It seems easy to choose the uniform a school or sports team will wear. But if you’ve really done it you know that it is a project. You’re doing colors, sizes, opinions, and deadlines at the same time.
Very few schools and sports teams still do it the old fashioned way. Phone conferences, exchanging PDFs, sitting and waiting for samples to come back. When the uniforms arrive half the season has passed.
Hence, more and more schools and coaches are opting for a uniform design tool. It handles everything from your computer or phone.
Here are 7 true advantages of using one.
1. You See the Finished Look Before Ordering
No one wants an unexpected surprise when it comes to uniforms. That color that was just right on paper, appears all wrong in reality. The logo is too low. The font is wrong. Now you have 40 jerseys that you can’t use.
This is solved with a uniform design tool. You create the design on screen and see exactly how it will appear on the real jersey, shorts or jacket. All the colours, all the numbers and all the logos are clearly seen before you spent a single rupee or dollar.
It is with this preview feature that schools can save from making costly errors.
2. No Design Skills Needed
Many people think that the term design tool is just for graphic designers. This is not the case at all.
They are designed for coaches, school personnel, parents and team leaders. Individuals who never used Photoshop in their life. The interface is quite simple. Choose a template and choose your colors, type in the team name, upload the logo, and you’re done.
It is similar to the Internet cake customizers in which you simply click on what you desire. No drawing, no complex software, no learning curve!
An online uniform design tool can be used as long as you know how to type and click.
3. The Whole Team Can Look Consistent
This is more important to people than they think.
It is noticeable that there are minor variations when uniforms are purchased in sets from a variety of suppliers, or when the uniform is manufactured in more than one year. There are two different shades of red. The font used for the numbers is slightly different. The team appears to be a little off from afar.
All pieces are compatible if they’re created from the same design file. Same size, same colour, same name on each and every uniform.
That degree of visual uniformity can help create a team identity for sports teams. Players are acting as a team unit. For schools it maintains a uniform standard of cleanliness and appropriateness of the uniform for all grades.
4. Changing Takes Minutes
School colors are changing?Colors for the school are changing? New team name? Coach would like to see something darker in blue before she decides?
In the old process, any change required the conversation to be started again. New e-mails, new calls, waiting for revised samples. It may cause delays in your order or even weeks.
A uniform design tool is a tool that you open the design file you have saved and make the change; and then you will see the new design right away. 5 different color combinations can be tested in 10 minutes.
This is particularly useful when there are several people needing approval of the final look in a team. Anybody can see the design, contribute to it and agree on something quickly.
5. It is able to control spending.
School sport budgets are generally constrained. All additional expenses are painful.
Although the idea of ordering traditional uniforms is effective, there is one thing that makes it not so easy to know what you’re getting in advance of you placing your order. A quote, logo, color change, names on the back, and the price is much more than anticipated.
The ideal online uniform design software will display the cost while designing. Add an extra color? Notice the change in the total. Do you prefer stitched letters to printed? The tool lets you know the cost difference right there.
This enables schools and coaches to make informed decisions, rather than educated guesses, based on actual figures. You’re confident of the amount you’ll spend before you click confirm.
No last-minute surprises. There’s no turning back to the committee, requesting more money.
6. Students and Players feel Part of It:
When folks wear uniforms that they can pick themselves, they care more about them.
Some schools use the design tool to allow their student councils to choose from two or three options of colour. Some coaches allow their players to choose the logo design. The final call is still with the adults, however asking makes a significant difference.
Children are more proud of their jersey if they helped select it. It is given better care. Before the first game, they feel like they are part of the team.
It’s a small but important gesture that fosters a sense of ownership which cannot be achieved in another manner.
7. Old Designs Are Saved and Ready to Reuse
It’s the same question every year at this time when school starts. What uniform did you wear last year? What colors were the exact colors? So where’s the logo?
This information is lost with traditional methods. Files go missing. It has been passed on to someone else, the person who dealt with it last year has moved on.
All of this is stored in your account in a uniform design tool. Retrieve the design of last year in just seconds. Put same uniform together for new students. Or keep the base and simply change out the names and numbers with new players.
This is an enormous timesaver for schools that wish to have the same image year after year. Also beneficial if uniform is damaged and must be replaced during the season. It’s simply a reordering from the same file.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
Here are a few things you should know.
Others are linked directly to manufacturers, which means that the design that you produce is sent directly to the manufacturer. There are others that are simply design tools and you have to export and send the files separately.
Some are connected directly to manufacturers, which means the design you create gets sent straight for production. Others are just design tools and require you to export and send files separately.
For schools and sports programs, it is worth picking one that connects design to ordering in one place. It cuts down on communication errors and speeds up delivery.
Also, check if the tool supports your specific product types. Jerseys, tracksuits, caps, shorts, bags. The best tools let you design an entire kit, not just a single piece.