Creating a great logo is a huge achievement for any business. Now, the next step is finding out where to put it. The options for where your logo can go are practically endless. Luckily, placeit.net makes it easy to look through their extensive catalog and find what you need.

The 9 Best Mockups are:

1. Chocolate Bars
2. Shopping Bags
3. Gift Boxes
4. Software Boxes
5. Chip Bags
6. Mailing Box
7. Water Bottles
8. Coffee Mugs & Their Packages
9. Gift Bags

To save you even more time, I have put together a list of their 9 best mockups, as well as some tips on how to best utilize them. Whatever sort of business you are, there is sure to be a mockup here that works great for you and makes your logo pop.

1. Chocolate Bars

View Chocolate Bar Mockups Here

Selling candy or chocolate can certainly be a struggle. They are a saturated market and people rarely look to find anything in their chocolate beyond basic flavors. This is why it is essential to make your packaging stand out.

Having an easy to use, ready mockup for chocolate bars simplifies the process and allows for a variety of creative designs to bring your logo to life. Want to catch customer’s eyes with a sophisticated and subtle packaging? Or an in your face, punchy color scheme? Using this mockup will help you test both and more before any major printing commitments.

While the packaging design of chocolate bars is relatively simple, there is a lot of room for original design and logo placement. Consider the following when prototyping your logo on chocolate bars:

• Limited size. Ensure that your logo looks great even when small, as chocolate bars are rarely sold in large sizes.
• Original color scheme. With so many products on the shelf, making your product catch consumer’s eyes before they even read your logo is a great goal!
• Sell the details. Everyone knows what chocolate is, so it is important to include details on what makes your chocolate unique when designing the packaging.

This mockup is fantastic for getting together a great logo and testing it on chocolate bars!

2. Shopping Bags

View Shopping Bag Mockups Here

Customizing shopping bags with your logo can help the shopping experience feel personalized, custom, and caring, all great qualities that people look for when buying anything. They can also serve as reminders and openers whenever customers look at the bag, bringing back good memories of the experience.

While any old shopping bag will do, providing your customers with the very best experience is sure to keep them coming back again and again. Specialty shops where design is really important should absolutely look into this mockup.

For places like beauty stores and high-end clothing shops, shopping bags customized with your logo can help your brand stand out and give an air of quality. For other businesses ranging as far as food delivery to technology dropoffs, customized shopping bags will help keep your logo on customer’s minds.

Where your logo is placed on shopping bags is very important, as customers rarely look at them for very long. It is also important to consider what color of bag you would want so that your logo can pop off of the bag.

3. Gift Boxes

View Gift Box Mockups Here

Gift boxes are a great way to keep packaging interesting and personal. While they certainly do not fit in with every company selling things, they do have their place. Here are some examples where using a gift box with a personal logo could be great:

• Subscription based “loot boxes”, so that each time a package comes it feels even more special.
• Gift wrapped normal orders, for when customers want to ship something where the contents are hidden.
• Special offers and packages, making the winning of a contest or other big event feel great.
• Party and craft suppliers, building on the brand’s identity of having fun through packaging.

Of course, these items are not the limit. Putting your logo on a gift box mockup can be a great way to introduce a little more fun into any business. Or, simply upload your own image to use on a gift box for a highly personalized gift.

4. Software Boxes

View Software Box Mockups Here

Creating a catchy and aesthetic box to house your expensive software can take a lot of time. Once a significant amount of money and time has been sunk into a product, as is often the case with software, taking the time to really get packaging done well could be the difference between success and failure.

Software boxes are highly varied in their design and even size, so using a mockup to see how your logo looks on the package before printing anything is valuable. There is also the fact that software and what it is trying to do is so varied that choosing packaging that fits can be a daunting task.

When putting your logo on a software box mockup, consider the following:

• Is the software for professional or personal use?
• Will the software box include instructions or labels?
• Should this packaging be a memento, or thrown away once the software is installed?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. They are simply made to help you utilize the software box mockup to the best of your ability and make your logo look its greatest.

5. Chip Bags

View Chip Bag Mockups Here

Putting a logo on a bag of chips seems like it could be a simple task, but as is often the case, there is more to consider. Think of how many chip bags you pass in a normal grocery store. The large brands tend to dominate the displays while smaller brands try and peek out from behind.

How do you take a chip brand logo and elevate its packaging to the next level? Through the use of this mockup! Tinkering with the placement of your logo, the colors of the chip bag, where information is, and the general design can all create a much stronger product.

Packaging, especially in markets like food where people often do not care much about the brand, is especially important. Designs need to be eye-catching and accurate, This mockup is a perfect way to make sure that is true.

6. Mailing Box

View Mailing Box Mockups Here

Mailing boxes are great for pushing out any large packages, especially for an online business. When people are not going to have the chance to come into a physical store and see what your brand looks like, it becomes even more important to get a good logo and feel for the company on the packaging.

Mailing boxes are fantastic for showing the feel of a brand. For instance, if a hiking company is shipping out a product, maybe their packaging is mostly brown and green, reminiscent of nature. An alcohol company may keep its mailing box packaging in shades of red and leathers to add an air of sophistication.

There are few packages used more in the modern world than a mailing box, so having the opportunity for a custom one is a great way to build your brand. Luckily, this mockup makes that move very easy.

In addition to basic packages, here are some other areas where a mailing box could be used effectively:

• Subscription-based services where packaging can be customized to hint at what is inside.
• Sending out return boxes to customers so the experience of things going wrong does not feel as bad.
• Providing links to websites and other information so customers know where to reach the company.

Simply due to the size of most mailing boxes, there is a lot of real estate that can be used. Be creative with the mockups, and be sure to utilize the different sizes available. Rarely are mailing boxes square. It could be a good idea to have a large logo on the front, while text describing the company and its values is placed on the side.

7. Water Bottles

View Water Bottle Mockups Here

Water bottles with customized logos can be great for a host of events. Fundraisers, races, large businesses, even television productions can all benefit from having a water bottle custom fit to the event.

This mockup is great for promoting any cause or selling custom memorabilia type water bottles. When designing a logo for use on a water bottle, here are some tips for making it look great:

• Make the background transparent. Let it shine without any sort of border!
• Be sure it works even when small. Water bottles are not very large, so the logo may look crowded if it is too detailed.
• Choose a simple color palette. When working with too many colors, some may blend into the background and make the water look almost dirty. It is best to keep the amount of colors minimal.

Custom water bottles are great for helping any cause or marking events such as:

• Marathons and 5ks
• Fundraisers, especially related to nature conservation
• City or state events
• Carnivals, parades, and other large celebrations

A great thing to do when putting your logo on a water bottle for any fundraising is to briefly describe the cause on another part of the packaging, as well as provide links to further information. This could garner even more support in the future!

While many people may not consider putting their logo on water bottle packaging, it could be the perfect final touch!

8. Coffee Mugs And Their Packages

View Coffee Mug Mockups Here

Putting custom logos or images onto coffee mugs is a classic. Whether comedic lines, memorable quotes, funny images, or heartfelt gifts – the list of what works on a custom coffee mug seems almost infinite.

The great thing about custom logos on coffee mugs is how often people see them. It is rare to find an adult in the United States or other countries who does not drink coffee or tea daily, often multiple times. This is a perfect advertising space!

The key to making a custom coffee mug is having the logo and artwork on the mug be appealing. If the logo simply feels like a constant billboard, people will naturally start choosing other mugs over yours.

Custom coffee mugs are absolutely perfect for such a wide variety of things. Some areas where coffee mugs with your logo on it could work very well are:

1. Company functions. Especially if people from outside the company are visiting, many will appreciate a nice mug!
2. Gift shops and knick-knack stores. If your business is located in a common vacation spot, you can design custom mugs to remind people of happy times on vacation.
3. Artistic designs. When your logo represents a design company or other aesthetically pleasing business, it is often easy to take some internal work and print it on a mug! People enjoy drinking out of what could be considered an art piece.
4. Internal company use. Many large companies have kitchens inside their offices. Keeping some mugs around marked with the company logo for internal use is a great idea.

The sky’s the limit for how logos could be effectively used on coffee mugs, so be creative.

The packaging of mugs is often overlooked but can be a great place to put your logo or design as well. The box itself is a great area to include information about the mug or design’s creation, some inspiration behind the design, or other information that helps humanize your brand. Especially with personalized packaging, people are interested in a brand’s story. Utilize that!

9. Gift Bags

View Gift Bag Mockups Here

Gift bags with your logo printed on them are a great tool to customize the customer experience a little more, as well as providing even more opportunities to put your logo in front of consumers.

Due to their shifting sizes and dimensions, it can feel very difficult to find a good mockup for creating your gift bags. Luckily, this mockup makes it easy, allowing you to test your logo in different colors, sizes, and areas on the bag.

Not every business or logo maker needs custom gift bags, however. These are best suited for in-person shops and boutiques, where the quality of the product should be felt through the entire purchasing experience.

As such, when using this mockup for gift bags, consider the following questions:

• Are customers buying large amounts of items? If so, gift bags may not be the best option.
• Should customers feel pampered and treated while buying from this company? If so, gift bags are fantastic for extending the experience.
• Will customers care about the packaging? When mocking up a gift bag design, it is important to make it memorable. Otherwise, it may cost more than it is worth.

Custom gift bags are fantastic for small shops and other uses, they just require a bit more thought than some other packaging options. Tinker with your logo and something great could pop up.

Why Is Packaging Important?

Packaging is often the very first or very last thing customers see. It is vital for leaving great impressions about what your business sells and stands for, so taking the time to get it right is a good move.

When thinking about packaging and logo placement for items your business provides, consider what experience you want customers to have. Should customers feel like a business professional, or is the product meant to illicit joy? What colors should the packaging be? Other questions of this nature can help you before too much time is invested.

Because of the weight of the decision, utilizing digital tools to mockup how your logo and designs will look on the packaging before spending time printing is a great investment. Mockups of your logo on the package are great for the early packaging process.

This list is meant to provide some great mockups that are common across disciplines, so that you can make your own decision on how to best use your logo and promote your business.

The 9 Best Mockups for Your Business

This packaging is one of the best ways to make a product feel high quality and really proves that lots of thought went into every part of it. When you print your logo onto a standing mailing box, it will look great and remind customers of quality. To ensure that this feeling is being produced, take the time to mockup your packaging here before printing!

Whether you are an established business or a startup trying to get your brand on solid footing, getting your logo in the minds of consumers is always a worthwhile proposition. One of the more underrated ways to feature your logo is through its placement on door hangers, as this is a surefire way to have your logo introduced to people who are out and about.

What are the best mockups for your logo on door hangers? The best mockups for your logo on door hangers will prominently feature the logo while capturing the essence of how door hangers can have mass interaction and appeal with consumers.

While there is really no limit to the amount of catchy door hanger mockups to explore, you will want to make sure, in any mockup, that the logo is clearly displayed and that the full door hanger is discernible so that prospective clients know that they are looking specifically at a door hanger and not at any general piece of print advertisement.

The 11 Best Door Hanger Mockups

The following list explores a wide variety of effective door hanger mockups. Play around with any number of them until you are able to pinpoint the exact feel that captures the essence of how door hangers can most effectively highlight your logo.

#1 – Door Hanger Hanging on a Closed Door, Straight Ahead View

This is the classic door hanger mockup, and it is, therefore, number one on this list.

Door hangers have long been associated with “Do Not Disturb” signs at hotels. Whether it be the hotel staff, neighboring rooms coming to ask a favor, or random passersby making their rounds in the halls, fists are frozen before knocking as they read those three little words on the door hanger.

Now, imagine that instead of “Do Not Disturb,” all of these same people have to pause and consider your business’ logo. This mockup provides an authentic feel of the power of a door hanger in action and will surely appeal to a wide pool of prospective clients.

The key with this mockup is that you need to be zoomed in close enough that the logo and any accompanying text are easily discernible while being zoomed out enough to fully appreciate the closed door and “read before knocking” aesthetic that you are trying to create.

#2 – Door Hanger Hanging on a Closed Door, Low View Angle

While maybe not “the” classic mockup for door hangers, this is definitely “a” classic option for featuring your business’ logo.

This mockup will feature many of the same “closed-door” benefits of the top choice on this list while featuring the door hanger a little more prominently.

When designing this mockup, you will want to make sure that all text is clearly legible, but, above all else, you are looking to feature two specific points:

1. Your business’ logo
2. A full image of the door handle

You can experiment with whether the low view angle works best when coming from directly beneath the door hanger, or if a low and to the side approach works best for achieving your ends.

Whatever the case, when the ideal low view angle is achieved, the result will give your logo an almost ethereal feel, as if it is hanging from a door in a peaceful dream. 

#3 – Door Hanger Hanging on a Partially Opened Door

This mockup helps bring your brand to life.

While closed-door mockups help feature the door hanger in its “natural habitat,” seeing your logo hanging from a partially opened door helps it interact with whatever excitement is taking place on the other side, creating the sense that your brand is a part of what is and what shall be.

This mockup can be a little more difficult to get right, as there are a number of essential elements that need to be captured in order for this mockup to reach its full potential:

1. Discernible view of your logo and accompanying text
2. Significant visual of a slightly ajar door
3. Clear view of what is going on inside the room

Therefore, it can be a little bit difficult to find the right zoom setting for this mockup. However, once achieved, this is arguably the best view for bringing your brand to life.

#4 – A Bunch of Door Hangers Spread on a Wooden Surface

This mockup gives a trick-or-treat feel to your logo.

Door hangers are a great marketing tool for your business and offering them as a grab-and-go memento at conferences and expositions can make more of an impact than handing out business cards.

By having a mockup with a bunch of door hangers spread on a wooden surface, your brand is practically screaming, “Please, take me!”–with many prospective clients tempted to do just that.

With having so many door hangers featured in this mockup, there will be no shortage of your logo on full display.

However, while many of the door hangers will be overlapping one another, you want to make sure one complete hanger is featured prominently somewhere in the mockup with no obstructions or overhangs, as you will want clients to see what the full hanger looks like without having to piece it together in their minds.

#5 – A Few Door Hangers Spread on a Wooden Surface

Similar to having a bunch of door hangers spread on a wooden surface, this mockup also gives a trick-or-treat feel to your logo. Only this time, it makes the prospective client feel a sense of urgency to get in before all the good is gone.

This mockup will not be as busy as a bunch of door hangers spread on a wooden surface and getting the client to home in on the full image of a complete door hanger should not be an issue.

