The Top 13 T-shirt Design Trends of 2021

Last updated on July 1, 2024

What are the t-shirt design trends in 2021? We rush into pinpointing the trends while the year is not yet over. Read on!

When it comes to t-shirt design trends, it’s not just about what’s new – it’s also about what’s next. Trends are always changing and evolving, and we’re always here to help you keep up with what’s up next in the world of t-shirt design. So, what can you expect to see in t-shirt design trends in 2021? Here are a few of the things you can expect

Strong Statement

Some words in our culture must be said. We are not meeting any new people, so we are using word and messages to stand for something without having to talk about it. It is helpful when making something like bids, or companies that exist on social media and have some sort of marketing campaign…whatever you want a clear message for…that is why these shirts with bold writing are so popular this year. This type of shirt has a message or purpose that it helps people understand.

Classic White

According to Threadandsupply.com, a white T-shirt is one of the trends in 2021 spring clothing. It is timeless and never goes out of style. The white tee will always find a place in your wardrobe, no matter what season.

Doodles

Doodling can help create more fun, relaxed attitude in your life. Doodles can be done anyway, and no one is judging you for drawing something that doesn’t look perfect. Go wild with your doodling; have a go at designs without erasing or hitting “undo.” See what you can come up with! Drawings don’t have to be an exact copy as long as they convey the feel-good mood of doodles. Your drawings could leave outlines and shapes if that’s how you want them to look – or not – it is up to you, really.

Handwritten Typography

In the future, it is predicted that lettering will shift toward original compositions and away from copies. A key way to make your design stand out is by using your own hand-drawn fonts. Your letterforms can be different moods, such as funky or retro. If you want one of these types of fonts there are a couple of things you should do like exploring various font styles and choosing which type of mood you wish to show through the font in question. Then just play around with making the design more interesting by using colors or adding lines around the letters themselves.

Animal Portraits

Animal portraits represent a popular design trend for 2021 t-shirt designs. This is because the creativity they employ is very versatile and has a wide range, you can either draw your animal in detail or use a simple line drawing to outline its body and draw some of its features. There are three top Animal Portraits in 2021 t-shirt design trends: animals from wildlife organizations, famous pet celebrities, and one’s favorite animal on apparel.

Multi-Colored Words

The trend in the 2021 t-shirt design is to add a splash of energy by using colored text with different colors in the font. The colors used should be considered carefully and thought about for what mood the shirt will create for people. When deciding which color(s) go best with your font, it is important to consider the emotions that would resonate from those colors on someone wearing your shirt or looking at your advertisement, as well as what message you want that person’s mindset during their time wearing/seeing this shirt when choosing them too.

Hand-Drawn Designs

Hand-drawn designs are a great design trend in 2021 because they hold so much character and make an important statement. These textured drawings will also be very popular when it comes to adding substance to your sketches without using other colors. Bring your ideas to life with this great idea.

Warped Text

Warped text is a great way to make your plain text stand out on your t-shirt. You can create endless possibilities with warped text. A good tip is to use a two-line waving pattern, then fill the area between with the words on different levels–like if they were printed by bubble or block lettering. In 2021, distorted type (warped) will be one of many ways to make your message stand out on t-shirts. There are lots of possibilities you could try experimenting with regards to warping type: you could find inspiration from retro designs from the 1970s, for example.

Rainbows

The use of rainbows in t-shirt design is popular, representing joy and wonders. They can also represent a clean typeface arced along the arch of the rainbow or framed as a part of the quotation outlined by it. The shape of these typefaces often takes inspiration from font families that have had their letters given a more round or curved edge, such as Futura. Representing joy, hope, and wonder, there are many top t-shirt design trends where the rainbow is present. For example, its bright colors and curved shapes help create an aesthetic that speaks to those who need an uplifting feeling.

Simple Text

You can make your message easy to read on a t-shirt using a clean and simple typeface design. This trend was popular for awareness or advocacy messages where the designer wanted their message seen by many people that might see it. To get this specific look, you should use one of the 200+ free fonts in our design tool.

Illustrative Figures

You can personalize your t-shirt by adding a design of the person in the front, like wearing pictures of people you know.

Muscle T-shirt

The fashion industry is predicting that in 2021 the top selling trend of T-shirts will be muscle shirts, especially for women. Most people believe that this trend is due to an increase in fitness activity nationwide. In addition, these shirts signify living a healthy lifestyle and most “chic girls” wear at least one Saint Laurent muscle t-shirt every day in their daily capsule wardrobe.