Year after year, custom apparel remains a successful way to raise funds and sell merchandise for your cause, business, or community. While the sale of custom apparel never goes out of style, the designs on your shirts continue to evolve with the times. It’s more important now than ever to keep your shirt designs fresh and exciting for your community. With so many designs trending in 2026, how do you know which one is right for you?
Below is our list of the most popular shirt designs for 2026. These trending shirt designs are backed by our marketplace data and inspired by creativity and messages that move your buyers. Use this guide to launch your 2026 merch with confidence.
Key Takeaways
- Travel back in time with nostalgic designs, bubble lettering, varsity vibes, and punk metal.
- Protest designs, environmental prints, awareness ribbons, and bold statements help you take action and make a difference.
- Let your personality shine by creating unique food designs, quotes, definitions, and art created by kids.
- Astrology designs, animal portraits, matching tees, geographic designs, and cowboy vibes help you connect and build your community.
- Get in touch with your artistic side through hand-drawn illustrations, linocut vibes, and floral designs.
- Repeating text, pocket prints, arched designs, and minimalist text can elevate your design visually and thematically.
- Stay adaptable and consider starting your own trend in the new year!
Food Designs
Food designs are the perfect combination of symbolism, comfort, and self-expression. While the images themselves can be fun, the topic is inherently human and connects us all. We all have to eat, and most of us have a favorite food. Popular uses of this design trend have featured everything from snack illustrations and funny food slogans to beautiful hand-drawn images of food. In a world that often feels heavy, food designs are playful, light, and universal.
Design tip: Illustrate your food for a lovable design with a pop of color!
Celestial Designs
Have you checked your horoscope today? Perhaps it’s telling you now is a perfect time to design some new, beautiful merch. A blank shirt is out there just waiting for you to customize, and a celestial design is the perfect way to tie your love of terrestrial events with the comfort of your favorite tee. You can celebrate your individuality by showing off your zodiac sign, connecting with others who are curious about Astrology, and telling a story with beautiful imagery. These types of designs have transcended generations, and their symbols, like the stars and the moon, make for beautiful artwork.
Design tip: Time your design with an astrological event. A beautiful design is a great way to celebrate an eclipse or a solstice!
Nostalgic Designs
Popular sitcoms, MTV culture, low-rise jeans, halter tops, and bedazzled everything. When we take a trip back in time, we can’t help but feel a strong sense of nostalgia. It holds fun memories (and yes, maybe even some questionable ones), and nostalgia inspires warm, happy emotions. Designs honoring the 70s-90s, and even Y2K, are becoming more and more popular, especially on tees! Things like tie-dye, vintage band designs, and big, block lettering can help us take a trip down memory lane and remember when.
Design tip: Consider using the bold and vibrant colors of the late 90s and Y2K. Bright pink, eclectic blue, and chrome/silver can help set the theme of this design trend.
Minimalist Text
Sometimes, less can be so much more. You don’t need complex artwork or complicated elements to get your message across. A simple line of text can move mountains. The message is clear, concise, and clean, with no distractions or confusion. Minimalist designs also wear well and, when paired with the right buttons and accessories, can be incredibly fashionable.
Design tip: Names and short sayings help keep the minimalist design tight, clean, and clear.
Repeating Text
Another easy way to make an impactful design is to use repeating lines of text. Repetitive text is bold and visually striking, emphasising the importance of your message while still avoiding complex designs. Repetition can be calming to the human mind, and it helps us commit a thought to memory. Use this design style to make your message stick!
Design tip: For some fun visuals, consider using different colors, fonts, or styles for each line of text.
Environmental &Sustainability-focused Designs
When issues in our world feel too big or overwhelming, we may not always think we can make a difference. However, there are small things we can do to empower ourselves and inspire change. In the last few decades, environmental and climate issues have made their way to the forefront. An environmental t-shirt design is a great way to spread awareness and connect with others. You can express responsibility and creatively share a message with purpose.
Design tip: Add value to your environmental/sustainability design by pairing it with an eco-friendly tee.
Protest Shirts
Similar to environmental and sustainability-focused designs, protest designs convey a powerful message. As art so often does, it’s a beautiful way to turn your thoughts and emotions into something tangible, and it’s a fast, reliable way to get a message out. This expression connects communities, makes a statement, and takes a stand in a way that reaches many and inspires action.
Design tip: When brainstorming your design, choose imagery that can be a powerful symbol for your movement (think the mockingbird in The Hunger Games).