The key here will be to make sure you get the zoom right. While you want prospective clients to know that the door hangers are up for grabs on a wooden surface, you want to be focused more on the few remaining hangers as opposed to the excess wooden surface space.

#6 – Two Neatly Stacked Piles on a Wooden Surface

This mockup offers the same grab-and-go feel as the mockups that have the door hangers spread on a wooden surface, but in a more orderly, business-like fashion.

As such, while the previous two options on this list may be great for businesses such as restaurants or breweries, where clients are in a rush to get the goods, this mockup may be better for a tax preparation service or any other business that places a premium on attention to detail.

This mockup clearly displays thick stacks of door hangers, making it known that there is significant business to be done, but the organized nature makes it easy for prospective clients to clearly see the business’ logo and the totality of the door hanger with minimal distraction.

#7 – Two Neatly Stacked Piles on a Wooden Surface, On an Angle

Another great option for those businesses that want to convey attention to detail.

Like #6 on this list, this mockup does a great job of featuring the business’ logo and capturing the entire door hanger in a tidy fashion.

The key that separates this mockup, though, is that it must be shot from a slight angle, with the shorter stack in front of the taller stack. This highlights the difference in stack sizes.

By capturing this contrast in stack sizes, the business is able to convey that even though it is organized and still has door hangers left, clients have already taken a good chunk of the inventory, so get in while there are still some left.

#8 – Two Stacked Piles on a Wooden Surface, Stacks Askew

Through this mockup, the business is able to effectively capture client interaction.

The two neatly stacked piles show that the business is focused on the details, features the company’s logo prominently, and fully displays the door hanger in its full form.

However, by having the stacks slightly askew, this mockup is able to convey that even though the business is trying to keep things tidy, prospective clients are coming in and ruffling the door hangers up a little bit.

#9 – Two Door Hangers on a Custom Color Background, Opposite Sides Up

While some door hangers have fronts and backs that mirror each other and others that only have print on one side, there are other door hangers that have distinct fronts and backs, kind of like those hotel door hangers that have “Do Not Disturb” on one side and “Come Back Later” on the other.

If your business is one that features your logo prominently on one side and something else on the other, this mockup could be your best bet, as any of the hanging door options will not suffice.

An example that comes to mind is a restaurant that has its logo and slogan on the front of the hanger and a redacted menu on the back. Or a church with its name and logo on the front and a service schedule on the back.

Whatever the case, this mockup allows for a full display of each side of the door hanger against a clear, non-distracting backdrop.

#10 – Two Door Hangers on a Custom Color Background, Propped up Together

This mockup adds an element of creativity and flair to your brand.

By propping two door hangers up against each other, you effectively create a mini door hanger tower, leaving some potential clients wondering, “How did they do that?”

Not only is the tower-like effect creative, but it offers an extremely clear view of the face of your door hanger, allowing the logo and any related slogans to be featured prominently.

#11 – Door Hangers on a Custom Color Solid Surface

Using a wooden surface for mockups is a generally sound idea because wood is largely neutral, offering a classy and non-distracting backdrop to allow your door hanger to take center stage.

However, for creative purposes, you may want to keep all of the layout ideas listed thus far but play around with different backgrounds.

If you have a very colorful door hanger and/or a loud logo for your business, then you may want to feature your door hanger against a dull backdrop, like a gray or beige, as the contrast will really help your door hanger to stand out.

Hopefully one of these 11 door hanger mockups are perfect for your business. If you were not able to find one that fits your needs, here’s a list of more door hanger mockups.

Whether you are creating a logo for yourself, others, or are hiring somebody to design a logo for you, it is important to be clear on exactly what you want your logo to communicate to viewers.

Logo gradients: the pros, cons, and alternatives. If you are designing a logo, keep in mind the most important aspect to consider is clearly communicating what kind of brand you have. The logo is often the first thing viewers will see about your brand, if you have unprofessional gradients or coloring, it may not communicate your mission appropriately. If you do utilize gradients, ensure they are professionally done and high quality.

For those who may be newer to designing logos or are having trouble choosing the right theme for their logo, this article will walk you through the pros and cons of using gradients as well as discussing some alternatives that will give a different look to your logo. This article will talk about the best ways of using color and how to design a logo that best fits your needs.

What is a Gradient?

A gradient is a sliding scale of color. They are often known as color transitions since the colors blend from one to the next seamlessly. Gradients can include as many or as few colors as the creator chooses. This can be done with a grayscale, with bright colors, and with as many colors as you desire on your logo.

To create a gradient, users would choose the colors they want in the gradient and create a smoothed-out look to give the effect that the color is changing effortlessly. Depending on the colors chosen for the gradient, it can be a good-looking effect on logos. However, when overdone can look juvenile and unprofessional.

Gradients can be done in grayscale or in color. Choosing the correct coloration to go in a gradient is highly dependent on what the logo is being created for. For example, if you have a company that is geared towards kids, it may look ok to use brighter colors in the logo as that can often catch the eye of children.

If you are a company or brand that is geared towards a more mature eye, it can often be a mistake to use brightly colored gradients as it can look childish when completed. This is why it is recommended to have an idea of how you want to represent your company before creating the logo. If you are a blog or online business primarily, oftentimes, it works well to be simple.

If you are using your logo on an already busy webpage, it can work in your favor to keep your logo simple as to not take away from the rest of the information on the website. Alternatively, if you are selling a product in stores or on a retail website, it often pays to have a more detail-oriented logo as it will catch the eye of the consumer.

The Pros and Cons of Using a Gradient

The use of gradients can add dimension to your logo that was not previously there in a solid version. In certain designs, this can be extremely attractive, whereas, in others, it can look like a dated design.

Oftentimes people view gradients as being tacky and dated. Since flat designs are more common, the use of gradients is often seen as being an old design that has not been updated recently. Additionally, gradients are often seen as a crutch for those who are unable to create a strong design that can stand on its own.

With all of these reasons, it can be a bad idea to utilize gradients unless you are extremely skilled with using gradients and know exactly what you are doing. If you are set on using a gradient in your next logo, here are some ways to make sure you are using a gradient correctly.

Dos and Don’ts Using a Gradient

Focus on your design before even thinking about your gradient or even your color scheme. The most important thing about creating a logo is ensuring you have a strong design above all else. By creating a strong logo with flat colors first, you will be able to see exactly where your logo shines and how the colors are representing your brand.

After you are happy with this design, try adding in your gradient to see how it works with the logo you’ve already created. Play around with the colors and see how the look of the logo changes as you add in a gradient and play with the coloring a bit more. Remember that as you add in gradients, it should be done in a way that is relevant to the brand.

If you are simply relying on your gradient to create an abstract image or you likely will not produce the look you are hoping to. Instead, use your gradient in a creative way that will add to your design and have relevance to your brand. If it does not have any relevance to your brand, there is no reason to use a gradient over flat colors.

For example, if you are a travel company and are using a blue gradient, this could be relevant to look similar to the sky. This works for the company; however, if you are running a non-profit and using a rainbow gradient, this does not have any relevancy to the mission or action of the company. When thinking about your gradient, the color scheme is critical for sending the right message.

Remember also that when you implement a gradient, it should be subtle. It should not have so many colors, or it becomes extremely distracting and difficult to read. If you are using a rainbow gradient or multiple colors, you will see that the logo gets overwhelmed in color, and it makes it difficult to see the quality of the actual logo.

If you have designed a quality logo, you do not need to rely on excessive color use in your gradient in order to make your logo stand out. Using an intense gradient, especially in small design or one that is particularly detailed, will make for a messy looking logo. If you stick to a simpler gradient and have a well-executed logo, you will end up with a successful result.

Printing Gradients

Depending on the industry your logo will be used in, it is important to think about how printable your logo will be. If you are using gradients that are too colorful or have too many colors in a small space, you will see that it does not print well. When it comes to color and gradient, it is important to consider your printing.

If you are using a banded color gradient, it will give the effect of there being lines across your logo. This may be less noticeable on screen but will stand out when you go to print your logo. Even if you blend your gradient, it can often print in a banded way due to the way the printer takes down color.

The most important thing to remember when using a gradient on a logo that you plan on printing is being very selective in how you use the gradient effect. This remains true if the logo you are planning is going to be turned into a sign or placed around the company’s building as signage. Gradients will not come across well in many of these mediums and therefore, may be impractical.

Therefore, you need to consider what the logo is going to be used before designing. Even if you are currently only using the logo for a webpage right now, in the future, if the company takes off, they may need to use the same logo for building signage or print. Therefore, the logo should remain versatile even from the start in order to grow with the company.

Where Else Can You Use Gradients in Design?

If you are using gradients in your logo, or simply are curious about other platforms in which you can implement a gradient for the design portion, think about your web design. Gradients are commonly used to create backgrounds and designs. This can be useful for web design to make certain elements pop and direct the eyes of the viewer.

Gradients, as well as white space and color, pops on webpages, can be extremely useful to help the webpage flow and encourage the eyes of the viewer to follow the order of information you want them to. Since gradients create dimension, they are often a go-to choice for web designers.

Gradients are also useful in the building of app design as they offer a way for apps to stand out from the rest, both for the icon seen in the app store, and the internal software. It is important that the icon created for an app is different from others of its kind so that consumers will be drawn to the look and download the app.

If all apps looked the same, they would not get much user traffic. Therefore, many developers use gradients to create a colorful and eye-catching icon, much like that of Instagram. This is a great example of an app that has used gradients to create a recognizable and attractive app. The same goes for the internal design of the application; many use gradients for backgrounds.

Other common applications such as Snapchat and Skype utilize app gradients as their backgrounds and have been extremely successful with their designs. The use of gradients in app development can be extremely useful and done in a professional and intention way to increase engagement and user attraction.

If you do not have an app, maybe you are working on designing packaging for the products you sell. Many companies use gradients in their package design to set their packages’ look apart from the rest. Depending on the nature of your product, you will want to focus on different colors. For those who are selling activewear, often, a dark bold gradient is utilized to distinguish packaging.

For companies that are focused on skincare or hygiene products, generally, more pastel gradients are used for a clean look. Adding a gradient can create very attractive packaging, which often increases sales. The more attractive your gradient is on your packaging, the more consumers will be likely to share your product both in person and on social media.

The same even goes for the packaging used for shipping. Most can recognize the packages sent out by Amazon due to their bold blue color. Lastly, think about the colors and gradients used on your printable materials, including:

• Business cards
• Book covers
• E-books
• Posters

All of these printable materials can be spiced up with the use of flat colors or gradient colors. This not only creates a more eye-catching print but can set your item apart from others that are less creative with their use of professional colors.

All this to explain how gradients can be useful in your business, even if not used in the design of the logo. There are a lot of areas of design that gradients are useful and attractive for viewers without looking overdone or unprofessional. If you are hesitant to gradient your logo but want to utilize a gradient somewhere, consider one of the above elements.

Alternatives to Gradients in Logos

A potentially safer alternative to using gradients in your logos is instead using flat colors or maintaining black and white logos. Since huge corporations such as Apple, Microsoft, and Google have taken on flat logo designs, the use of flat colors has become increasingly popular in logo creation, more so than creating multi-dimensional logos with gradients.

Since the shift toward flat colors has become more popular, you will see that the majority of smaller companies have followed suit with flat colors or mainly black and white logos to maintain a clean and polished look. The main reason many use flat colors instead of gradients is to avoid taking the focus away from the design or the product that the logo represents.

Keep in mind also that white space is important in all designs. White space is what leads the eyes between elements and can make an aesthetic more pleasing. If you are not utilizing any white space in your design, you may be overwhelming the eyes of your viewers, which turns consumers away. Implement white space for a more well-balanced design.

Final Thoughts

Although gradients have been out for a while, they have been starting to come back a little bit more as companies are wanting to stand out from the rest. If you are designing a logo either for yourself or a client, keep in mind that there is no right or wrong when it comes to logo design and use of color or gradient.

If you are using a gradient that is relevant to the industry you are involved in and are working to keep the gradient simple, this will likely benefit your design and come off in the professional way you are hoping for. However, if you are overusing gradients and the color choices do not fit with the mission of the brand, you may be overdoing the design.

For those who are new to logo creation, or do not feel as confident in their abilities to create a successful logo, avoid using gradients. You will likely come out with a better result if you stick to using flat colors and focus more of your time on the design of the logo itself.

For those who are experts, do not be afraid to use gradients just because they have become less common over time. The use of gradients adds an extra challenge to your creation, but that does not mean that you will be unsuccessful in creating a professional and eye-pleasing logo for whatever brand you are designing for.

Although many are likely hesitant to use a gradient in their logos, there are many other areas of business design that can benefit from the use of gradients. Consider how gradients can attract consumers and viewers in the design of your webpage, business card, and app.

Additionally, remember how useful personalized packaging for your product can be in differentiating you from your competitors and standing out to consumers. This is true both of shipping packaging and direct packaging of the item. First, remember the importance of choosing a color that is relatable to the product itself.

Implementing a gradient with the proper color scheme on the packaging of a product can catch people’s eyes when in-store and online shopping. With exceptional packaging also comes more shares on social networking platforms by consumers, which spreads awareness about your product and can increase your overall sales.

Remember that gradients can look old school and tacky. However, if you are able to do it right and create a beautiful stand-alone logo or design, you are likely to have a great looking final product.

So, you’ve created your logo, but how should you showcase it? Mockups are a great and convenient way to showcase your business’s new logo. There are more possible ways to create a mockup showcasing your logo than you can ever imagine. The hardest part is determining the best mockup showcasing your logo to get the most exposure for your new business.

How and why to showcase your logo with a mockup? Creating a mockup is easy to do and is the most cost-effective way by trial and error, to explore different ways to showcase your logo. Since it’s a visual model of the display and not a physical one, it gives you the opportunity to create several and get opinions on which are the most effective.

There is no shortage of ways to create mockups that highlight your logo and brand. You can hire someone to do this for you, or you can use a fantastic online service like placeit.net. We will show you 37 great examples of logo mockups, with some information on why they work and how you can use them.  

What Are Some Examples of Mockups Showcasing Your Logo?

As we said earlier, there are limitless ways to showcase your logo using a mockup. Those pens businesses give out with their name? That’s one example. Some companies choose to make T-shirts or coffee mugs.

Think about your brand and your target audience. That’s the best way to determine what types of showcase items will best suit your individual needs for your new business. To help take some of the guesswork out of choosing the best options for you, we’ve put together a list of 37 ways, all available on placeit.net, to mockup and showcase your logo.

