirt designs: Subject matter
Our favorite t-shirt design trends draw inspiration from sources like the earth, the stars, and our dinner plates. Subject matter is just the starting point. Review these themes and get inspired to add your own personal flair to your t-shirt designs:
Food
Whether on social media or on the front of a t-shirt, professing your love for your favorite food is a highly popular trend. Food-inspired t-shirts range from cheeky and ironic to chic and artful. Crowd-pleasing dishes like pizza, hot dogs, and French fries will always be a hit, but modern, trendy designs aren’t afraid to get specific. Find your own voice by showcasing an artistic interpretation of your favorite ingredient—maybe you’ll jump-start the next craze.
Shopify sellers can lean into this trend by connecting it to their brand identity—think coffee-themed designs for cafés with merch, or quirky snack shirts for foodie influencers monetizing their audience.
Astrology
Astrology’s surge in popularity has created ripple effects—designs inspired by mystical and New Age practices are popping up on t-shirts, totes, and other textiles.
These shirts draw imagery from star charts and classic tarot card decks. Designs often use hand-drawn illustration with delicate details and ornate serif or gothic fonts. Symmetry, cosmic themes, and other elements like swords and skulls give these t-shirt designs an overall spooky, mysterious tone.
Ecommerce store owners can use this aesthetic to build themed product collections. You can also offer personalized items—like zodiac sign tees—to increase perceived value and justify higher price points.
Text
T-shirts with typography on them have been popular in some form for decades. Slogan tees often display motivational phrases, famous quotes, or short, humorous phrases. Text is the focal point of these designs. They often stick to just text, but occasionally include other design elements, such as basic shapes or minimalistic graphics, to add emphasis.
Creative fonts can add a contemporary twist to these classic designs. A surprising font choice helps text-based tees convey tone. For example, imagine a t-shirt printed with the phrase “Not today.” In a heavy gothic font, this design may seem slightly ominous. The same phrase would seem light-hearted and cheeky if displayed in rounded script and ornamented with a cartoon daisy.
For Shopify merchants, this trend offers a quick win. Test funny or viral phrases on shirts with minimal risk. You can even run A/B tests with font choices and slogans to see what resonates most with your customers.
Animals
Animals are always in fashion—especially in the highly sought-after pre-teen market. Axolotls have surged in popularity in recent years, and these lovable amphibians are still going strong on t-shirt designs. Other trendy animals include capybaras and highland cows, along with perennial favorites like monkeys and cats.
Anime and kawaii-inspired designs are popular in youth t-shirt designs. For adults, consider a more artful, hand-painted approach. Animal-themed apparel sells well year-round and makes great gifts during the holidays. Shopify sellers can create seasonal collections featuring trending animals or offer customization options for pet lovers.
Florals
When it comes to florals, the possibilities are endless. Floral t-shirt designs can be whimsical and romantic, like Liberty of London’s intricate fabrics, or as bright and playful as Marimekko’s bright, minimalist prints. For moody designs, try using a dark background color and thick outlines or exaggerated details.
Designers can find floral inspiration in art and nature. Classic Hawaiian prints, traditional Japanese ink drawings, and botanical illustrations all showcase floral designs. Once you select your ideal illustration style, researching the symbolic meaning behind flowers might help you pick the perfect blossom.
Floral designs are ideal if you’re looking to target specific demographics—maybe you’re hoping to reach out to eco-conscious customers or provide products for wedding parties. Use Shopify’s tagging features to make these collections easily searchable.
Popular shirt designs: Artistic style
Trending design styles range from simple, delicate line drawings to bold prints and eerie surrealist images—there’s something for everyone. Learn more about design trends, including the fonts, color schemes, and graphics associated with each one, and find the best match for your personal style.
Y2K
Whip out that flip phone and sign in to AIM—Y2K is back in vogue. Y2K-inspired designs pay homage to 2000s fashion trends like rhinestones, velour tracksuits, fur trim, shiny chrome, big logos, crop tops, low-rise jeans, and oversized accessories. Early aughts nostalgia also includes pop culture references related to cultural moments in early internet culture.
Shopify sellers can tap into this nostalgia-fueled trend by marketing Y2K tees to Gen Z shoppers on platforms like TikTok. Use bold graphics and product mockups with glittery overlays or low-res camera filters to fully lean into the aesthetic.
Hand-drawn
Hand-drawn and painted t-shirts are soft and expressive. These designs use custom illustrations with chunky lines or painterly brush strokes and visible imperfections to evoke a sense of handmade artistry. Popular color choices include pastel blues and pinks inspired by watercolor paints. Hand-drawn t-shirt designs often use calligraphy-style or handwritten fonts to build on the overall artistic aesthetic.
If your brand centers on creativity, artisan goods, or sustainable fashion, this style helps reinforce your handmade, small-batch ethos. Consider featuring behind-the-scenes content showing your design process to deepen customer connection.
Maximalist
Maximalist t-shirt designs aren't afraid to make a bold statement. They use eye-catching design elements like bright colors, large prints, and chaotic layouts with scattered or overlapping images. These designs are loud, fun, and unapologetic. Text elements are typically bold and colorful.