Quotes and Slogans
Are you Live, Laugh, Loving your way through life? Do you find joy and healing by hanging up inspirational quotes, or repeating a positive affirmation in the morning? If so, this one’s for you. Sometimes, a powerful string of words is all we need to get us moving and to inspire us to do the thing we’ve been wanting to do for so long. They can be a great motivator, and smoothly blend together emotion, connection, and branding. Since slogan and quote designs are usually simple text, they’re also less expensive to produce than detailed artwork. It allows you to express yourself and connect with an audience without dipping too far into the design budget.
Design tip: Use quotes from works available in the public domain or ensure you have the rights to use a quote before designing your tee.
Animal Portraits
Animal Portraits are a great way to show some love to your favorite animal. Whether raising funds for a shelter, funding a medical need, or simply celebrating the adorableness of a furry friend in your life, these designs pull at the heartstrings and offer an opportunity for a more personalized design.
Design tip: Work with our design team to create an adorable custom illustration of your furry friend for the cutest design you’ve ever seen!
Bold Statements
Sometimes you just need to get an important message across loud and clear- so go with a bold typeface and make that text BIG. Bold statements on shirts are great conversation starters and make the message easy to see and read, even from across a room.
Design tip: Pair this with a minimalist design to take advantage of clear, concise, and strong messaging.
Hand-drawn Illustrations
While digital images are great, a more unique, organic option would be to go for a hand-drawn illustration. Especially in these days of AI, these designs can feel more authentic and beautifully imperfect in a very relatable, human way. With hand-drawn art, the design can feel higher in value compared to digital graphics, which could translate to higher profits. It’s also a design that’s extremely versatile, making it a perfect option, no matter the theme of your shirt sale.
Design tip: Partner with a local artist to add value to your design and both reach a wider audience.
Matching Tees
Nothing says “family vacation” like matching tees! Getting matching shirts for the whole family adds another element of excitement to a trip and makes for a great photo. Matching shirts are also great for events, fundraisers, retreats, and teambuilding meetups. For school field trips and club meets, matching tees make it easy to recognize a student and help them stay with their group. Matching tees keep things safe, easily identifiable, and most importantly, fun!
Hot tip! Get the whole family involved. Have everyone design a tee, and vote to determine the most popular option. The winner can get a prize chosen by the family (or simply bragging rights for years to come!).
Geographic Designs
Places, just like people and things, can hold powerful meaning. The outline of a state, a mountain range, a favorite city visited, or a peaceful creek can evoke emotions of home, community, travel, and nostalgia. These designs are popular because they represent who we are, where we come from, where we’ve been, and where we’re going. They are easy conversation starters and can be represented through beautiful, complex art, as well as minimalist, clean lines.
Design tip: Pair the outline of your homestate with your state’s slogan for a fun design that celebrates where you come from.
Pocket Prints
When you want to express yourself, but in a subtle way, pocket prints are a great opportunity to do just that. They don’t take up the entire shirt, while still offering a pop of design or color. They’re also great for logos, as well as camp or team tees.
Design tip: Pair a pocket print with a larger back design for the perfect design combination.
Designs by Kids
If you’re looking for a design that pulls at the heartstrings, look no further. Kids can often express themselves without fear or hesitation, unlike many adults. Their designs offer raw emotion and beautifully imperfect art. Children remind us of our youth, which adds an element of nostalgia, warmth, and brave storytelling to any tee.
Design tip: Have the child sign their name at the bottom corner of the design for an adorable finish to their artistry!
Linocut Vibes Designs
Bold, handmade, and timeless are all words that can be used to describe linocut prints. Its strong imagery lends to a high-contrast look against the shirt, and the textured appearance adds character to the design. It’s timeless, which gives it a cross-generational appeal, and it is often is used for symbolic or story-based designs.
Design tip: Use high-contrast colors when creating your linocut designs for the greatest visual impact.
Cowboy Vibes
Cowboys are a blend of history and symbolism. For many, they represent rebellion and independence, and the cowboy aesthetic remains popular today. This trend has ebbed and flowed through the years, with it trending high right now. Cowboy hats, boots, and clothing can be expensive, so a shirt with a cowboy-inspired design is a great way to offer an affordable option to your customers while taking advantage of this trend.
Design tip: Cowboy vibes are often connected to a geographic location. Pair this with a location-based design to double dip in trends!
Arched Text Designs
Looking for something out of the box, visually appealing, and creative? Arcing the graphic or text in your design can do just that. It’s a great way to have your design stand out from the crowd. The arc makes it easy to see and avoids the typical sticker look of a rectangular print. Since the body, particularly the chest, is rounded, this helps the design look natural and balanced.