1. Coffee Mug Mockup

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What’s the best way to get the brand’s name out there? By putting it everywhere.

Lots of companies gift clients or employees coffee mugs. It’s a great way to have your logo seen. It’s the perfect gift to use when welcoming a new employee or offering coffee to potential clients waiting for an appointment. This mockup is so versatile! These days everyone loves a good cup of coffee or tea!

2. Classic Polo Shirt Mockup

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Why not display your logo on employee shirts? Or as a feature item for your new line of clothing?

The easiest way to get your logo seen is to put it on employee uniform shirts. These are sure to be noticed not only inside of your business but also when employees are commuting to work!

3. Man Wearing Polo Shirt Mockup

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Here’s a different take on the same idea. This offers a subtle difference.

Having your polo shirt displayed on a male model is helpful in a few different ways. If you offer multiple types of uniform options for employees to purchase, this is a great way to display the shirt as it would appear on your male employees—another great way to present the shirt in a company catalog or on your website for sale.

4. Woman Wearing Polo Shirt Mockup

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Here’s yet another (and the last, don’t worry!) way to showcase your logo on a shirt.

This one is shown worn on a female model. There are typically slight variations in the way a polo shirt is fitted for a man and a woman. Using this mockup either alongside or separately from the two above gives the consumer or employee a different view of the item made, especially for a woman.

5. Woman Holding Water Bottle Mockup

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What better way to promote wellness or eco-friendly product lines than this?

This is great for a few types of business, really. Lots of gyms will give new members a reusable water bottle when they join. Yoga studios do it as well! What better way to remind your clients to stay hydrated and have your logo be seen?

Chiropractors, wellness centers, and many more health-related businesses offer these in swag bags for an open house or as a giveaway at a booth in an expo.

6. Classic Snapback Hat Mockup

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The snapback is back!

A great way to showcase your logo is right on top of someone’s head. So often do people put a hat on before leaving the house to work out or just as a casual wardrobe accessory.  Hats are great for giveaways and other promos as well as for sale!

7. Cosmetics Jar Mockup

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Make sure your logo is prominently displayed on any product or sample your business has to offer. Never miss a chance to get your name out there!

There is a huge influx of homemade organic cosmetic lines out there. If you are a spa featuring your own line of cosmetics, an at-home business using the internet to sell lotions or soaps, or launching a new cosmetic line, this is perfect! Your clients will never forget where they got the product!

8. Beauty Items Mockup

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Speaking of organic beauty and wellness brands, this is an ‘essential’ must!

With essential oils becoming all the craze lately, you need to be sure to put your logo on eye-dropper bottles and their packaging. You need to make sure your products aren’t getting confused for someone else’s! As a plus, having your contact information on the box also makes for easy re-ordering.

9. Classic Customizable Water Bottle Mockup

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Here’s yet another way to display your logo on an item used daily.

Your clients don’t drink coffee? Is your business wellness related? Offer your clients and prospects an ice-cold bottle of water while they wait. By customizing the label with your logo, you’re creating another opportunity. Most people will take it with to finish after they leave, exposing anyone they pass by a peek at your logo!

10. Whiskey Shot Glass Mockup

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Hospitality businesses need specific branding and marketing too!

If you own a bar or are a distributor of alcohol, a great place to display your logo is on a shot glass. These shot glasses are perfect or giveaways and promos and perfect for use in your establishment. Another great way to use them is as an item for purchase from your business as well!

11. Coffee Cup And Coffee Beans Mockup

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Locally owned small businesses are booming! Why? Because they make themselves seen!

There are so many independently owned coffee and tea houses. More and more are starting to sell their own beans and tea leaves for customers to purchase so they can enjoy their favorite steaming beverage at home as well.

This mockup showcases your logo on both a cup and a bag of beans or leaves! Quite a few locally-owned restaurants use locally sourced products as well – this never leaves doubt as to who to call when they need more inventory!

12. Outdoor Sign Mockup

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Location, location, location! We all know how important it is that your business has a great location and, most importantly, is visible to the people who pass by it every day. But how do ensure that potential customers will spot you – and be lured inside?

Signage for your storefront is a definite must. This mockup works particularly well when designing your storefront. Many municipalities have strict zoning codes regarding how signs can be displayed. This particular one is bold yet understated—a perfect way to display your logo on the outside of your building.

13. Customizable Wine Bottle Mockup

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Cheers to your company!

If you’ve just launched a new wine varietal, you need to create a label for both the bottle and for marketing material. Using this mockup is a great way to design a few prototypes prior to production. It’s also great to use on a giveaway to clients and prospects. Need a higher-end “thank you” for a vendor or a holiday gift for important contacts?

Even if you sell insurance, you can create a custom label featuring your logo. We’ll drink to that kind of business card!

14. Car Window Decal Mockup

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What’s the best place to display your logo cost-effectively and be sure that it is seen? In traffic, of course! Here’s how to easily make it possible to get rolling signs showcasing your brand all over town.

When rush hour happens, people don’t have much better things to do than stare at the cars around them. Why not take that as an opportunity to get your name out there. Not only can this be used for the obvious, ride-shares, couriers, and courtesy cars, but it’s an excellent way to advertise nearly anything!

Window decals can smartly advertise your pet service, your multi-level marketing platform, or anything else – and you only have to pay for it once!

15. Door Hanger Mockup

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Door-to-door isn’t dead – not quite yet.

Many companies still use door-to-door solicitation styles – it’s just not as intrusive as it once was. A great way to advertise your lawn care business, tree removal, or even a local gym is passive marketing. By leaving a hangtag on the potential client’s front door, you are sure to be noticed!

16. Gift Bag Mockup

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Here’s an amazing, yet somehow often overlooked, way to showcase your logo.

What items should your business put their logo on? Every. Single. One. Gift bags are an exceptionally useful tool for marketing. Fulfilling online orders? Ship them inside of a gift bag. Customers buying products in your store? Bam! Gift bag.

Giveaway bundles at expos or elsewhere? Put them all in a gift bag (making sure all the items inside have your logo on them, too!).

17. Female MMA Fighter Crop Top Mockup

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When you’re in a saturated business market, you need to promote your brand in any way possible to stand out from the crowd.

We’ve talked about a few ways to showcase your logo for gyms. This one is niche-specific for sure. The best way to promote your MMA gym is to be sure all the models in your ads are wearing a logo on their shirt. Make sure your employees wear them and that they are available for purchase as well!

18. Pizza Box Mockup

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There are so many ways to promote your restaurant. This is just one.

If you are selling pizza for take-out or delivery and you don’t have your pizza boxes labeled with your logo, we aren’t sure what your thinking. One of the most important (and also easiest) to market your pizza is on the box it comes in. There’s enough space on there to display your logo and all your contact info. Lots of places even attach a copy of their take-out menu.

19. Floating Pens Mockup

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Remember when we said pens? It’s an oldie but a highly effective goodie.

Take a look at your desk, in your purse – if you work in the foodservice industry, check your pockets. Chances are you have at least three different pens throughout your world (and that’s a low estimate) that have the name of a business on it.

Pens showcasing your logo are not just seen by one person – consider how many pens you’ve lost, or, ahem, stolen in your lifetime. By the end of that pen’s life, it’s probably been owned by at least ten people and seen by hundreds!

20. Lanyard Mockup

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Great use of logo showcase in a subtle, yet highly effective manner.

Although it’s not a huge showcase, lanyards with your logo are an amazing tool. If your employees need to wear badges, this is a simple way to keep from losing them. It’s an even better way to put your logo in the view of crowds. It’s also a great way to display name tags at expos and open houses.

21. Floating Drink Can Mockup

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Everyone these days offers craft cocktails. If you don’t sell liquor, this is an option to get into the game!

Craft sodas are a rising new trend. Local small businesses are finding ways to create their own carbonated beverages for sale. Labeling those cans is a MUST! They can (no pun intended) be used in a similar manner as the water bottles, we mentioned above. Why not put a personalized label on carbonated beverages offered to your clients and prospects?

22. Baby Boy In Onesie Mockup

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Don’t leave out the babies. Or their mothers, for that matter.

Whether you have an entire clothing line for toddlers and babies or you’re selling organic baby foods, onesies are the single most purchased items for tiny people. Heck, we’ve even seen some bands offer them as part of their merchandise line. Fact: Babies wear onesies. Another Fact: Moms buy them by the dozens.

23. Wooden Picture Frame Minimal Mockup

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Just picture the heads you will turn! (These puns are getting out of control!)

This logo showcase mockup can be used for a lot of things, actually. The obvious is for a photographer or a photo studio, but there are other creative ways to utilize this mockup as well. You can use it to display an art studio, original artwork, or even for a restaurant! Use this mockup to display your menu in an interesting way. You can even advertise a fitness center by displaying an award or certificate with your logo on it.

24. Girl Using Phone Grip Mockup

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People are always looking at their phones. Utilize that as free ad space!

Lots of people have these round grips on their phones. It’s perfect for propping your phone on a tabletop or other surface while you stream videos. It’s also a handy way to hold on to your phone when you’re reading an ebook or video chatting.

These grips cost anywhere between $6 and $12 in stores, so by giving these away as promotional items, you are doing your customers a favor – and they are returning that favor by providing brand exposure and advertising!

25. Event Wristbands Mockup

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Planning a big event? Promoting a concert? Got you covered!

These paper event wristbands are great for a number of different uses. If you have a restaurant or bar and you’re hosting an event, they are great to help you determine who is a part of the gathering. If you are an event planner, placing one of these on the wrist of every attendee with your logo on it is a great idea. To be honest, most people even forget to take them off until the next day, offering even more exposure!

26. Yoga Sports Bra And Leggings Mockup

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There are more individual specialties for fitness facilities than the traditional gym or MMA training centers…

Yoga has become an abundantly popular choice for women (and men) across America. This is a great mockup to advertise your Yoga studio. It’s also perfect if you sell fitness-related apparel. We are all familiar with Nike, right? Why do you think that is?

27. Inside Clothing Label Mockup

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If you are in the fashion industry and you aren’t placing brand-specific tags on your garments clearly displaying your logo, you are making a huge mistake.

Garment labels are a must-have for every garment brand. It provides the wearer with a sense of confidence and prestige in higher labels and can provide continuous advertising. (think Nike again)

Not only that, but if your garment ends up in a second-hand store and the purchaser loves the fit or wants to find more options your line offers, the tag is what brings them back to you!

28. Woman At The Gym Mockup

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Here’s our last example of workout themed mockups, we swear. We just want to be sure you are taking advantage of every option to promote.

Not every prospective member of your fitness center is going to be a big muscle-bound man. If you aren’t targeting women as well, you are missing out on so many prospects! Let’s not also forget this is the perfect way to showcase your own fitness apparel line. You can even put your athletic store’s logo on here!

29. Cardboard Clothing Tag Mockup

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The label inside of your garment is not enough. Plus, if you are a reseller and not a designer, your price tag is your mark.

A high-quality tag with a tasteful or even edgy logo is a great way to generate recognition. Even if you have your name on the bags and receipts,  your custom price tag makes sure that your business is seen if the item is gifted.

30. Sticker On The Back Of A Truck Mockup

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What if you don’t necessarily have a storefront? What if you are a service and not a retailer?

If your business does construction, recycling, lawn care, or any other service-only related work, the best way to get seen is by placing a company logo decal on your vehicles.

When working on-site, people passing by will see your business name and contact information on your truck. You never know when someone is currently looking for the services you offer, and by labeling your vehicles, you are showing them you are out there.

31. Square Drink Coaster Mockup

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Here’s another great example of a mockup that can be used for multiple types of businesses.

The obvious choice is a bar, of course, but I’m confident that we’ve shown you we think out of the box. The best use of this mockup doesn’t end there. These coasters are commonly used by micro-breweries nationwide to advertise their line in local bars. Also, what if you have an event planning service? Using this mockup in an online or print ad is genius!

32. Classic Macbook Computer Mockup

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Don’t worry, techies! We haven’t forgotten about you!

Whether you are a computer reseller or provide repair services – this is perfect for you. The obvious is for use in online or print advertising. If you a retailer, you can showcase your logo on the background screens of all your product offerings. It’s also a great way to showcase your website in ads.

33. Facebook Ad Style T-Shirt Mockup

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Here’s one for those of you who want to advertise on Facebook and other social media platforms but have no graphic design experience.

This mockup is an artsy image of a hipster-guy looking down at his T-shirt. Specifically geared for Facebook, this mockup is meant to be an ad. It doesn’t have to be limited to clothing lines or retailers – it would work to advertise fashion schools, portfolio creation services, or even photographers!

34. Restaurant Menu And Wine Glass Mockup

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This is one of the few that only have one intended market in mind, but if you can be creative enough to find another use, nothing is standing in your way!

While not likely to work for a pancake house or fast food establishment, this is a creative and sophisticated way to market a higher scale eating establishment or wine bar. Size your menu, making sure your logo is clearly visible, to be placed on this template.

You can use the front page of your actual menu or feature creative or highly sought after items. Since there is a glass of wine already on the table, why not use it for advertising your impressive list of wine offerings?

35. Female Engineer Working With iPad Mockup

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Technology incorporation and elimination of paperwork are no longer limited to offices and storefronts. More and more companies are utilizing them on project locations as well.

Regardless of how long construction workers, truck drivers, and industrial workers have tried to fight the incorporation of technology in place of good old fashioned paper, it was bound to happen eventually. Many of these companies have accepted the use of tablets on the job site with open arms.

Not only do they employ the use of software for time clock records, but they are used for invoicing and submitting bids as well. Often, insurance companies providing workers’ compensation insurance will offer lower rates if employees log on to a tablet daily to participate in a safety quiz. This is a great mockup to showcase employee management software and safety checks!

36. Mother And Son Using iPhone Mockup

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Here is yet another great example of software marketing!

If you have developed a kid-friendly app, what better way to display it, including your logo, than on a hand-held screen while being used by a mother and child? It is also a great way to promote a child-friendly ebook as well! It’s a great attention grabber!

37. Refrigerator Door Magnet Mockup

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If we didn’t add this tried and true method to our list, we’d be doing you a huge disservice.

For years, anyone from food-take out establishments to lawn care; roofing contractors to schools have utilized the use of the refrigerator magnet to self-promote. Not only is it a practical item for the use of consumers, but it puts you in their faces daily.

