Do you need help choosing the right shirt color to go with your logo embroidery design? Depending on the color of the design, this task can be easy or slightly more complicated. It is always best to sample how colors work together so that you know you have made a good decision.

The most basic options for logos are navy and black. Dark colors in that range will work with the contrasting bright colors, like beige, yellow, green, or red.  But multi-colored logos still need to stand out and they won’t always feature dark shades. Typical business logos will be featured on some kind of white or off-white. This works well in embroidery as well as other forms of advertising.

There are some common errors that are easy to avoid when trying to pick the staff shirts to embroider. Do not pick a shirt the same or a similar color to the ones featured in the logo. It may seem appropriate to pick a color you associate with your business, but if you use it in the logo too, it makes it hard to see.  Also, avoid colors in the same area of the color wheel. You want colors to complement, not conflict. It should contrast just enough so that they act as separate entities without causing distraction.

You want a background color that highlights the embroidered logo and makes it stand out. Don’t be afraid to experiment with color combinations before you make a selection. Our eyes perceive colors depending on their surroundings, so sometimes you can get fun or interesting effects when you test color combinations.

Designing for logo embroidery takes a little tact. You need to know a little bit about the way the machines handle thread and the kind of work they can handle. For bigger productions you are going to need to hire professional embroiderers instead of doing the work yourself so you only have the one chance to send in a good design. If it is not going to work they will probably send it back to you with a list of tips. In order to avoid that hassle, read some of the tips in this post.

When you want lettering included with your project, you must realize that certain fonts will work better than others. Block lettering, especially capitals, normally look good even when they are printed fairly small on staff shirts. Lowercase letters should be extended so that they are legible. Looped letters need very distinct loops. Cursive and serif fonts are not recommended at small sizes.

Color blending can be done but it makes your project much more complicated. We have briefly mentioned colors in previous posts. Try to keep shading and gradient shifts to a minimum. You may want to simplify your logo or create an alternative design solely for the embroidery. Keeping distinct solid colors will guarantee better results.

You must also consider the material on which you are working. Putting your design onto custom logo hats is not going to be like putting it on uniforms.  Sweatshirts tend to “bury” stitches and make them look thinner. Polo shirts, jackets, and Lycra may cause some distortion with the shape or spacing.

Hopefully these tips helped you with your logo design for machine embroidery.