Design tip: Pair with large, bright, and bold colors to help your design stand out even more.
Gothic Vibes
Gothic designs are daring, strong, and authentic, making for a print that turns heads and offers shock-value. It works for anyone looking to go against the status quo and express themselves in a unique way. These types of designs often crossover to fashion, and can get a lot of attention with celebrity wear.
Design tip: Punk and death metal are all about embracing imperfections. Allow your design to have some rough edges and misalignment, and add character to your text with distressed effects.
Bubble Lettering Designs
If you want something instantly readable with personality, consider using bubble lettering for your design. The large, often thick, bubble-letter font makes the design easy to read from a distance, and the bubble effect gives your print a soft, fun vibe. Depending on how you style your bubble lettering, you can either go nostalgic with graffiti/90s vibes or add a modern flair by incorporating other effects like outlines, shadows, or even cracks for a more textured look.
Design tip: Overlap your bubble letters to add even more fun to this design element.
Floral Designs
Floral designs are playful and soft, ranging from delicate, minimalist pieces to bold, detailed images. Flowers can be symbolic and tell a story, or they can simply celebrate a season like Spring or Summer. Some flowers pay homage to a previous decade, like the 70s, or are connected to a physical place (like Hawaii).
Design tip: With their nature-based imagery and connection to the earth, pair a floral design with eco-friendly or sustainability-focused messaging.
Varsity Vibes
It’s time to take a trip down memory lane. Varsity designs are often associated with high school and college, and they let us revisit our younger selves. Not only can they help us look back, but varsity designs inspire community, connection, and belonging. The designs are often large and bold, making them eye-catching and easily recognizable.
Design tip: Choose a color palette connected to the shirt’s purpose. For example, if the design is tied to a company or an event, use the brand’s logo colors. This helps create that sense of belonging that varsity designs are known for.
Ribbon Designs for Awareness
Awareness ribbons are powerful forms of connection, allowing those who are dealing with difficult medical issues to find others in their community, spread awareness to others, and raise funds for treatment and research. These designs can also allow you to express your individuality. By getting creative with your ribbon design, you can make it uniquely you and show that you’re so much more than your circumstances.
Design tip: Incorporate the ribbon shape through another symbol like a butterfly, alphabet letter, or heart.
Definitions
When you have an important message to get across, what better way to do that than to simply define it? Definitions can be a useful tool when raising awareness, and they get straight to the point. They can be factual and informative, or they can be humorous, ironic, or satirical. It’s a great conversation starter, and since they’re usually text-based designs, they can be more affordable to print than images.
Design tip: Use serif fonts to give it that real dictionary look!
How to Pick the Right Design Trend For Your Merch
With so many designs trending in 2026, how do you know which one is right for you? First, take a look at your ‘why’? Why are you creating your custom shirt? What’s the purpose of your sale? If you’re looking to raise funds for climate action, an environmental design may be the right one for you. Or, perhaps you’re looking to travel back in time. Try a nostalgic, varsity, or punk metal design. Once you know your ‘why’, you can decide which trend lends itself to your purpose and connects best with your audience.
Final Thoughts
In an ever-changing world, it can feel difficult to stay on top of quick-moving trends. To manage this, consider using a trend that has stood the test of time (like a food design or ribbon awareness), or take a leap of faith and start your own trend. Nothing is cooler than being a trendsetter, and you could be the very first to bring something new and trendy to the space in 2026!
Need some design inspiration? Explore our Design Templates or work with our expert designers in Studio to create your very own, trendy design. With years of experience, our team is here to help you launch your next trending t-shirt campaign and set you up for success.
FAQs
What are the best-selling t-shirt design categories in 2026?
Simple text-based designs continue to dominate, with text-first tees remaining a high-volume staple. But we are seeing a rise in nostalgic and hand-drawn designs, especially in the age of AI, when many are looking for that “human” touch.
What design features make t-shirts sell better?
Visually appealing designs with legible, easy-to-read text tend to sell the best and stand the test of time. Pay attention to the color of the design and how it contrasts against the merch you choose to print it on. Make sure the design is still visible from a few feet away.
What makes typography designs profitable?
Typographic designs are quick and cost-efficient to produce, easy to personalize at scale, and versatile across events, organizations, and merch drops. It only takes a few minutes to create a compelling text-based design that gets your message across, and sometimes it is more impactful than an illustration-heavy design.
When should I launch my merch campaign?
To take advantage of time-specific and trending designs, time your design to an event (like a festival or convention) or make your campaign a limited-time drop. That said, it’s always a great time to start selling custom merch, and sites like Bonfire.com make the process simple!