Whether it includes a calendar, menu snippet, or simply contact information, nearly every home in America has one of these in their home.  

Don’t Limit the Exposure of Your Business

Although we are pretty confident we’ve included at least one great option to create a mockup showcasing your brand’s logo, we’ve definitely shown you a few ways to get creative and think out of the box.

With the growing number of small businesses appearing daily, it’s more important than ever to stand out and get as much creative exposure as possible. Every opportunity wasted is a dollar in someone else’s pocket. By creating a mockup to showcase your logo, you save time and money, putting more of each back into your business.

Need more mockups? View more mockups here.

The only thing left for you to do is find the template that best suits the individual needs of your business. We’ll leave you with an inspirational quote from the great Dr. Spock – may your business “live long and prosper!”

With any professional project involving graphic design, you’re going to want to use an image that’s in a vector file format to get the best results. Much of the work done with company logos, branding images, and icons often requires the file to be in a vector format, but you might only have a raster file, another type of image file.

How do you convert anything into a vector file? It’s relatively simple to convert anything into a vector file. While there are plenty of online converters, it’s much more reliable to use an editing software like Illustrator or Inkscape. Here’s how to do it in a few simple steps:

1. Open the file you want to convert in Illustrator or Inkscape.
2. Use the selector tool to highlight all of the elements of the image.
3. Now, you’ll want the software to trace the image.
   • In Illustrator, this will be listed as “Image Trace” under Windows in the toolbar.
   • In Inkscape, you’ll select “Trace bitmap” under Path in the toolbar.
4. In each program, a box will pop up that allows you to select the specific changes you want to make. Hit accept and wait while your image is vectorized.
5. Then, make sure to save the file in a vector format (.ai, .pdf, .eps).

That’s a fairly simple process to end up with an image file that can be much more useful to you in the long run. The reason that it’s important to have a vector version of any graphic design element you want to work with is because of the fundamental differences in how vector and raster files display images.

» MORE: Is a PNG File Considered a Vector File?

Differences Between Raster and Vector Files

Whether you’re dabbling in image editing yourself or plan to have graphic design work done on a logo you own, it’s important to understand the different types of image files that exist. While vector files are undeniably essential to editing and showcasing graphic design work properly, both vector and raster riles have important uses.

The main difference between these two types of image files is that while raster images are made up of a collection of colored pictures, vector images are made up of curves and lines controlled by mathematical expressions embedded within the file. As a result, these images work very differently when manipulated.

How Raster Images Work

The most common types of images used, especially online, tend to be raster images. If you’ve ever looked at an image and thought it was low-quality because it was “grainy” or “pixelated, you were viewing a low-resolution raster image.

Within raster image files, the objects, people, colors, and lines you see are all representing by thousands or even millions of individually colored pixels. If you’ve ever heard of a type of artistic technique calling stippling or “dot-drawing,” you already have a good grasp on the concept behind how raster images store information.

One of the most frequent ways you may have seen or interacted with raster images is by taking digital phones, with either a digital camera or smartphone. When the camera or phone stores the raster file of an image, the colors in the image are translated into pixels. Depending on the specifications of the camera used, the pixel density of photos taken will change.

The more high-quality (and usually more expensive) a camera is, the greater the pixel density may be. That density can be described as either dots per inch (dpi) or pixels per inch (PPI). That pixel density of a saved image will affect future changes that can be made to the image, an issue that vector images don’t face.

How Vector Images Work

While the colors and shading of an image are represented with a set density of colored pixels in raster images, vector images have the same type of information stored very differently. No matter what changes you make to a raster file, the same number of pixels will make up the image, which limits the kinds of changes and uses that are suitable for it.

On the other hand, vector images are perfectly designed to be “scalable,” which means that you can make the image as large as you want, and the resolution or clarity of the image won’t be affected.

The way this works is that the colors displayed in the image aren’t encoded pixel by pixel, but instead using mathematical formulas. Whether the image is being loaded onto a digital screen or sent through a printer, the digital representations of the image details won’t lead any pixelated “gaps” that show up in low-resolution raster images.

That facet of working with vector images is why they’re so valuable in graphic design and are the optimal choice when you’re changing features of a permanent brand logo or icon. Whether you’re doing the work yourself or having a designer make changes to an existing image, it’s important to have a master file of your logo in vector form.

Often, you may only have your image in raster form, but, as you now know, thankfully, it’s fairly straightforward to vectorize an existing file. Once you do that, you or your designer will have a file that can be much more flexibly manipulated for whatever your needs are.

» MORE: Do Vector Files Have a Resolution?

Common Uses for Vector Files vs Raster Files

Raster images come in a few different file formats, many of which can be used to save pictures taken with digital cameras. That’s the kind of image file that most people have experience with, and for good reason.

Outside of graphic design, most people don’t have a need to use raster files in everyday life. Considering how high-quality cameras in everyone’s smartphones are these days, sizing up an image doesn’t pose a huge problem in terms of picture quality because the pixel density is usually more than sufficient.

As a result, raster files are great for plenty of common uses, including web-graphics and most printed photos, among others. To display properly on a computer screen, most raster images will need to have a pixel density of 72 PPI to 100 PPI, which is perfect for displaying a clear image while loading a website quickly.

However, using these types of files for high-quality editing and for larger printing projects often doesn’t offer sufficient quality. When handling brand logos and icons, it’s important to have high image quality and consistency.

This not only helps develop brand recognition, but it helps your design impart a professional look and feel to whatever project you’re using them for. For example, if you decide you need to hire a graphic designer to update or add onto your professional logo, you’ll want to be sure your new design presents as a consistent, polished logo, whether it’s in print or online, which is where vector files come in.

» MORE: Are Photoshop Files Considered Vector Images?

Types of Image File Extensions

If you’re unfamiliar with changes image file types, don’t feel intimidated by the upcoming information. This explanation will be simple and straightforward. Basically, whatever type of file you’re working with will be indicated by the file extension, which is listed at the end of the file name.

So, for example, if you’re working with a Word document, when you look at the saved files on your computer, the document would look like this: YourDocument.docx. In that case, “.docx” would be the file extension. Different file types for images will have different ways of storing the image details, even within the raster or vector file categories.

As we touched on previously, many common file types used in photography are raster images. The most common file type used for pictures is a JPG image (with a .jpg file extension). The file you want to convert to a vector image may currently be a JPG image, but it also may be a PNG (.png) or GIF (.gif) image.

All three of these types of images would be converted to a vector image using the same method described above. When saving your image as a vector file, you have a few options. You can save it as an AI, EPS, or PDF file, although the last one can technically be a raster file as well (but that’s outside the scope of this discussion).

For the most part, EPS files are the most common file extension used to save vector files, but what you use will depend on you’re the software you’re using. Specifically, AI files are a file extension that was specifically created to use with Adobe’s Illustrator software, but it’s not necessary to use one software over another.

» MORE: Do Vector Images Allow Fonts To Be Placed On Them?

Choosing Software to Use to Vectorize an Image File

The two software programs chosen to explain how to vectorize a raster image, Illustrator and Inkscape, aren’t the only options you have to do this process, but the process will most likely be fairly similar no matter what program you use.

If you don’t have a vector graphics software already, you obviously won’t have a way to vectorize a file using the method described here, so you may be tempted to take an easier way out. As you may already know, there are plenty of online image converters that offer to vectorize your image for you, but that’s not necessarily the best way to go about it.

For one thing, the results you get may not be as reliable as if you use dedicated design software to handle the job, which will mean lower quality design for whatever future work you have done based on the original vector file. Also, without a vector design software, you’ll have no way to open your final vector file to check the results.

Illustrator and Inkscape were the examples used here because the two software programs are more-or-less equivalent and more likely to be familiar to non-designers. Illustrator, one of the programs from Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite, isn’t something to buy just for this task, as it requires a fairly expensive subscription, even with the company’s student discount.

If a vector design software isn’t something you rely on for school, work, or other projects, Inkscape is a great alternative as it’s free to download and offers much of the same functionality as Illustrator. It’s one of the most popular free vector design software programs among graphic design professionals and enthusiasts, and it’s available for Mac, Windows, and other operating systems.

In case you’re not interested in using Illustrator or Inkscape, there are a variety of other vectorizer software programs that you can use, so feel free to look into the different options before downloading a new program.

» MORE: Do Vector Images Have DPI? The Facts Explained

How Software Converts Raster Images

Once you have downloaded the vector design software of your choice and open up the image file in the program, you can trace the image using the relevant selections. When the software “traces” the image, the geometric shapes, such as lines, curves, and circles, that make up the image are being converted from pixel representation to mathematical data.

This may take a few moments as the software converts the way that the image details are stored within the file because vectorization requires algorithmic calculations to be made to fill in any “gaps” in the pixels of the image.

If you were to open the original raster size and zoom in as far as possible, you would start to see the lines that make up each of the color pixels, which is what distorts the details shown low-resolution images that are made too large to retain their clarity. Vector files don’t have this issue because no matter how far you zoom in, the mathematical values in the image remain constant.

For this reason, vector files are the go-to choice for creating corporate brand logos. No matter what size a company may need a file to be enlarged to, if they have their logo manipulated as a vector file, the lines of the font and other lines won’t become pixelated and look unprofessional.

This is why it’s important that you save a master file of any important graphics you own as a vector file. If the file you currently need to convert to a vector file is something you plan to have work done on or are updating yourself, make sure to save the new design someplace safe and/or back up the file using cloud storage.

While you can always go back and vectorize the design, you risk having an inexact match since the software is calculating and estimating the details of the image based on the quality of the raster file that you’re converting.

» MORE: Vector Logo vs. Raster Logo vs. JPEG: Why Does it Matter

Using Vector and Raster Files for Your Design Needs

Once you have a vector file of your design, you’ll want to make any permanent changes to the design in the file. As soon as that’s done, save a copy as your master file, and you’re ready to use your new and improved design. Depending on how you want to use the design in the future, you can decide whether a raster or vector file is best in each scenario.

Web Uses

While permanent changes to a logo, icon, or other design are best made within a vectorized master file, other edits don’t necessarily have to be done using a vector file. For example, a PNG file is often a common way to save logos. The main difference between a PNG file and a JPG is that PNGs can have transparent backgrounds.

If you’re planning to use a logo or icon on branded merchandise, your website, or other places, you’ll most likely want to be able to place the image there without a permanent background ruining the aesthetics. You can easily change the file extension using Illustrator, Inkscape, or other editing software. Online converters are another easy way to solve this, as removing a white background is a fairly simplistic change.

You make also want to add your logo on top of another image, in which case you could add it as a PNG file on top of a JPG file using the editing software of your choosing. Once you do that, the recommended way to save a colorful, high-resolution would be as a JPG file.

This is especially important if you want the color to remain vibrant after you save it. You also have the option to save pictures as a GIF file, but the pixels in GIFs can only vary between 256 colors within the RGB color model. That may sound like a lot, but that limitation hinders the vibrance and visual integrity of a colorful image.

If you’ve ever wondered why so many animated memes seem lackluster in color, it’s because they are GIF files. However, there are other advantages to using GIFs, particularly the fact that details of the image can’t be lost because of the type of compression that these files use. In contract, a JPG (o JPEG) image will lose some detail when uploaded online.

Print Uses

Depending on the kind of printing you want to do, both raster and vector images can be appropriate. The amount and type of detail in the image, as well as how large it needs to be printed, will determine whether a raster image or vector image is appropriate and what type of file extension will work best.

When printing logos and icons that you want to look crisp and clean, a vector file will work best, and the file extension you use doesn’t matter. Having the image saved as a vector means that the print will receive the data stored in the file and converts it to a sharp, detailed image.

On the other hand, if you decided to print a large poster of a logo using a raster image, it would most likely come out with some level of pixelation, unless you were for some reason using an extremely high-resolution image.

For example, think about the common logos you see on billboards, such as the Coca-Cola logo. As large as billboards are, the company’s logo still looks just as clean and consistent as it does when it’s printed onto a can of Coke. That’s because the company’s designers are using vector images for the logo.

In contrast, photographers and billboard designers have to take special care to make sure that the images used alongside company logos are suited to be displayed on such a large scale. The cameras used have to be very high quality, and the standard JPG or JPEG file format is insufficient for the amount of detail needed. Instead, they may use a TIFF file, which is standard for professional photography and better suited for larger prints.

Limitations with Converting Raster Files to Vector Files

Depending on the size you intended to use, JPG or TIFF files can handle the amount of detail and shading in the typical marketing picture. But that’s not the case for vector files, which are meant to save graphic designs and not highly detailed photography.

That’s something you need to keep in mind when vectorizing your raster image. Because the vectorization process is based on the software’s calculations or estimations of what mathematical data will most accurately represent the image being converted, having a busy or cluttered image from the start will undercut the accuracy of the process.

Converting a raster file into a vector file is best done with simple logos, icons, and other graphic design images. In a perfect world, you would already have a vector file version of the image you want to work with, but since that’s not the case, you can improve your chances of having a professional-looking result.

How to Make Sure Your Raster File Converts Properly

If you’re planning to update or use this file yourself, choose the simplest, cleanest version of the image that you have, even if this means adding back elements you need in the image after it’s been vectorized. This will ensure that the most important elements of your design are persevered and vectorized properly.

However, if you’re planning on working with a graphic designer once you have the vector file, consult them to see how you might need to simplify the image you want to vectorize to get the best results. Chances are they can help you easily clean up the image or accurately add back the removed elements once they have an initial vector file to edit.

When vectorizing your original raster file, make sure to check the image trace settings in whatever software you’re using. You can specify several details, including whether or not you’re using a colored or black & white image.

Within the color-setting options, you can also specify whether you want to use a variety of color pre-sets or want to limit the number of color variations used. If you want to see the various results of what you’ll get, play around with the settings and save a few different versions until you get an option that you’re happy with.

Not only will this ensure you have a workable master to use for the future, but you’ll also be able to gain familiarity with the software that you’re using. If you’re in doubt about how else you can do to edit a vector graphic, make sure to check out the plethora of online resources about how to use Illustrator, Inkscape, and other software programs out there.

Conclusion

Whether you’re familiar with graphic design best practices or not, getting started with converting your logo, icon, or another design to a vector image is simple and easy. Don’t be put off by a lack of knowledge and seemingly unapproachable software. There have never been more easily accessible ways to learn graphic design than now.

Learning the basics of what vector and raster images are, their differences, their uses, and their limitations is an important first step in editing and creating your own photographs and graphic designs, whether you want to use them for printed work and or digital/online content.

Even if you’re not planning to do any graphic design work yourself and want to hand off the job to the professionals, it’s always great to know about the services you’re paying for. For example, now you know that whenever you have graphic design work done or finish your own project, having a vector master file is an essential part of managing the digital work you own.

As you get more comfortable with editing and use different file formats, you’ll gain more familiarity with each file type and when it’s best to use each. Consider following free video tutorials and testing yourself to flex your graphic design skills. While using a vector design software can be frustrating as first, as long as you take manageable steps toward progressing your skills, it can be a fun challenge.

For the high-quality work you need in your professional life, you can always turn to professional help, as masters of graphic design are always going to provide a very valuable service. But learning some of the background information and basic graphic design techniques can be a useful skill and allow you to better assess whose work you like, which can help you choose a designer to hire when you need one.

Have you got the perfect idea for a shirt design but don’t know where to start or how to make a mockup version? Maybe you have a business, and you want to create promotional apparel, but you aren’t sure how to accomplish this. Well, by using websites like placeit.net, you can have a mockup of your design done in minutes. You can get a professional-quality demo version of your shirt without any prior design experience.

How to Mockup a Shirt Online: Log onto placeit.net and access the apparel mockup generator for your desired apparel product. Upload your design image as a JPG or PNG or use one of the provided design templates and then select from the hundreds of available mockups. Choose the mockup that best encapsulates your brand and desired message.

Making a mockup of a t-shirt or other apparel is critical for anyone wanting to display his or her brand and show potential buyers what a product design will look like in person. It can also help you as the designer refine your image and make the finished product a true exhibit of your desired brand.

Mockups can help prevent a design that looks appealing in theory but falls flat in real life and allow a design to be tweaked to reach its peak potential.

Don’t let inexperience or lack of skill keep you from making an excellent apparel mockup. Placeit.net takes the guesswork out of mockups and lets you instantly create screenings no matter what your level of expertise. By providing thousands of design templates to kick start your project, there is nothing standing in your way to designing a perfect shirt mockup.

How to Mockup a Shirt Online

Websites like placeit.net make it easy for anyone to design a shirt mockup, even if you have little to no experience in making mockup designs. A mockup of your product can help attract potential buyers, so creating an appealing mockup is a critical step for any business trying to market itself. With placeit.net, simply log in or sign up to get started.

BONUS: Placeit was kind enough to extend a 15% off discount to All Free Mockups readers. You can find the coupon here.

With Placeit, you have the option to either buy per item or sign up for a subscription. After you have created an account, click on the “Mockups” section of the menu bar at the top of the website. From here, you can select for which type of shirt you want to design a mockup. Placeit.net offers a wide range of options, including t-shirts, hoodies, tanks, polo shirts, long sleeve tees, onesies, and sports jerseys.

Select the color you would like your mockup shirt to be by choosing a color swatch from the drop-down menu. Next, upload the image you wish to place on the shirt. Alternatively, you can take advantage of placeit.net’s extensive catalog of design templates. This is an excellent option for anyone who doesn’t have a graphic or logo already available to print or who needs a little inspiration to design a trendy new shirt.

The design templates can be browsed based on a number of categories, and once you have selected a template, you can change the text, the background, and even the graphic itself to best fit your intended design. Once you are satisfied, you can move forward by uploading your design. Be attentive to the size requirements of the image you are uploading; different shirts have different restrictions for image size.

Finally, browse the huge library of available mockups to select the version that best fits your brand. You can filter the mockup photos by gender, age, ethnicity, and a number of tags such as “activewear,” “gaming,” “musician,” or “yoga,” to name a few. You can then download the final mockup of your product and use it for all your marketing needs.

What Is a Mockup Image?

A mockup is a full-size model of a design, whether it be on a piece of apparel, a poster, a business card, a water bottle, or what have you, that gives clients and potential buyers an idea of what a finished product will look like in the real world.

A flat image of a design that is meant to be printed on a t-shirt may not have the same attraction as seeing the design actually on the shirt itself. Because of this, mockups can be a handy tool.

A mockup can also be useful for helping a business see how the desired logo will look across a variety of media. What may look fine on a small business card might look absurd when printed on a larger scale item like a shirt or a water bottle. Mockups can help designs be modified and tweaked in order to look the best on a number of potential items.

Most importantly, mockups help designs sell. Many potential buyers have difficulty visualizing a finished product. It is hard to look at a design and imagine what it will look like when screen printed on a shirt and in the real world. This is where mockups can take the uncertainty out of a client’s mind.

The mockup provides a visualization of the design in action, being worn, and modeled. By choosing mockups that fit in with the vibe of your brand and company, you can further build your reputation and personalize your company’s voice.

What Is the Difference Between a Mockup and a Prototype?

Some might use the terms mockup and prototype interchangeably, but these two words do not mean the same thing. According to careerfoundry.com, a mockup is “a static, high-fidelity simulation of the finished product that delivers the visual look of the product design, including typography, iconography, color, and overall style.” This means a mockup is an image, and it can exist without an actual product being made.

A prototype, conversely, is a working model or physical representation of a product. For example, if you had a mockup image of a shirt design, the prototype would then be the actual shirt itself, with the printed design. Prototypes are often used late in design phases as a final step to ensure a perfect final product. Prototypes often aren’t feasible for smaller design studios or companies working on a budget.

Some printing companies will allow prototype versions to be sent out for final approval before a large order is made, but more often, this is not the case. This is all the more reason why mockups can be incredibly helpful for designers and potential buyers. While prototypes can be expensive, a mockup is a relatively low-cost way to determine whether a design will look appealing to a product.

Why Should I Make a Mockup Shirt?

The reasons for creating a mockup shirt are numerous. It is an incredibly valuable marketing tool for anyone looking to sell more products. Have you ever been shopping online and see a flat image of a shirt and said to yourself, “okay, it looks decent, but I wish I could see how this looked on a real person.” You’re not alone. While the design might be appealing, it truly comes to life when you are able to visualize it in action.

A mockup allows for a design to be modeled on a human in a real environment. This can help you catch any flaws in the design itself, such as if the text wraps too far around the chest and is hidden under the arms, or if an image sits too low on the torso. Sometimes, a design may look stunning while it is a flat image on a screen, but it gets lost in translation when printed to a shirt.

A mockup will let a designer, thus, modify and tweak designs in order to achieve the perfect final product. It can help you visualize whether the design has an adequate visual impact you desire. The mockup then also serves as a great display of the final product. It gives buyers a real-life example of the shirt and design in action.

Seeing a shirt displayed on a model can help potential buyers picture themselves wearing the shirt, especially if the mockup image selected portrays a model similar to the buyer. This is why it is important to select mockup images with your intended audience in mind. By using image mockups that feature models that are relatable or aspirational to potential buyers, you are more likely to convert them into sales.

The bottom line is that mockups of apparel items help bring in more sales. By letting buyers see the finalized product without having to actually produce an expensive prototype, you are more likely to gain sales because clients will have a better idea of what the product they are purchasing will be. This means a much higher chance of purchase satisfaction since buyers will better know what they are buying in the first place.

What Makes for a Good Mockup Design?

Perhaps you are starting with little experience, or maybe you’ve designed a few shirts but haven’t been overwhelmingly satisfied with the results, either way, there are some helpful tips to keep in mind when designing a mockup in order to get the best result. While websites like placeit.net give you thousands of templates and options to choose from, it can be a little overwhelming if you don’t know where to start.

First of all, know the product you are trying to promote. Is this design for a company? Are you making a creative shirt that is an artistic expression? Perhaps this is a design for a particular client with specific requests. Ultimately, you need to know what message you are trying to convey and to be capable of expressing it in a way that vibes with the attitude of the brand or client.

For example, if you’re making a pro-vegan design, don’t place the image on a leather jacket mockup. If you’re creating shirts for a yoga studio, try to have mockup images of people who look like they just stepped out of a yoga class. You want your design to seem realistic and fitting, so make sure the mockup utilizes models that look like they could be expected to wear shirts with your design on a normal day.

Make sure the image you are uploading is of high resolution. If you choose to use one of the provided templates from placeit.net, this won’t be a concern since the templates are already formatted to be high quality. However, if you are uploading your own logo or design to use, make sure you are using an image of at least 300 dpi or better and make sure the size of the image fits the required sizing for the apparel design.

For example, for a hoodie design on placeit.net, you should upload a 750×750 pixel JPG or PNG file. This means that if all you have is a 640×800 pixel thumbnail image, your mockup is not going to look professional. Instead, you will have a blurry and stretched design image that will not be satisfactory as a final product mockup.

How Do I Make a Design for a Shirt Mockup?

Websites like placeit.net make it incredibly easy to create a design for a shirt, even if you have zero experience in designing apparel. No matter what you are trying to say with your marketing, placeit.net makes it simple by providing you with a massive library of customizable templates that will have you designing professional quality shirt mockups in a matter of minutes.

Log onto placeit.net and click “Designs” from the top menu bar. This will bring you to placeit.net’s template archive, and you’ll already see a selection of popular template designs on the landing page. From the drop-down menu at the top, you can select template designs based on category, such as “Family” shirts, “Retro” shirts, “Patriotic” shirts, or “Trendy” shirts. Selecting one of these categories can help you narrow down your selection.

You can then use the drop-down menu lower down on the page to filter the design templates that are displayed to help further curate your design. This menu allows you to filter based on options such as the newest or best-selling templates, as well as by particular tags that can get very specific, such as “Bachelorette” or “Acid” or “Nurses.” These filters can help you find specific templates tailored to the design you wish to create.

If you don’t find a template that is absolutely perfect for your imagined design, that is okay! You can modify and alter the templates provided in order to customize the design to your desired tastes. Select a template that is appealing, and you will enter a creative editor mode on the site. This will allow you to change almost every aspect of the template.

Use the text editor to alter the text to fit your needs or decide to delete the text altogether if that’s more appealing. You can shift the background color and any additional colored features such as shapes and banners. You can search through thousands of graphics or upload your own to change images on the template. These features allow you to easily achieve your desired mockup design in a manner of minutes.

How Do I Choose What Type of Shirt to Make a Mockup For?

You have a lot of options when it comes to creating a mockup image, especially if using an expansive website like placeit.net. For a new brand or designer, this can potentially be overwhelming. With so many options, how does one know where to begin? First of all, consider your brand and your intended audience. What sort of people are you trying to reach?

If you are a yoga studio looking to put your logo on products for clients, you probably want to look for mockups with models that look like they could be found in a yoga studio. This means choosing the image of the smiling, toned man in a tank top is probably a better choice than the pretty girl bundled up in a parka. You want the mockup to be an accurate representation of your brand and appeal to your intended market.

This can help you determine what sort of apparel to choose for your mockup. T-shirts are a great versatile, utilitarian item that is fairly fool-proof. Almost everyone, at some point, wears a t-shirt. When in doubt, a t-shirt works as a casual, universally appealing shirt option. Hoodies and sweatshirts can be a great option to introduce in chillier winter months or if your intended audience resides in a colder climate.

However, sometimes a company wishes to maintain a more professional appearance. In this case, choosing a mockup on a t-shirt or sweatshirt may not be the most appealing option. Instead, consider opting for a polo shirt to keep a cleaner, more work-appropriate presentation. Feel free to experiment with your design on several different variations in order to see what best represents your desired final product.

All in all, what sort of shirt you choose to make a mockup for will depend on what audience you are trying to reach and what you want your brand to represent. If you are aiming for a young, athletic crowd, select tank tops, sports bras, and hoodies, if you want a more clean-cut option, choose a polo shirt or long sleeve shirt. When in doubt, it is hard to go wrong with a classic t-shirt.

How Do Licenses Work with Mockup Images?

When you are working with an intermediary design site like placeit.net, sometimes it can get a little confusing to try to figure out what you can legally do with a mockup image. If you used a template from placeit.net, do you still have the right to sell the mockup you created?

Luckily, with a placeit.net subscription, you receive a license for the unlimited use of any content you create using the site. This means you can sell designs and mockups to other buyers, and you can put your design on any product you like and then sell that product.

So, in this case, if you use a template on placeit.net to design a shirt and then you have the shirt printed through a Print on Demand site like teespring.com, you can legally sell the shirts for a profit. You essentially have the right to use the mockup image in any way you like in order to obtain an ideal final product and to market that product to potential buyers.

You can also feel free to publish and display any content you create with placeit.net and even apply for registered trademarks for any designs or logos you end up creating.

What you can’t do, however, is take any content and distribute it as stock images or integrate it into another design tool application claiming it as your own. You also can’t use placeit.net images to build your own version of a mockup generator. Finally, you also cannot use a placeit.net mockup image in any way that depicts a person or another brand in a way that is considered derogatory or implies endorsement without permission.

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Creating Mockups for a Business?

Mockups are becoming increasingly more common in any situation requiring custom design, but there are some inherent issues that can arise with using mockups. Most of these can be easily avoided with simply a little knowledge and foresight.

First of all, there are numerous advantages to using mockups for your business. It allows you as the designer to see any potential complications in the design’s real-world application and prevent future pitfalls in production. It also gives potential buyers a more tangible representation of the product they are purchasing. It helps drive sales by giving customers more confidence that they will be satisfied with the purchase.

There are some downsides to mockups if you aren’t approaching the process from a good business standpoint. Some may mistakenly think that simply creating a mockup will result in more sales or a better product, but that simply isn’t the case. If the original design is too generic or unsuitable, then a mockup will not overcome its flaws.

Most errors in mockup design are simply because the creator didn’t take time to create a product that is appealing to the desired audience. This may be because the mockup creator selected a mockup image that didn’t embody the intended clientele, or perhaps the design itself was inferior. The construction of the design itself can be easily remedied by simply using available tools such as the provided templates on placeit.net.

Using templates and browsing catalogs of designs can help give an indication as to what makes for successful mockup design. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking a mockup image will instantly solve any design issues and sell the shirt on its own. Take the time to customize a design that works for your business. Utilize the tools provided by placeit.net to streamline the process and take the guesswork out of creating mockups.

How Do I Design and Sell T-Shirts for A Profit Using Mockups?

If you feel like you have a lot of good ideas for unique t-shirt designs and want to make a profit off your designs, you can easily translate your ideas into sales through the help of mockups. The first step to starting your own t-shirt design business is coming up with a name for your company and establishing your logo. This will help customers recognize and trust your brand.

Next, simply start designing your shirts. You can easily use placeit.net’s templates to get started or upload your own novel images directly onto the website. If you need advice for designing your mockup, read above for tips on how to best utilize the service. Once you have your finalized design, you can move on to the next step of selecting a Print on Demand company.

Print on Demand companies will take your design and produce an actual product from it. Websites like placeit.net do not produce actual products, so in order to get physical apparel printed, you will need to submit your designs to a third-party Print on Demand company. Examples of these companies include Teespring, Redbubble, and Merch by Amazon.

Watch this full tutorial on how to sell your t-shirt designs on Print On-Demand websites.

These companies make it easy to upload your artwork, set a price, and they will handle the printing and shipping of your product. This means you don’t have to worry about having an inventory of unsold stock. Instead, the companies will print your design as needed based on purchases, and you will earn monthly royalties based on your amount of sales.

Mockup images can really help set your product apart on these websites. While most of these Print on Demand sites will offer a simple computer-generated image of your design on a piece of apparel, it is often unrealistic and simply a flat graphic that doesn’t bring your design to life. Entice additional customers by providing real-life examples of your products being worn by relatable models.

At some point every business needs to create a brand image. Logos and design communicate the vision of your business and help customers identify with your products and services. But where do you begin? This is where Placeit comes in. Placeit helps you create high-quality branding and market assets for your business.

How do you use Placeit? The best way to begin using Placeit is to sign up for a free trial on their website. You will gain access to their free template gallery where you can explore their design templates and other features before you commit to purchasing Placeit.

If you are unfamiliar with graphic design tools, or you are unsure how to visually brand your business, Placeit is a great tool to help you streamline the process. I’ve curated the information below to help you understand Placeit’s features and provide you will a full beginner tutorial.

» MORE: Does Placeit Have a Free Trial?

What Can I Do with Placeit?

When you visit Placeit’s website you will find many options in the navigation bar. Don’t let this overwhelm you. While Placeit has many features that can aid the visual marketing aspects of your business, the general services Placeit provides can be broken down into several categories.

“Placeit is a powerful online mockup, video and design template generator. Create all of your branding and marketing digital assets directly from your browser without downloading complicated software.” – From the Placeit website.

Placeit’s services fall into four general categories:

• Mockup generation
• Template design
• Logo creation
• Video creation

Let’s jump into some of the features of each of these categories and how to use them.

But first, if you’d rather watch a video tutorial here is a full Placeit tutorial for beginners on YouTube.

Use the Mockup Generator

In case you are unfamiliar with mockups, mockups are templates for your design. Think of a blank billboard or a blank T-shirt—these are mockups. They help simplify the design process by providing you with a canvas on which to place your design or image.

Placeit has mockups for plenty of products. For example, you can use mockups of T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, images, books, stickers and more.

To access Placeit’s mockups, simply select the ‘Mockup’ icon on the top-right of the Placeit’s homepage and begin browsing through their many selections. Then select the particular product you would like design, for example, ‘T-shirts’.

Once you have selected your desired product to mockup you can upload your own image or design, or add text.

To upload an image, select ‘upload image’. Then you can begin adjusting the size and the image frame. Crop the image and select download. Note that once you download your altered image, you can’t make changes.

If you would like to access your most recent images, or all of your previous images, select ‘my drive’ in the top right corner of the screen.

To save or bookmark a markup which you may want to use in the future, select the desired mockup and save it by clicking on the heart icon above the image. To see it later, go to the left-hand side of the menu bar and click on the heart icon.

There are great Placeit Tutorials if you would like more in depth assistance with making mockups which you can access on YouTube. Here is a list of some of their helpful mockup tutorial videos.

• How To Make A Gaming Logo
• How To Make An Apparel Mockup
• How To Make An iPhone Mockup
• How To Make A Youtube Thumbnail
• How To Make A T-Shirt Design

Mockups are a great way to streamline the design process when creating products with your brand designs. For more information about pricing, see the sections on Placeit’s pricing later in this article.

Design Templates

Placeit’s design templates will help you design things like flyers, labels and social media images. A design template would be like a billboard or T-shirt with preset design which you can manipulate to your taste. They are like training wheels for the design process.

To access design templates, select ‘Designs’ on the navigation bar and then choose the type. For example, you might choose a template for your Instagram story or a dog t-shirt design. Here are some other examples of design templates featured on Placeit’s design template page.

• 90’s T-Shirt Template
• Kid’s T-Shirt design
• Poster Maker
• Twitch Banner
• YouTube banner
• Greeting Card

So, if you would like to design a greeting card. You would select a greeting card template that vibes with your aesthetic taste and replace the preset generic text with your very own witticism. You can also modify things like frame and size, just as with the mockups. You can even change the featured image.

Design templates are a great investment. Not only do they save you the cost of a hiring a freelance designer, they save you time. Placeit’s design templates help you quickly and easily show off your vision for your company.

Make Logos

In the fall of 2010, the clothing retail giant GAP put out its new logo. It changed from all uppercase white letters on blue background, to standard cased letters with a whiteish background and a small blue square behind the ‘p’.

You probably do not remember the latter logo because they reverted to their traditional logo a week later. Why? The public was furious. For so long they had learned to associate GAP’s traditional logo with the products they bought at GAP stores that changing the logo made GAP feel like a different company with different products.

People may recall your business by a cute jingle or a catchy company name, but they will remember it visually by your logo. Placeit will help you to create that logo.

“Each Logo Maker is designed by a team of professional graphic designers so no matter which template you choose, your logo will look incredible. Skilled artists make sure each logo is fine-tuned and will look incredible for your brand or business.” – From Placeit’s website.

To create a logo for your business on Placeit, you must first select the ‘Logo’ option form the navigation bar at the top of the webpage. Once you have navigated to the logo page, select a logo template.

The logo will appear in the center of your screen. On the left side of the logo you will find options to change features like text, font, and color, or remove text from the logo. On the right side of the logo you will find options to change the graphic color, graphic, background, and choose a stock or custom image.

Placeit’s logo design feature makes it simple and easy for anyone to create a logo for their business that they can be proud of.

Make Videos

Internet users are spending large and ever-increasing amounts of time watching tutorials, finding entertainment, and exploring new products on YouTube. There are close to 2 billion users logging on to use YouTube every month. If YouTube is not already part of your marketing strategy, it should be.

Like it’s design and logo templates, Placeit also has video templates. These templates will help make your videos look professionally produced at low cost and in little time. Professional looking videos are a great way to connect with your customers and help them learn about your products or services. 

First, go to the navigation bar at the top of the Placeit’s webpage and select ‘Videos’. Then you filter what you would like to create: a video for Instagram, product demos, slideshows, and more. You can even add audio to your videos.

“Skip the ringtone music and use Placeit’s library of professionally recorded and licensed music. Captivate your audience with more than 1,300 different audio tracks. With just one click add everything from alternative beats to soulful jazz.” – From Placeit’s website.

Once you have selected your video template you will be given options on the left to change things like font style, color, playback style, add slides and much more. On the right you can choose music from Placeit’s music library or save the choices you like for later use.

You can also add background images from Placeit’s stock images or upload your own.

According to a survey done by Wyzowl State, 92% of marketers report that video is an important part of their marketing strategy. That’s up from 78% in 2015. And another study predicts that by 2021 the average person will watch about 100 minutes of video online per-day.

For these reasons it’s very important that you make videos that are professional and visually appealing with a service like Placeit.

How Much Does Placeit Cost?

Hiring a graphic designer for your business is expensive. According to freelancer.com the average in-house graphic designers would cost a company about $48,651. In addition to a yearly salary, hiring a graphic designer means you will have to go through the process of finding one.

You could hire a design agency which will cost you about $85 to $100 per hour and freelancer.com reports that the average graphic design job on their website costs business about $140.

While hiring a professional might seem like the most responsible option for an important part of your business, you will have to weigh the pros and cons.

Placeit Unlimited Cost

Consider the costs of a Placeit Unlimited account.

• Monthly = $14.95
• Annual = $99.95 – That is a 44.29% savings from the monthly plan, or only $8.33 per month.
• Single Purchases = Obviously this depends on the product that you are purchasing. For example, one design template runs $2, image mockups are $7, video mockups are $9, and one logo is $39. If you are looking at using a lot of graphic design for your business, an unlimited account makes much more sense.
• Discount: All Free Mockups users now get 15% off any Placeit plan!

While you will have to do some work, Placeit makes design easy for those who lack experience. You are paying a fraction of the cost of hiring a graphic designer, and you get unlimited access to a number of features, should you need them as your business evolves.

» MORE: Is Placeit Worth It? Everything You Need To Know

What Do I Get with a Placeit Unlimited Subscription?

Let’s take a look at what you gain access to for the cost of a Placeit Unlimited subscription.

• Mockups – A library of over 13,000 mockup templates. Placeit claims that it has the world’s largest mockup library.
• Designs – There are over 5,700 design templates to choose from on Placeit.
• Videos – According to Placeit, you will have access to hundreds of stunning video templates.
• Logos – With Placeit Unlimited you will gain access to over 4,600 customizable logo templates.

Placeit’s already large library is always expanding. The templates on Placeit are designed by experts and you do not need design or video editing skills to customize your templates.

If you want to use Placeit before you make an investment, you can play around with some its features and free mockups here.

» MORE: Can Placeit Be Used for Commercial Use?

How Can I Use a Graphic Design Service like Placeit for My Business?

I have already covered some of the ways which you could use Placeit to help market your business and save you time and money. But let’s dive a little deeper into how you could get the most out of your Placeit subscription.

Get Them to Stay

A study done by Carleton University reported that it takes users 50 milliseconds to determine the visual appeal of a website. By creating a logo and other appealing visuals on your businesses webpage you can decrease the bounce rate, and give prospective customers a sense of your business as quickly as possible.

Get Them to Remember

It is important to create relative visual uniformity for your business so that you are recognizable to customers. People remember much more of what they see than what they hear or read. By creating a consistent visual appeal that shares the vison and story of your company, you can be sure that customers will think of you when the time comes to purchase.

Get Them to Buy

Adobe found that companies ‘that foster creativity enjoy 1.5x greater market share.’

“Top companies are leading with design. Others that aren’t willing to invest in design because they think it can’t be measured or tied to ROI will fall behind. Business as usual is no longer good enough. Mature industries that have focused on more, better and faster now need to adjust their thinking to include design as a key value differentiator.” – John Maeda, design partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

The need for design is skyrocketing. Adobe also reports that 71% of companies are creating 10 times the number of assets than they were just a few years ago. If you want your customers to buy, you are going to have to visually market yourself competitively.

Alternatives to Placeit

There are some graphic design services which are similar to Placeit. Let’s take a look at some of the top competitors.

• Canva – This company was created in Australia and has a library of over 10,000 templates. One advantage of Canva is that you can try it for free for 30 days. The Pro subscription is $12.95 and the yearly subscription comes out $9.95 per month. Placeit vs. Canva
• Smartmockups – This company has a library with over 23 categories of images. New images are added every Monday. The advantage with Smartmockups is the ability to integrate it with other design apps. There is a 7-day free trial and a $9 a month premium account, $19 a month pro account, and a $69 a month team account. Placeit vs. Smartmockups
• Mediamodifier – This company has a library of 2292 templates with more being added every week. They have a free option or you can buy a $15 one day ticket, a $9 a month annual subscription, or a $19 a month subscription. Placeit vs. Mediamodifier

Deciding on a graphic design service for your company is an important decision, and you should recognize your options. However, the great thing about Placeit is its massive library of professional templates, designs, mockups, photos, and more. Try it out and see what you think!

We have all been there before. You spend hours perfecting your latest video, only to upload it to YouTube and see that your cleverly crafted thumbnail is blurry. You have already exhausted enough time making the video and creating the perfect thumbnail…now you have to agonize over what went wrong with this blurry thumbnail.

So… why is a thumbnail blurry on YouTube videos? There are several reasons your YouTube video thumbnail might be blurry: you forgot to select video quality, the image itself is not high-res enough, there’s a user glitch (and your thumbnail does not appear blurry to others), you might have chosen a tough-to-work-with font, or the thumbnail is blurred out for “age verification”.

No matter the reason, we hope to provide you with the tools necessary to resolve the problem as quickly and as easily as possible.

» MORE: How Long Does It Take YouTube To Change A Thumbnail?

How to Fix Blurry YouTube Thumbnails

There are several ways to go about ensuring your thumbnails do not appear blurry on YouTube. Your specific issue will decide which of these steps will solve the problem for you.

Step 1: Check Quality

If you are using an auto-generated thumbnail, it may be blurry because the actual video is not HD.

To confirm the quality of the video, when in YouTube, on the left-hand side of your browser, you will see a long panel of buttons, ranging from library, history, your videos, watch later, and liked videos. Here is how to check the quality:

1. Click on your videos.
2. Once on the videos page, click on the video whose thumbnail appears blurry.
3. Once the video opens in a new window, press pause.
4. On the bottom right-hand border of the video, there are size icons.
5. Click on the six-sided-wheel icon, which reads “settings” when you hover your cursor above it.
6. Once the settings box appears, click on quality.

The quality menu will you provide you with the following thumbnail/video quality options:

• 2160p
• 1080p
• 720p
• 480p
• 360p
• 240p
• 144p
• Auto

Make sure that your videos loading is at least 1080p to get a clear auto-generated thumbnail. If the video is not in 1080p, it may be best to consider making a custom thumbnail if possible (more on that later).

Step 2: Log Out and Refresh

Many YouTube users have reported off-and-on glitches in which YouTube’s platform makes their video thumbnails appear blurry when in the ‘videos’ page, as discussed above. However, some users have found that when they log out of their YouTube account and search for their video in the YouTube search bar, that their video thumbnail suddenly appears high-quality.

It is possible that what looks blurry to you in your account, does not actually look blurry to the rest of the world. If this is the case, then you do not need to stress about trying to resize and recreate a high-resolution thumbnail. Just log out, search for your video, and see what the public is seeing. Your thumbnail may be perfectly fine!

You can try using a private (or incognito) browser for this as well.

Step 3: Resize Thumbnail Manually

In some instances, you may need to edit the thumbnail you are trying to use. If your thumbnail is too low-res, then you will need to make a high-resolution version to upload instead. The specifics of re-editing will depend on what photo editing software or app you are using.

