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Review whether a design can be manufactured before the client approves the final visual. A graphic crossing a seam, fine embroidery, a metallic effect or a colour defined only on screen may need a different construction or decoration method. Send the garment type, artwork and target quantities while these choices can still be adjusted.
Feasibility review before the client sees a render
Send the concept while it is still a draft. For the review we need:
- The flat or render, front and back, with the garment type named (a jersey, a training top, a jacket).
- Whether each graphic is meant to run continuously across panels or sit inside one.
- Every logo, with where it sits and roughly how large.
- Colour references as you have them (hex, RGB or Pantone).
- A target quantity per style and per colour, even if approximate, and the number of colourways.
From concept to production specification
On a sublimated polyester jersey, the design is printed on paper and transferred into the cut fabric pieces with heat, and the pieces are then sewn. A separate chest logo can use DTF, heat transfer or embroidery instead, where the fabric and placement allow. State the appearance, dimensions and position you need for every mark, and Voyager Sportswear assesses the method. Metallic effects, very fine embroidery and decoration over seams should be reviewed before they appear in a visual the client approves.
Colour: what the screen cannot promise
A hex value describes light from a monitor. Printed polyester reflects light, takes ink differently depending on the fabric construction and shifts with the white of the base fabric. The jersey and shorts of one kit may be different fabrics that take the same file differently. Give a Pantone reference for each brand colour and expect a strike-off or a sample on the fabric itself. The client approves colour on that, never on a PDF. Colour matching from artwork to production sets out the sequence and the tolerance to ask the client to accept in writing.
Safe areas and seams
A seam takes up fabric: the seam allowance on both panels disappears into the join, and the two edges meet along a line that moves slightly with cutting and sewing. Three rules follow from this. Keep text, logos and fine detail inside a safe area, away from seams and from the neck, armhole and hem. Extend background artwork past the panel edge as bleed. And treat a design that has to match across a seam as a request, not a certainty. Whether it matches depends on the artwork placement, the panel pattern, the seam allowance and the accuracy of cutting and sewing, so place critical elements where no seam can interrupt them. Sponsor logos and jersey artwork explains bleed and safe area. The dimensions for your garment come from the production pattern, so ask for them before finalising the layout.
Technical handover
The agency does not need to draw a pattern or split the artwork into panels. The work divides like this:
The agency delivers: vector artwork with fonts outlined; the Pantone reference for each colour; a placement drawing with each logo's size and its distance from a fixed point such as the centre front neck; the logo hierarchy and any brand rules on clear space; the garment type, the reference size the placement was drawn on, and the number of colourways; the client's written approval of the concept.
Voyager Sportswear prepares, as agreed for the order: the garment pattern and the way the artwork is divided across the cut fabric pieces; production artwork adjusted to the pattern and seam allowances; a proposal for the decoration method where it is still open; and the sample that the agency and client review. Design development beyond placement is included only when it is requested and agreed.
A tech pack holds everything on the agency's side, and the sportswear tech pack lists what goes into it. An agency without a tech pack template can send the items above as a folder with a one-page note. Agree with Voyager Sportswear who prepares the specification and which decisions need client approval.
One campaign can need more than one product approval
A client may use the same logo on a sublimated running top and an embroidered presentation jacket. An approved logo file does not cover both results. The fabrics, decoration methods and available placement areas differ, so agree a physical approval for each garment. If small lettering cannot be reproduced clearly in the requested method, ask for another size or method before the client approves the final visual.
Keep three decisions separate in your comments: the client's brand requirements, the agency's artwork changes and the garment construction proposed by Voyager Sportswear. Moving a logo away from a seam, for example, may solve a production issue but change the sponsor hierarchy. The agency then obtains the client's approval for that change and returns one marked drawing with the updated dimensions.
A concept is enough for an initial discussion
Send a front and back visual, the intended wearer and use, approximate quantities, the deadline and whatever client rules you already have, and say which parts are still proposals. Voyager Sportswear can help clarify fabric suitability, print placement and the information needed for sampling, and we agree with you who prepares each production file. Build the client's review time into the programme, especially when several brand or licensing contacts must approve the same garment.
Questions and answers
Why does a brand colour look different on a printed jersey than on screen?
A hex value describes light from a monitor, while printed polyester reflects light, takes ink differently by fabric construction and shifts with the white of the base fabric. A jersey and shorts in one kit may be different fabrics that take the same file differently. Give a Pantone reference for each brand colour and have the client approve colour on a strike-off or sample on the actual fabric, never on a PDF.
How far from a seam should a logo sit on sublimated sportswear?
The safe distance from a seam comes from the production pattern, so ask the manufacturer for the safe-area dimensions before finalising the layout. Keep text, logos and fine detail inside the safe area, away from seams, neck, armhole and hem, and extend background artwork past the panel edge as bleed. Whether a design matches across a seam depends on artwork placement, the panel pattern, the seam allowance and cutting and sewing accuracy.
Does a design agency need to split artwork into garment panels itself?
A design agency does not need to draw a pattern or split artwork into panels. The agency sends vector artwork with outlined fonts, a Pantone reference per colour, a placement drawing with each logo's size and distance from a fixed point such as the centre front neck, and the client's written approval. As agreed for the order, Voyager Sportswear prepares the pattern, production artwork fitted to the pattern and seam allowances, and the sample.
For an enquiry
Send the garment and design (or a reference), quantities by style and size, your fabric requirements, any numbers required, the destination and the date you need the goods. Voyager Sportswear usually sends a first reply within 24 hours. Request a quote