Ready-to-bloom flowers, colorful sunsets, sandy beaches, and good vibes… The sunniest season is here! And if you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner, you need to get your business ready for spring. Here are some examples that you can use for graphic design inspiration, and start making great sales online all the way through summer.
1. Leaves and Bouquets
Spring is the time for renovation, to see new life grow in nature. Floral designs are always a good idea for apparel, banners, and almost any promotional item.
If you’re a POD seller, you’ll enjoy these t-shirt design inspiration ideas. See how the designs would look in real-life scenarios using t-shirt mockups.
When you feel ready, post your designs on Instagram and on your Facebook Business Page, and link them to your website, so you can start selling right away.
2. Beach Inspo
How many shades of blue can you find in the ocean? The answer is almost infinite! The sea and sunsets can be the perfect color inspiration to come up with fresh ideas that will be perfect for spring break.
Additionally, you can get some nice graphic elements from surfing, sandcastles, seashells, treasure hunts, and other beach activities that are popular this time of year.
3. Love the Planet
This is not any trend. Our love for the planet should grow stronger than ever because Earth really needs us to take action. You can come up with eco-friendly ideas to sell, support a cause, or be part of a global movement.
There are lots of things to address: climate change, global warming, reusable waste, plastic ban, sustainable transportation… and the list keeps going. Partner up with NGOs and activists to come up with great ideas to sell apparel and raise funds.
4. Optimistic Quotes
Inspirational quotes are a great way to sell almost anything. You can find tons of quotes on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram without doing a lot of research.
However, in order to turn a quote into the graphic inspiration that you can actually sell, you must play with color and contrast, and make the design big enough so it fits the garment harmoniously.
5. Retro Design
Take a trip down memory lane to get some spring outfit ideas. The past has some really cool ideas for you to choose from.
Retro apparel is a great choice for those who are planning to hit the beach or go on a road trip for summer.
6. Tropical Vibes
Tropical gardens, plants, and fruits are a great way to get you in the mood for spring and summer.
Think about mango, guava, or even better, a piña colada in your hand while peacefully sunbathing under a palm tree. That’s the mood you want to create for your designs.
7. Muted Colors
Less bright and subdued colors are not only for fall. They can look great for spring when used wisely.
To get a muted hue, it must go towards either black or white, so its intensity and brightness look toned down. Earthy colors are also a good choice when working with this kind of design.
Muted colors look great, especially on digital media. They allow better readability on websites, and social media profiles are more pleasing to the eye.
8. Relaxed Gradients
Think about that time of the day when sunset is almost over or the sunrise is about to start. What colors do you see? Well, try to make the most of what nature already invents everyday and translate it into graphics.
Tranquil waters and mineral-inspired colors will look great as soothing gradients. Also, you can find inspiration in nature pictures. Take the colors of the photo composition and create a gradient palette.
9. Flowing Shapes
Remember the openings on your favorite TV shows during the 80s and 90s? Those geometric, flowing shapes are making a comeback.
Besides giving a retro feel to your designs, these shapes appear to move and transform flat designs into dynamic arrangements.
10. Bold Fonts
Use heavy fonts to take a graphic stand. There’s no room for subtle design! Find graphic inspiration in vintage posters, movie posters, and book covers.
In case you are not too familiar with scales that look nice printed over apparel, you can use online tools to create a design that really makes a statement. Once you’re done with creating your design, use a mockup to place your graphic over the fabric, play with different colors, textures, and choose among different models to fit your target.
Spring 2020 has to be a time to remember, especially for your new business! Are you planning special offers for this time of year? What are your sources of inspiration? Share your best advice with the rest of the community and let’s create beautiful designs for spring.