Regardless of the program, YouTube recommends the following Image Size & Resolution for successful thumbnails:

• Resolution of the image should be 1280×720 (with a minimum width of 640 pixels)
• Upload in image formats such as JPG, GIF, or PNG
• Must be under the 2MB limit

Hot Tip: if using a program like Photoshop, export the file using the “save for web” settings. This may help to keep your high-res photo from being too large to upload but prevent YouTube from resizing it on their end.

» MORE: Is PNG or JPEG Better for YouTube Thumbnails?

Step 4: Choose a Different Font

Some people have encountered an issue, not with the photo thumbnail itself, but with the font. Unfortunately, certain fonts, at certain sizes, simply appear blurry once exported, especially when smushed down into the small viewing size of a thumbnail.

In this case, you can do one of two things: edit the font size or change the font entirely. Many fonts downloaded for free on the internet do not maintain a high resolution when exported. This is understandably frustrating when you are attempting to create unique looking thumbnails that do not look like you created them in ‘word processor.’

However, if the blurry font is bothersome, resizing or changing the font is your best bet.

Try using a YouTube thumbnail maker because they include copyright-free fonts that keep their high quality when exported.

Step 5: Make a Custom Thumbnail Instead of Using the Provided One

The reason your thumbnail is blurry may be because you are still using the automatically generated video thumbnail YouTube picked out for you. If this is the case, the screengrab YouTube captured might have been filled with too much motion, causing noise & blur.

We highly recommend you upload a custom thumbnail. This allows you to control the quality of the photo, as well as the content (which will help you maximize your YouTube clicks.)

» MORE: How To Make a Custom YouTube Thumbnail [YouTube Tutorial]

How to Make Custom Thumbnails for your YouTube Videos

Assuming you have gone through the YouTube verification process, you are now able to upload a custom thumbnail. To do this, go into YouTube Studio, click on the Content on the left side, select the video, then click on add custom thumbnail. This will allow you to browse your computer for an image of your choice.

We recommend taking time to create a unique and captivating thumbnail. You can do this by considering some of the following ideas:

• Take your photographs while filming, or the day of, so that you’ll have a high-quality image for the thumbnail.
• Remember to follow YouTubes size & format guidelines (listed above).
• People’s eyes are drawn to other people more than a landscape or blank canvas of color. Therefore, we recommend having a person featured in your thumbnail.
• Use bold text to explain what your video promises.
• Only use thumbnails that accurately depict the content of the video (do not use click-bait thumbnails! It is bad form).
• Use bright, eye-grabbing colors and textures.
• Include a branded element in the thumbnail (if appropriate).

You can use Photoshop or similar editing software to create these thumbnails. For those without Photoshop experience, we recommend hiring a freelance thumbnail artist, or using a YouTube thumbnail maker.

» MORE: Can You Use Logos in Your YouTube Thumbnails?

Are There Programs or Apps for Making YouTube Thumbnails?

Yes! There are quite a few excellent apps available that make thumbnail creation easy and transferable to the YouTube platform.

• Placeit – This is our preferred design program because it has the most creative abilities. Not only can you customize YouTube Thumbnail templates, but you can also create custom mockups to use as images on your thumbnails. These mockups can be iPhones, computers, people, apparel, mugs, or whatever your video topic is.
• Canva – This is another well known thumbnail creator. It offers customizable YouTube specific thumbnail design, and you can swap photos and colors out very easily.
• Backgrounder – if you are looking for a way to make unique thumbnails that really pop, backgrounder provides a multitude of customized pro art, vectors, and thumbnail presets specifically for YouTube videos.
• Photoshop – Photoshop is the priciest option available, and its less user friendly as adobe products take a lot of tutorials to learn. However, once you do master the quick tools in this program, there really is no better application for creating truly dynamic images.
• Fotor – A thumbnail made-easy app that gives you YouTube thumbnail presets for various types of YouTubing (i.e., food vloggers vs. how-to-ers).
• Fotojet – This app for photo editing, graphic design, and collage creations. Fotojet also lets you create very high-quality version thumbnails which you can easily resize and edit.
• PicMonkey – A thumbnail maker app that offers several filters, overlays, stylized fonts, and unique frames. Bonus? Allows facial touch-ups in the thumbnail creation process! PicMonkey also offers thumbnail design templates, which streamlines the thumbnail making process.

BONUS: Placeit was kind enough to extend a 15% off discount to All Free Mockups readers. You can find the coupon here.

The Key Take Away?

Blurry YouTube video thumbnails are frustrating. However, we hope we have given you the proper solution to make your thumbnails high-quality, high-resolution, and eye-grabbing.

There are so many excellent apps and programs to help you create YouTube appropriate thumbnail images. If you follow the YouTube thumbnail guidelines and double-check the five steps we suggested above, we are confident you will be able to avoid blurry thumbnails moving forward!

If you are working on doing any online design, it is important to find a website that suits your needs and is easy to work with regardless of skill level. There are so many sites that can be used to create designs for all purposes; however, among the most popular and user friendly are Canva and Placeit which allow creators to make unlimited downloadable designs and mockups.

Placeit vs. Canva. One of the most notable differences between these two sites is that Placeit is mostly known as a mockup site where you can design not only logos and online materials but also apparel and more; whereas Canva is more geared towards users who are creating online posters, social media posts, e-books, and more.

Finding the right medium to design your content and mockups can be challenging when there are so many great options. In this article, we will compare the similarities and differences between Placeit and Canva, how to use each, how user-friendly each one is, the pricing, and the downfalls to each of these websites.

Differences in Pricing

Since this is often a determining factor for many who are looking for a free service, we will first cover the cost differences between using these two sites. One of the huge upsides of using Canva is that there is a free version, whereas Placeit does not have free access. This is often critical for users who prefer to test a platform out for a while before investing in the paid version.

Placeit.net

For those who use Placeit, if you do not pay the membership fee, you will have a watermark on all of your mockups. To use Placeit and have access to unlimited mockups, designs, videos, and logos, you will be charged a fee of $14.95 a month or $99.95 a year. Plus, they are currently offering 15% off any plan!

Keep in mind that all pricing is subject to change and is the most recent reported pricing based on when the article was written. The site has only one pricing option, so there are no pricing tiers to consider, which is often beneficial as you have access to every feature with just one set price point.

» MORE: Does Placeit Have a Free Trial?

Canva.com

Canva offers a free account to users; however, you will not have access to everything you would have access to as a premium user. With a free account, there are certain photos, icons, and template add-ins that are not available.

Some of these elements have pricing on them; for example, as a free user if you wanted to add a photo to your poster that was not included in the free account it may have a $1 on it, and before you download your final document you would pay for the items you used with your credit card. Whereas, other elements are simply unavailable unless you have a Canva Pro account.

Therefore, you can get more done for free on Canva if you are looking for a site for which you do not have to pay anything. The Canva Pro fee is $9.95 a month if billed annually at $119.40, or $12.95 a month when billed monthly (pricing subject to change and is reported as when this article was written). Canva also offers a one-month free trial of Canva Pro before you are billed.

» MORE: Is Canva Really a Free Program? [The Answer Revealed]

Comparisons Between Sites

Both Placeit and Canva offer users the ability to create designs for whatever you may need, including things like social media posts and stories. While the sites do have differences, they have a similar basic structure. There are thousands of templates for users to try for their creating designs for their brands on both sites.

If your primary need for one of these sites is for social media or website content, it is likely that both websites will work well for your design needs. Both sites offer templates that are sized out for Instagram stories, posts, Facebook and LinkedIn header photos, and more. These are ideal, as you will not need to further adjust the image once it is brought into your social networking site.

Both sites are extremely user friendly, highlighting tutorial videos and information to help users get ahead in their design journey. These step by step guides and simple tools make it easy for designers of all levels to still create beautiful and effective designs. Since both sites are so user friendly, you will find everything you need all in one place and be able to troubleshoot with ease.

Unlike certain sites that require users to be experienced in something like photoshop or advanced design skills, these two sites will walk all users through their designs and offer a number of helpful tools so that you can learn as you go and can feel like you are getting better at template design over the time you are using the site.

However, keep in mind that there are a few differences between the sites, namely differences in the kinds of content you can create on each site, and how you can use it. Both sites have their own niche and audience they appeal to based on the templates they offer. The pros and cons of each site will be covered in-depth to help you make an informed decision about which site is right for you.

Pros of Using Canva

One of the nicest things about Canva is that users can create an entire e-book or magazine on the site, without even having to upgrade to Canva Pro. Whether you are creating an entire e-book or a simple logo, you will be able to create a design you are happy with without having to pay for anything.

This is majorly helpful as users can trial the site for as long as they want to before buying Canva Pro or can use the free account without ever upgrading. Even if you are never to upgrade your account, you can still access some of the Pro content by paying for them individually as you use them on your designs.

» MORE: Can You Use Canva Fonts for Commercial Use?

Canva’s Template Library

Canva has over 10,000 templates that you can use to design your media. Among these templates includes:

• Books
• Posters
• Social media posts (including story templates, and post templates)
• Resumes
• Infographics
• Ads
• Presentations
• Videos
• Cards or Invitations

With Canva, nearly any template you could need is available. This site is especially helpful for those who are creating designs to be used on their internet platforms or for print outs. Many users use Canva to create their social media headers and posts because Canva has sized out all their templates to be ideal for different platforms.

Canva is also often used by entrepreneurs or influencers who design and release e-books or guides. There is no page limit to the designs you create, and therefore a template can be used for lengthier book type content. In addition, Canva is a very intuitive site to use and does not take much practice to become well-versed in using.

Cool Bonuses on Canva

Through Canva, there is a “Design School” link that guides users to joining different courses or accessing tutorials to better their design skills. This can allow users who want a more in-depth command of the tools to learn how to create seamless designs and discover more of the tips and tricks that other users may be unaware of.

If you do not want to engage with the design school, it is unlikely you will have problems navigating the site. Once you choose a design, the controls up at the top of the screen are very self-explanatory and easy to use. Since the site is extremely user friendly for all levels, you will likely have success creating designs even if you are a beginner.

Additionally, through Canva, you can curate your “Brand Kit” to make creating your designs even easier. You can paste your brand logo in there, choose your brand colors, and the fonts/styles you like using on your designs. This ensures that all of your designs are uniform, and you are not creating designs that do not look attractive to each other.

You can also link your Canva account with a number of other apps to gain access to even more tools. Luckily, these are linked directly through the Canva website under “Apps” to make it as easy for users as possible to access other helpful tools for their designs. Not only that, but you can upload your own photos to add to your designs for free.

There are endless possibilities on Canva, even if you are a user that is taking advantage of the free offerings on the site. You will be able to create beautiful and successful designs that automatically save as you work if you begin using the site. You can create folders and keep track of all of your designs for free.

Cons of Using Canva

While Canva is an extremely user-friendly site, if you do not have Canva Pro, you may begin to get frustrated while you are making designs. If you are choosing to create designs where you want to use a lot of Canva’s photos or elements, you may not be able to find exactly what you want for free.

This may cause you to spend small amounts of money buying access to individual elements or investing in a Pro membership. This also causes you to use more of your own content or that of the internet to fill the space on your designs. This problem, however, is avoided by those who use Canva Pro.

Another con to the site is that it is geared solely for internet creations, more so than mockups of all variations. If you are hoping to do a mockup of a design, whether it be for a technological device or apparel, this will be challenging on Canva as these designs are not pre-set templates. Instead, you would need to create this from scratch on a blank template.

Therefore, before choosing if Canva is right for you, it is important to think about what kinds of work you need to get done through the application you choose. If you are primarily creating the items that are listed above in the pros section, then Canva will suit your needs very well. If these are not the kinds of designs you will need to make, this may not be the right site for your designs.

An additional con to Canva is that you cannot copyright/trademark designs created on Canva. If you’re a professional graphic designer, creating designs for clients, they are likely going to want to be able to copyright or trademark those designs. If you use Canva, you won’t be able to offer this to your clients. This is a big deal breaker for some users, especially because Placeit gives you full commercial usage rights and allows you to copyright/trademark any design created on their site.

» MORE: Should Graphic Designers Use Canva? 6 Things to Know

Pros of Using Placeit

Placeit gives designers access to over 90,000+ templates, along with tons of social media tools to create posts and ads. In addition, they add roughly 600 new templates per week, and you are able to access:

• Video templates (mockups, intros, overlays, animated templates, etc.)
• Logo Maker
• Apparel design templates
• And overall the largest library of mockups of all design sites

On top of having access to thousands of social media designs, Placeit gives you the ability to create a mockup with any image you have. You can paste images on top of apparel, technological devices, book covers, and so much more. This gives you the ability to visualize your designs before they are fully created.

If this is something that is important to you, Placeit is likely going to be the more helpful website for you as it was started to simply be a mockup site. This is an ability that most other design websites do not offer and can be very helpful for visualizing a launch before you release it or for those who are designing apparel and need to see the finalized product before buying.

Placeit also has specialized gaming templates on the site to create logos for games. This is unique to the site and is a major portion of the designs you are able to make with Placeit. Much like Canva, Placeit is a very easy site to use and is very beginner-friendly. When making mockups, it is as simple as uploading your photo to see it in the template you chose.

When you upload your image for the mockup, Placeit will automatically resize it and paste it into the template of your choosing so that you simply upload, then are able to download your mockup right away. This is a simple and quick process, and there is no limit on the number of mockups you create.

The same goes for video mockups, which can be made in seconds. The process is the same, just simply upload your photos or videos, and Placeit will do the rest of the work for you! With thousands of mockup options and such ease in creating each mockup, Placeit is a simple and easy site for users of all levels to use for their design needs.

The site does offer tutorials and marketing information for their customers, which is helpful to take your skills from basic designing to the next level of being able to produce really quality outputs through the website. These are all found on the Placeit blog, where you can interact with those who are posting tips and tricks for how to better use the site for your needs.

MORE: Is Placeit Worth It? Everything You Need To Know

Cons of Using Placeit

Arguably the biggest con to using Placeit is that there is no free membership. If you use the site without paying, the mockups and designs will have a watermark on them so that you are unable to download a finished version that could be used elsewhere.

For those who want to use the site and download designs and mockups that can be used in their business or for their websites, buying the membership is absolutely necessary. However, this may not be a con for those who are willing and able to pay the membership fee to access all the great material on the website. Plus, the 15% off discount makes it hard to beat.

Placeit is also very specialized to specific media types. There is a focus on gaming logos, video creation, logo creation, and apparel. There are unlimited mockup templates; however, if you are not creating a mockup or any of the items listed above, you may not find your ideal template on the site.

