Designing printed workwear is a popular, creative way to customise uniforms for your business. You can feature things such as logos and employee names. A business uniform looks more professional, can build brand identity and cultivates a sense of pride among your employees. Any business can offer employees a uniform, and they’re commonly used by organisations like retail stores, coffee shops, construction businesses and many more.

Read on to discover why a uniform is important, explore some possible uniform ideas and learn how to create printed workwear for your employees.

Why is a uniform important?

Uniforms are an easy way to align your business and coordinate your staff for an enhanced brand image. A custom uniform doesn’t need to take away from an employees’ identity, instead it can help build a sense of community in the workplace.

A custom uniform can:

• Reflect your brand. A custom uniform can help to build brand identity, and including things like your logo can help people to instantly recognise your brand.
• Appear professional and credible. If your employees interact with customers, a uniform helps them to differentiate employees from customers. It can also add a level of credibility and security if you run a business that requires employees to be in public or visit customers’ homes, for example.
• Cultivate a sense of unity between staff. Staff can feel a sense of belonging team unity when they all wear the same uniform.
• Upholding the company image. When everyone wears the same custom work uniform, it creates a streamlined company image. No one is ever over or underdressed and their workwear is designed to represent the business.

What printed workwear can you customise?

When it comes to choosing a business uniform, it doesn’t need to be a full custom suit. Printed workwear can include even just a small item of clothing, or an accessory that ties every team member together. Here are some different custom uniform ideas you could adapt in your organisation.

• T-shirts. Where you choose to place custom details will depend on the roles of your employees. If your staff are customer facing, having their name on the front of the t-shirt can make them more approachable. If they’re working on something like a building site, being able to call their name from a distance may mean you want to put their names on the back. You could also add contact information onto your printed t-shirts.
• Sweatshirts. These can be a nice addition to your work uniform in the colder months – also perfect for warehouse and shop floor workers to keep them comfortable. They also give you plenty of space to add branding and logos.
• Aprons. If your employees handle food or work in an environment that can cause their clothing to become dirty, a custom apron is a great addition to their uniform. An apron can feature the company logo in the centre and even some playful graphics if you want to get creative.
• Hats. If employees handle food and drink, work outside in the sun, or require safety gear, providing a hat can be essential. Adding the business logo or name are simple additions.
• Hi-vis. In workplaces where safety gear is needed, you’ll need to ensure no work branding is covered. You can do this by making sure all outer layers feature the company name and logo – including hi-vis jackets.
• Fleeces. A branded fleece is a great custom work uniform item that allows employees to stay warm without showing any non-business branded clothing.

How to create your own printed workwear.

You can customise your small business’ workwear easily. In just a few steps, you can design and print workwear for all your employees.

1. Think about your workwear requirements.

Firstly, think about what your employees need to wear. Are there any safety regulations the uniform will need to conform to? What are their day-to-day requirements? Will they need different workwear for different roles?

For example:

• Base: Shirt, t-shirt or polo
• Second layer: Hoodie or cardigan
• Top layer: Fleece, jacket or hi-vis
• Accessories: Hats or aprons

2. Choose your uniform items.

Once you’ve decided on your uniform, it’s time to select the workwear items you want to get printed. You don’t have to customise everything at once. When approaching the summer months, for example, you’ll perhaps want to focus on polos, rather than beanies and fleeces.

3. Include your brand colours.

When it comes to creating printed workwear, you want to showcase your brand identity as much as possible – but you don’t want to overdo it. Be sure to consider your brand colours so people can easily identify your employees, even if they can’t see the full logo. Think about brands that have a strong identity thanks to their colours, such as Coca-Cola’s classic red, Sainsbury’s iconic orange, and Cadbury’s easily identifiable purple.

4. Add your business logo.

One of the most important things to include on your printed workwear is your company logo. It helps identify who works for you and, if worn outside of work such as on the commute home, can help advertise it too.

5. Factor other branding elements into your design.

Depending on the type of printed workwear you choose, you can add other branded elements too. This could be your slogan, tagline, or recognisable icon. Don’t forget you can use all areas of the uniform. So, if you opt for a t-shirt, you can add details to the front and back. With sweatshirts, you can also utilise the sleeves.

6. Add business contact details.

Be sure to add your contact details too. This can be your website, phone number or social media handle. Place it under your logo at the front, or on the back of a hoodie or t-shirt.

6. Add employee personalisation.

You may also want to consider adding a personal touch for each employee. For example, instead of using traditional name badges, print their names directly onto the uniform. You can add their name to the space where they’d usually wear a badge.

Explore editable printed t-shirt templates for your custom workwear.

Top tips for making a custom uniform.

There’s a lot that goes into making a custom uniform for your business. Below, we break down some tips and tricks to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Identify your budget.

Some custom uniform items cost more than others, and some will be a higher priority for you. You can expect to pay more for a fleece and hoodie than a t-shirt, for example. Once you’ve decided on your budget, you can then pick the uniform you can afford.

Stay true to your brand.

Choose items that represent your brand. If, for example, there’s no reason for your employees to wear a hat, don’t bother including them. Only choose essential workwear and add a design that captures the brand. After you’ve got the basics down, you may then want to start branching out to more novelty items.

Involve your team in decisions.

It’s good to get feedback from the team – after all, they’re the ones wearing it. If you’re interested in adding their name to their tops, they might have views on the positioning or style.

Try samples before you commit.

Ordering samples is a good idea that can save you money. With a sample, you can check the quality, make any changes to the design, and make any other amendments needed. Print-on-demand services can be a good way to test out ideas and get feedback.

Create a uniform policy.

Establishing a uniform policy can help everyone align. You should detail when the uniform should be worn and explain procedures on maintaining it. For example, will your business be responsible for washing aprons, or is that an employee’s responsibility?

How can Adobe Express help you to customise printed uniforms?

Adobe Express has a range of tools available to help you create the perfect printed uniforms. Here, you can find out more about how we can assist you with everything you need.

1. Build your brand identity.

Streamline your brand and craft an identity to be proud of. With Adobe Express, you can create a range of marketing materials and designs that capture your brand image and messaging and help build an identity.

2. Develop your company logo.

A logo is very important for any business, however big or small, whatever you do. You can design one easily with Adobe Express’ range of free logo templates. Choose from a range of colours, fonts and styles to suit your brand.

3. Create printed t-shirts.

Adobe Express offers free templates to help you design and print t-shirts. There are a range of designs to choose from to make creating your printed uniforms easier.

4. Design clothing labels for your printed uniforms.

Add branded clothing labels to make your uniform even more professional. These labels can also tie into your colour palette and aesthetic, and could be the same colour as other details on the printed uniforms.

5. Create a poster to display uniform policy.

Once you’ve created your custom workwear, you can design a poster that features all of your uniform policies. This can then be displayed in the break room, or even sent out over email to remind employees.

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Good to know.

How do I make my uniform stand out?

You can make your uniform stand out by choosing the right colours and ensuring the design is simple, yet effective. Vibrant, block colours will really stand out from the crowd. If you want a more neutral shade, you can make your workwear unique by displaying your logo clearly and using bold fonts.

Do employers have to provide workwear?

Employers are required to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to any employees who requires it. According to HSE, these are employees “who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work”. So, items like hi-vis, safety helmets/hard hats are often a must if employees undertake any sort of manual labour.

Is Adobe Express free?

Yes, our free plan offers many core features including thousands of templates, photo editing and effects, animation, and 5 GB of storage. See our pricing page for details and to compare plans.