Wondering what T-shirt designs are trending in 2024? There are three big trends happening, and they all have one thing in common: maximalism! After a decade or more of minimalism ruling all aspects of design, we’re entering a new era of indulgent maximalism. More is more, and more is better right now. Let’s look at the three trending T-shirt designs that will be taking over this year.
Kitsch ’90s / Bootleg T-Shirt Designs
The ’90s came back, and it’s as if they never left. This decade, with its blend of rugged grunge, neon-bright retro gaming culture, and charming “rough around the edges” feel, continues to have a choke hold on the population. But right now, the spotlight is shining brightest on bootleg T-shirt designs. We’re talking about the unsanctioned, rough-but-ready photo-collage T-shirt. But what’s the allure? It’s a rejection of the corporate machine, almost like a brand of photo-collage T-shirt rebellion.
This is likely a welcome change from the decade of minimalism we endured from 2010 to 2020. Unpolished designs and maximalism are seen in all three of the trending T-shirts we’ll be covering today, and the bootleg collage T-shirt is leading the pack in trending T-shirt designs.
Key Aesthetics
Start with impact fonts that are dripping in harsh chrome and a base of four to six images. The graphics should be placed in a careful hierarchy but with little attention to extracting the images or blending things together. You should be celebrating one key element, whether it be a musician or athlete. If your bootleg T-shirt doesn’t seem as if it’ll land you a cease-and-desist letter, maybe it’s not quite hitting the mark.
Opt for colors that look as if they used to be vivid but are now slightly faded or bleached. Focus on using two to four colors max in the entire design. Using two complementary colors is a great choice in this instance. Bootleg T-shirts are for the fans, often made by fans to sell to fans. Design comes second to celebrating whoever is on the shirt.
Y2K T-Shirts
Welcome to the past’s vision of the future! The Y2K T-shirt trend continues for another year, embracing a yearning for the space-age optimism that the early 2000s once promised. This is not just a nostalgia-based trending T-shirt but a fascination with early tech and a starting point for our new obsession with maximalism.
The Y2K T-shirt design trend is a digital neon dream of cyber-organic shapes and holographic foils. It’s a techno-utopian fantasy with an ode to hyper-reality thrown in.
Key Aesthetics
For this throwback, your T-shirt graphics need a healthy dose of the early internet aesthetic. Think cybernetic circuitry woven into classic tribal tattoo designs. Cheetah, bright florals, and other busy prints are also heavily embraced. For fonts, opt for something big and impactful. University fonts work especially well with a Y2K T-shirt design.
For color, iridescent chromes mean Y2K is as much about texture and dimension as it is about the flat color palette. You’ll want to use solid colors of hot pink, pale neon yellow, baby blue, or pastel purples. If you need a simple, solid base, ditch the black and go with bright white.
Unlike other trends, the cut of the shirt can also help push the Y2K vibe. Baby tees and crop tops ruled the 00s. The shorter the sleeves, while still being a T-shirt, the better!
Hand-Drawn T-Shirts
The hand-drawn T-shirt design trend is new and catching on fast. It’s all about keeping it simple, fun, and kinda quirky. Think about those little drawings you scribble when no one is looking, but make it fashion. This is why you absolutely do not need to be good at drawing to join this trend!
Often paired with a simple happy or funny phrase, these shirts give off really casual vibes, which makes them great for small businesses looking to create some cute merch for their customers. While hand-drawn T-shirts embrace minimalism more than the other trends on this list, the hand-drawn aesthetic still gives it a chaotic feel.
Key Aesthetics
These designs are all about capturing that spontaneous, “I just drew this for fun” feeling. When creating your graphic, don’t overthink it. You’re not trying to draw something accurately but, instead, capture an approximation of what something looks like. The beauty is in the imperfection—a wobbly circle, a lopsided heart, or a stick figure with an oversized head.
Stick to minimal lines and simple, imperfect strokes that show character. A dinosaur wearing a hat? Sure. A slice of pizza with circles for pepperoni? Perfect! It’s the kind of doodle that reminds you that not everything needs to be perfect. As for the font, go hand-drawn, whether that means hand-writing it yourself or choosing a hand-drawn font that fits the vibe.
For colors, keep them simple but bold. Black on white can work, but you’re better off throwing in a splash of neon for that pop. If the shirt is neon, go with a black graphic. If the shirt is white, try a hot red or rich royal blue for the graphic. And black T-shirts look great with white line art.
Those Are the T-Shirt Design Trends for 2024
Those are the three graphic T-shirt trends set to dominate 2024! Current graphic T-shirt trends are shifting towards maximalism, with a heavy hint of nostalgia. Minimalism’s reign is done, and maximalism is the king now. It’s all about embracing imperfection and not worrying about being too polished or professional. Embrace the change, at least until we yearn for the days of simple clean lines and solid colors again—though I don’t see that happening anytime soon!
Now that you know what T-shirts are trending, check out some of these ways you can create your own trending T-shirt designs: