Find a local
merch & apparel design

Artwork prepared for the printing method you are using, whether that is screen print, embroidery or DTG, with the colours and sizing set for the garment. A typical gig includes the design plus a mockup on the garment colour you have chosen. You should get print-ready files to your supplier's spec and the source file.

Something people would wear without being asked. A logo blown up across a chest reads as a uniform; a design with an idea behind it reads as merch. For staff uniforms a clean, small logo placement is usually right. For anything you want people to choose to wear, the brand should be present rather than dominant.

Usually 3 to 7 days for a single design from existing brand files, longer if the artwork needs redrawing for screen print colour separation or converting for embroidery. Confirm your printing method before the gig starts, since the same design is prepared quite differently for each.

A lot. Screen print charges per colour, so a four-colour design costs meaningfully more per unit than a one-colour version. Embroidery cannot hold fine detail or small text and needs the artwork simplified and digitised. DTG handles full colour and photographs but sits differently on dark garments. Tell the designer the method up front and the artwork will suit it.

It is graphic design constrained by fabric and print method. Colour behaves differently on a garment than on paper, fine lines disappear in embroidery, and the same file rarely suits every method. A designer with apparel experience will ask about garment colour, print method and placement before drawing anything.

Usually vector artwork with fonts outlined, sized to the print area, and colours specified as Pantone for screen print. Embroidery needs a digitised file (DST or EMB), which the embroiderer often produces from your artwork for a one-off fee. Ask your supplier for their spec sheet and hand it to the designer.

In Australia, a single design prepared for one print method typically runs $300 to $900. A small range across a few garments and placements more commonly lands at $1,000 to $2,500. Artwork redrawn for screen print separation or embroidery digitising may carry a small extra fee. Garments and printing are separate.

The range on this page runs from about $49 to $164 an hour. Around $49 to $66 is a junior designer, $58 to $115 covers most gigs (an experienced designer working solo), and above $123 is a design lead. Apparel-specific experience matters here, because artwork that is not prepared for the print method gets rejected or printed badly.

Ask for photos of printed garments rather than flat mockups, since that is where you see whether the artwork actually worked. Ask which print methods they have prepared files for. If they ask about garment colour and print method before showing concepts, that is a good sign.

Post a merch and apparel design gig in under five minutes. Describe the work, set your budget and timeframe, and choose whether it is time-based or outcome-based. Local freelancers send a bid with a quote, you compare their profiles, portfolios and reviews, then pick the one that fits. Posting is free, so you only pay for the work.

Every gig is split into stages you both agree on up front. You fund each stage before the work starts and it is held securely through Stripe, then released once you sign off. No chasing invoices, and no paying for work that is not done.