» MORE: Can Placeit Be Used for Commercial Use?

PlaceIt Isn’t the Best for Some Things

If you are hoping to create a longer document such as an e-book or magazine, this site may not be the most ideal for your needs. Although it would be extremely helpful to create a mockup of a book cover to see how it would print, it may be more challenging to create the book contents itself on Placeit.

If you are using this platform to create ads or content for social media, you will find that the offerings are very similar between Canva and Placeit. Both websites have social media-specific templates; however, this is not the main focus of Placeit, and therefore if that is your primary goal, you may find that Placeit does not have as many options for design as it does for mockups.

In addition, when you are using Placeit for design, while there is a huge variety of templates, you are unable to customize the template as much as you can on Canva. This is not a bad thing if you are happy with the template and simply want to paste in a photo and replace the text that is a placeholder.

However, if you are unhappy with the elements on the design or the template basics, you will not be able to change some things. You may find that this is a con to the site if you are used to being able to customize your templates to your liking and replace the stickers that are on the template when you download it.

The interface simply has fewer features when it comes to editing and customizing templates when compared to that of Canva, which is 100% customizable on all of the templates offered to customers. However, again this comes back to your personal needs when it comes to using these online interfaces.

» MORE: The Complete Placeit.net Review [Read Before Buying]

Other Design Sites

Keep in mind that there are hundreds of sites out there where you can create online designs and utilize set templates for your own use, whether it be for work, school, or social networking sites. Often these are free sites that attempt to stand up to the quality and content that can be produced on Canva or Placeit.

While many of the alternative sites offer free services and allow similar content creation capacities to users, Canva and Placeit are known to have more templates and more variety than most other sites. They are also known to have higher quality templates, images, and final products than many other knockoff sites that offer similar services.

However, take a look at all of your options, especially if you are looking to buy a membership with one of these sites. Keep in mind that the majority of web designers and content creators utilize Canva and Placeit due to their high-quality content and reliable service. By using these sites, you have access to unlimited tools and tips for all your design needs.

» MORE: Does Envato Elements Include Placeit?

How to Choose Your Design Site

If you primarily need a platform for your mockups, you will find that the ease of creating mockups on Placeit is worth the cost to make it. Whereas the extra work and time you must put in on Canva to create a mockup is counterintuitive to your goal. Once you have created an account on Placeit, you can make unlimited mockups in the matter of seconds.

However, if you need a platform where you are able to make adjustments to every element on your page and have full control over each template, you will likely prefer the freedom you get from Canva. Simply by knowing what is important for your creative process, you will be able to weigh out the pros and cons of each of these sites to then decide what is best for you.

If, after this article, you are still unsure about which site will better suit your needs right now, give both a try! You can create mockups on Placeit for free; you will just have to deal with the watermark until you upgrade to a premium account. You can also use Canva extensively without ever having to upgrade to Canva Pro.

Once you have used each one of these sites for a little while and have gotten a feel for the offerings and capabilities of each site, you will be able to better make a decision about which site is best for your needs. This also gives you a chance to explore all of the templates each site has and the ways in which you can manipulate them to best fit your vision.

Both sites offer different specialties that can help you, whether you are launching a brand, shaping your business, or simply creating eye-catching graphics for your social media profiles. These are highly intuitive sites that you will be able to easily navigate as you begin making your own designs and creations.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking to create designs or mockups for any of the content you are looking to create, using Canva or Placeit will be hugely helpful in making your content look more professional and eye-catching. By using these professional templates, you will be able to introduce more color and content into your designs while maintaining a sleek and attractive look!

This can not only be beneficial for the marketing and traffic of your business or whatever you are creating, but it also gives you a starting point rather than forcing you to start from scratch on all of your designs. However, for those who are more advanced in their design skills, each of these sites does give you the ability to create from a blank canvas.

Both of these sites give you the ability to create no matter your level or skill and no matter your purpose for the design. However, for those who do not use either site consistently or simply do not want to invest in one of the sites, using Canva free may be the better option.

Remember, the most important thing to consider when deciding which site will be better for you is thinking first about the primary reason you need to site. If you plan to sell the designs you create, and want the ability to copyright/trademark those designs, Placeit is the clear winner.

Both are great graphic design websites, there’s no doubt about that. Personally, I used to use Canva but have switched to Placeit for the commercial usage rights. I sell my designs on print on-demand websites, and need Placeit’s commercial usage rights to do so.

Consider your intended usage, and hopefully this article helps you choose the right tool for you!

If you need to design a certificate and don’t have the time or money to have one created, Google Docs is an amazing tool. Not only is it a free alternative to Microsoft Word, it also allows you to design and create a number of projects.

How do you design a certificate in Google Docs? Here is how to design a certificate in Google Docs:

1. Create & Orient a New Document
2. Create a Border
3. Add Text
4. Add a Signature Line
5. Add a Seal

To help make your life a little easier, I’ve broken these steps down to help you create your own certificate in Google Docs.

» MORE: 8 Best Fonts That Look Like Signatures

5 Steps to Creating a Certificate in Google Docs

Whether you’re a teacher looking to create a simple certificate for their students or a manager needing to create a certificate for your “employee of the month”, Google Docs is the only software you need to get the job done.

I created my own certificate using Google Docs and broke it down into 5 simple steps so you can see how easy it really is.

Gathering Inspiration

Before I started creating my own certificate, I did a quick google image search for generic certificates. I looked through 20 pictures or so before I decided on my top 3.

Once I narrowed down what I liked, I left the images open in a seperate tab so I could easily reference them as I began working. This helped me understand what I did or did not like about each certificate. There is a huge variety in the border options, text placement, and color schemes you can try.

Step 1 – Creating a New Document

To get started you are going to want to open Google Docs and start a new “blank document”. Once open, you can name your file in the upper left-hand corner.

One of the great things about Google Docs is that it auto-saves all your work. The days of forgetting to save your work are long gone.

I wanted to change the orientation of my certificate to landscape to give it the feel of a real certificate. You can do this by selecting “file” and then “page setup” in the upper left-hand corner of the page. By selecting this, it will bring up a page to adjust your page settings. 

I changed the orientation from “portrait” to “landscape” and left all options the same. Feel free to play around with different margins or page colors to suit your needs.

#2 – Creating a Border

While gathering inspiration for my certificate, I noticed that the majority of other certificates had borders on them. I decided my certificate needed a border. Unlike Microsoft Word, there is no option to add in a border in Google Docs.

Just because there is no border option, does not mean it’s impossible to create a border. It just means you need to get creative in creating your own border. I discovered two different methods to create your border.

Using a Table

One simple way to create your own border is to do so using a table. You can add the table in by selecting “Insert” in the menu bar and then “table – 1×1”.

This will create a table in your document. From there adjust the size of the table by dragging the bottom line of the table down to fill the whole page.

Once you have adjusted your table to your liking you can click on it to adjust the size, color and style of it.

Using an Image as a Border

The alternative to using a table border for your certificate would be to find an existing border on the internet and upload it to put on your document.

To add your image you are going to go to “Insert” in the menu bar and then select “Drawing – + New”.

Once the draw tool has opened up, go ahead and upload your border using the image button. Select “Save and Close” once uploaded and this will add your border to your document.

Adjust your border to fill the page for your certificate.

I found my border on Clip-Art Library which has a wide selection of free clip art images for your personal use. When using an image found on the internet, please make sure you have the proper licensing to use it.

#3 – Adding Text

Now comes the fun part, adding text to your certificate. The font you choose is going to set the tone for your certificate. You can choose to use the fonts that Google Docs provides, or you can use an “add-on” to access more fonts. For my certificate, I used the Extensis Fonts add-on for Google Docs.

There are a few ways to do this depending on if you used a table border or an image border. Let me break it down for you.

Adding Text with a Table Border – Option #1

If you choose to use a table border, you have two different options as to how you can add text onto your certificate. The first option would be to write in the document like you would any word document.

I chose to format the text in the center of the document and just down 4 lines so my text wasn’t right at the top of the page.

When I was gathering information for my certificate, I noticed that most generic certificates will use the first line to acknowledge what the certificate is for (i.e. employee of the month, certificate of completion, etc.).

Feel free to use whatever font, color and size you wish for this. I used the Algreya SC font in the size 36. When I was searching for inspiration, one thing I liked on other certificates was when they would use a script style font for the “of”. To get that look, I used the Aquafina Script font.

Your next few lines of your certificate should state that the certificate is being awarded or acknowledge completion of a project or class, and who it is being awarded to. You can use phrases such as “proudly awarded to” or “acknowledging successful completion of”.

I started my certificate by jumping down 2 lines from the “Certificate of Completion”, downsizing the front to 18 and changing the color to black.

Feel free to play around with different fonts, sizes, colors and bolding to make your certificate your own.

Adding Text with a Table Border – Option #2

The second option to adding text for your certificate would be to create a text box using the draw tool. One benefit to using the draw tool rather than just typing the text in, you are able to play around more with the format on the page.

Please note when using the draw tool, any add-on fonts will not be available for use.

To get started, create a new drawing just like previously mentioned for adding an image border. Once the draw tool is open, select the “text box” icon to create a new text box.

Once the text box tool opens, drag the box out to fit your sizing needs. Insert your text here rather than on the document itself . Play around with alignment, sizing, fonts and colors just like you would if you were typing it on the document.

For my certificate, I used the EB Garamond and Pinyon Script fonts.

Once you get your text to your liking, select “Save and Close”. Your text should now be inside your certificate, drag and position to your liking.

Adding Text with an Image Border

Adding text to an image border is similar to adding text with the draw tool with a table border. The only difference between the two is when adding text to a certificate with an image border, you’ll need to modify your existing drawing you created to add your image border.

You will not be able to use add-on fonts with this option. You will only be able to use the fonts that Google Docs provides.

To do this, you’ll need to double click on your image border. This will re-open the draw tool with your image border.

Create a text box to fit the inside of the border and fill with your text. Once finished select “Save and Close”. Your text should now be in your certificate.

#4 – Adding a Signature Line

By now your certificate should be looking like the real deal, only need to add a few more small things until it’s good to go.

A signature is one of the most important aspects of a certificate. Not only does the signature acknowledge the award, it also certifies it.

How do you add a signature line in? The process is very simple and involves using the draw tool.

Creating a Signature Line with a Table Border

To create your signature line, create a new drawing. One the draw tool is open, select the line tool to create a horizontal line.

Once you have adjusted the size of your line to your liking, create a text box positioned underneath the line. You can use this text box to list the title of the person signing it, or use it as a printed version of the name.

You can choose to make a text box on top of the line and use a script font as your “signature” or you can leave it blank and sign once the certificate has been printed.

Creating a Signature Line with an Image Border

If you are using an image border, it is important to note that you will need to edit your existing drawing just like we did for adding a text box.

To get started, double click on your image to re-open the draw tool. Use the line tool to create a horizontal line. Once you size the line to your liking, create a text box underneath the line for the title or name for the signature.

Format the signature line on the certificate and click “Save and Close”

#5 – Adding in a Seal

The final step to creating your certificate is adding the seal of approval. This step is optional by the way, if you like the way your certificate looks without it, feel free to stop here.

Just like every other step, the process is going to differ if you’ve chosen to use a table border or an image border.

Adding a Seal with a Table Border

If you’re adding in a seal with a table border, you have two options. You can choose to pick out your seal before you add it to your certificate, or you can choose to use Google Image Search to select your seal.

If you have a seal picked out or maybe a company logo you want to use, select “Insert” in the top menu bar and select “Image – Upload From Computer”. This will prompt you to select your pre-saved image on your computer.

If you haven’t pre-selected an image, you can use the “Search from web” option to find something from Google Images. Please make sure you have the proper licenses and permission to use any images found on Google Images.

For my certificate I used the “search from web” option and searched for “free certificate seal clip art”.

Find the option you list best and insert into your certificate. Adjust the positioning to your liking and you are finished.

Adding a Seal with an Image Border

Like all previous steps with image borders, you will need to edit your existing drawing. To get started, double click on your certificate to re-open the draw tool.

Once the draw tool re-opens, select the image button in the menu bar. This will give you the option to upload your pre-selected image or search for an image using Google Images.

Adjust your image to fit inside the certificate, click “Save and close”, and you’re all finished.

Once you have successfully created your certificate, feel free to print it on any type of paper. A thicker cardstock will give it a more authentic feel, but printer paper works well also.

Why and How Do I Use Google Docs?

According to Google, “Google Docs brings your documents to life with smart editing and styling tools to help you easily format text and paragraphs.” Essentially, Google Docs is a free, web based version of Microsoft Word. All you need to get started is creating a free google account.

Google Docs is accessible on any web browser, and also has apps for iPhone/iPad & Android devices. Check out the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store for more info.

Other Methods of Creating a Certificate

Although we now know how easy it is to create your own certificate in Google Docs, there are plenty of other free online tools you can use to create one. Keep reading to find out which one will work best for you.

Google Slides

Google Slides is another free software provided by Google. If Google Docs is the free version of Microsoft Word, Google Slides is the free version of Microsoft Powerpoint.

One easy way to create a certificate using Google Slides, is to use an already made template. Google Slides provides a handful of templates with a few certificate options already created for you.

Simply select the template you would like to use for your certificate and edit it using your Google account. Google makes it very easy to customize the template to make it your own. You can change the color, font and text of the template to fit your needs. Or you can just swap out the text and you have a certificate ready in less than a few minutes.

Certificate Magic

Certificate Magic is a free, certificate creating website that helps you create simple certificates in minutes. They offer dozens of templates to fit all your certificate needs.

To create your certificate using Certificate Magic, select one of the four options in the design categories. The options are formal, sports, kids and fun.

Once you select the proper category, Certificate Magic will pull up a handful of templates for you to choose from. Select the template you would like and then fill in the prompts for the certificate.

Once completed, Certificate Magic will allow for a one time download of your certificate in PDF format.

Placeit

Placeit is a graphic design platform that focuses on pre-made templates that users can customize to their needs. They have over 90,000+ templates to choose from, and it’s overall very user-friendly.

Placeit is a great tool for business owners who want professional looking graphics, that they can create themselves. They offer templates for everything from Instagram stories to business cards and resumes, and of course certificates.

Placeit is free to join, but does have premium options for you to purchase.

Pro Tip: Placeit also offers an additional 15% off any plan with this coupon.