Originally posted on 4/27/11.
Odds are you still have that long sleeve ‘Northface knock-off’ Young Life shirt you got at Winter Camp your first time as a camper years ago. There’s something special about a YL shirt. You see someone wearing one in the airport when your miles from home and all of a sudden you feel connected, reminded that you are a part of something way bigger than yourself.
YL shirts are like walking billboards. In my 16 years with YL, wearing a YL shirtat leastonce a week, I’ve rocked that logo (both old & new) close to 1000 days of my life! Think about the potential of how many folks will see the Young Life logo on a t-shirt. That is motivation for us to do a good job designing shirts that our high school friends will love to wear.
Here Are A Few Helpful Tips:
Ask For Help From KidsInvolve other kids. Give them ownership. Let them choose what the shirt looks like. You have kids in your school who have creative/artistic gifts. They might not be in your YL club, but what better way to get them connected? Invite your YL friends to come over and look at shirts online with you. Invite them to go to the mall and point to shirts they would be excited about wearing. Find out what they like, then make it happen.
Steal From Other YL Leaders, But Do It LegallyLeaders have been creating cool shirts for years. Connect with other leaders here in the comment section below this post, on the Facebook Wall for Young Life Leaders,and ask others what they have done in the past that has been successful. Remember that we want to be above reproach as a mission and imitating other company logos without approval is a no-go. Here is a link to some other basic guidelines for keeping it legal.If you have more ?s, you can contact Creative Services at the YL Service Center(719) 381-1893.
Steal From Local Businesses, But Do It LegallyIf you have a hip, locally own fried chicken dive or coffee shop where kids love to hang out, this might be a great logo to steal. Locally owned places are more likely to give you their permission to rip-off their logo because it promotes their business, but get it in writing! This is tough to pull off in larger areas because typically if a place is cool to hang out at for one school, its too far away for other schools. Don’t divide the area by making a shirt that favors one high school over another.
Steal From Professionals, But Do It LegallyThere are people who get paid lots of money to create t-shirts teenagers will think are cool. You can look at their t-shirt designs for free at places like:
Don’t copy their shirts, but these ideas can often be great jump starts. Again, use the time designing a shirt as contact work time with kids. Give them ownership.
Play Off The Program
In the past we’ve contacted the summer program team ahead of time to find out what their “repeater line” is going to be and who their characters are. If they are Bird Watchers who say “BAM!” a lot, then we would put a picture of a bird on the front of the shirt and the phrase “BAM!” on the back. We pass them out on the last night of camp when kids have no clean clothes left. They are grateful for the fresh smelling shirt that reminds them of some of the hardest belly laughter they’ve ever had.
If you do this, DON’T reveal the shirts until the end of the week and give away the program. Also, be gracious to the program team if they are still working out the details of the program and/or don’t want to give away their surprise ahead of time.
Get High Quality ShirtsSpend the extra $1-2/shirt to get those soft and comfy American Apparel T’s. If a kid likes how a shirt fits and feels, they will be much more likely to wear it. In the past we have had great success ordering shirts from Retro Fashions. They do free shipping, great design work, and lots of YL shirts. You can also easily build your own shirts at The Young Life Store. Other suggestions from the comments below are Hands On Originals and Universal Stylz.
Right Sizes & On TimeTry to find out from your t-shirt company if the style of shirt you order is typical in size or runs small or large. Get as accurate sizes as you can from the kids going on the trip, but the rule of thumb is that 80% of females want a small. I’ve even found that ordering a few Youth Larges makes people happy.
Order extras if your budget can afford it. This helps ensure that everyone gets the right size. You can give the extras away to the camp staff and assigned team or use them as club prizes in the fall. Ask leaders to get their shirts last.
Make sure you order your shirts early so they will be there in plenty of time to get them on the bus. Ordering early means less rushed shipping cost and less stress!
Does anyone out there have any creative ideas for summer camp t-shirts that you would be willing to share in the comments below?