You can go big with maximalism on both product and store design. Think homepage banners with bright, clashing patterns and collection pages that showcase your boldest, busiest designs. Maximalism also lends itself well to limited drops and collabs.
1970s
1970s-inspired t-shirts are groovy and psychedelic. These designs use earthy colors like brown, orange, and mustard yellow or vibrant gem tones like deep purple and bright green. Common themes include rainbows, mushrooms, daisies, sunbursts, and trees. Graphic elements are often gently distorted and appear wavy or melting. Other design elements like treatments include outlines, drop shadows, repeating geometric patterns, and retro fonts with rounded, bubbly lettering.
Shopify brands with a retro or boho vibe can easily integrate 1970s aesthetics into their product line and branding. Even if your niche is modern, offering a few vintage-inspired shirts could help attract customers looking for a nostalgic twist on today’s trends.
Punk
Punk fashion is bold and rebellious. Punk-inspired t-shirts use DIY-inspired design elements like cut-and-paste magazine lettering, paint splatters, and asymmetrical collage-style compositions. The overall look is gritty and distressed. Punk designs use a restricted color palette—t-shirts are usually primarily black or white with occasional accents of red, hot pink, or bright green.
This style fits well for ecommerce stores aiming to build a strong identity and community around subculture or anti-establishment themes. Pair your punk-inspired line with zines, band stickers, or even digital downloads to build brand lore and loyalty.
Surrealist
Surrealist designs are absurd and dreamlike. They use unexpected images and illogical compositions to surprise and provoke the viewer. Imagery may be bent, disjointed, or out of scale. Surrealist designs speak for themselves—they don’t typically include text.
If your store targets an artsy, niche audience, surrealist designs can help you stand out. These pieces are often more conceptual and can command higher price points when marketed as wearable art, especially with limited-run or artist-signed editions.
Popular shirt designs: Construction
A design is only as good as the printing method and the shirt it’s printed on. These are some of the leading trends in t-shirt printing and construction:
Baby tees
Baby tees were a staple of ‘90s and early 2000s fashion. The surge of Y2K nostalgia has brought these tiny tops back into style. Baby tees are designed for a cropped fit. They’re shorter than standard t-shirts and typically made from thin, stretchy fabric that hugs the body.
For Shopify merchants targeting Gen Z or trend-forward customers, adding baby tees to your product mix shows you’re paying attention to current fashion moments. Use clear sizing guides and styled product shots to help shoppers envision the fit.
Pocket and sleeve prints
Pocket and sleeve print placements are a popular way to incorporate logos or other branding elements into t-shirt designs. These subtle print locations allow other graphic elements to shine. A t-shirt with a small logo in the front pocket position, for example, could still showcase a large, artistic design over the entire back.
Ecommerce store owners can use pocket prints to build brand recognition—great for merch lines or streetwear brands. Consider offering customizable sleeve options with initials or taglines for added personalization and upsell potential.
Eco-friendly fabrics
Working with organic or eco-friendly fabrics demonstrates environmental awareness and showcases your brand values. Advertising sustainable printing practices may help attract eco-conscious consumers.
If you run a store with sustainability as a core value, highlight your use of eco-fabrics on your product pages, homepage banners, and About section. Add tags like “organic,” “climate-neutral,” or “natural dyes” to help shoppers make informed, values-aligned purchases.
All-over printing
All-over-printing involves printing on a garment’s entire surface area. It can create maximalist patterns in bright, vibrant colors that produce large-scale designs and intricate patterns. Shopify merchants can leverage all-over printing to create unique, statement-making collections. Consider launching exclusive capsule drops with all-over designs or partnering with artists to offer collaborative collections that push creative boundaries.
Mixed media
Traditional mixed media prints use multiple artistic methods on one design. Jackson Pollock, for example, created mixed-media artwork by using enamel, crayon, pencil, and paint on the same canvas. T-shirt designers can achieve a mixed-media effect by incorporating different image styles into the same design.
If your Shopify store targets creatives or design lovers, mixed-media tees can showcase your artistic range. Make sure your mockups or product images show off the layered textures and variations—these shirts are often more impactful in close-up shots.
Popular shirt designs FAQ
What type of shirts are most popular?
The most popular t-shirts on Printful and Printify are the Bella + Canvas 3001 Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tee and the Gildan 64000 Unisex Softstyle T-Shirt. These basic t-shirts are versatile and affordable. They are available in a wide range of colors and are compatible with multiple printing techniques.
Are graphic tees trending?
Graphic tees are always in style in some form. In 2025, the latest trends for graphic tees include Y2K-inspired designs, mystical tarot card illustrations, and colorful, maximalist prints.
How do you design your own t-shirts?
Create a visually appealing design, select an image transfer technique, and print your t-shirts with a print-on-demand company like Printful or Printify. You can also use other, more hands-on printing methods. For digital printing techniques like DTF and DTG, you can use a graphic design tool like Adobe Photoshop or Canva to create and export your design file to a local garment printer. Other processes, like HTV or DIY screen printing, require manual stencil creation.
