Eye-catching sportswear is an important element to consider when looking at how to improve your team. In the sports world, performance and style go hand in hand. Whether your team is a local club, a school team, or plays in a professional league, how you present yourself can have a massive impact on how you are perceived, your team’s morale, and how much you stand out!

Here are some important things to consider if you want to create standout custom sportswear.

Understanding your audience

When designing a new kit for your team it is essential to understand who is going to be wearing the kit. The obvious thought here is to consider the sport you are playing but beyond this, you may want to consider age, gender, and preferences before you get started. Younger teams might potentially want a more fun, modern look with bright playful colours whereas older or more professional teams might opt for a more classic and traditional approach.

A way to ensure you understand your audience could be to use Kit Builders Marketing PDFs to design and download a few options that your team can vote on. You could also create a survey beforehand or even make a fun activity and ask the team to design their own kit for ideas!

Another important area to have a good understanding of is any guidelines that are provided by your sport whether that is a school board or a league. It is important to consider if any elements must be included or if names and numbers must be a certain size in order to be accepted.

Focus on team identity

In order for custom sportswear to be beneficial it has to reflect the team’s identity. By incorporating team logos, colours, flags, and mascots into the design you create something truly unique. When designing, balance is key – it is important to have a good mix of elements but not overwhelm.

Remember a lot of sports are played at a distance to spectators and the main objective is to instantly recognise a player on the field!

Having a brand identity is imperative to creating loyalty and recognition for your team. Stick to team colours that are cohesive and represent the team’s spirit. You might also have a design element for your logo you want to incorporate or a great team motto that would be great to add!

A phenomenon referred to as ‘enclothed cognition’ highlights how clothing can influence the wearer’s performance and psychological state. A study by researchers at Northwestern University found that ‘wearing certain types of uniforms, particularly those they perceive as powerful or team-oriented, can experience an increase in confidence and performance.’

Prioritize comfort and functionality

Although a great design is key, comfort and functionality should always be the priority when designing a sports kit. Making sure the design of your kit does not hinder the performance of the players is very important and should be a priority.

You can also consider design elements that can impact the look of an athlete. For example, adding ergonomic shapes and designs can have a physical impact on an athlete.

Using lines that align with the body can create a streamlined look. Whilst it won’t physically improve performance it can have a more effective and positive psychological effect. When players look and feel their best they are more likely to play better. Having a more streamlined look can make them feel more aerodynamic and agile resulting in a better performance.

Dr. Jonathan Fader, a sports psychologist, notes: “Visual aesthetics play a significant role in how athletes perceive themselves. When athletes wear gear that looks good and feels good, it can positively impact their mental state, leading to improved focus and performance on the field.”

Balance tradition and innovation

Here at Kit Builder, we are always looking at innovation – however – it is important to recognize when it is appropriate to respect tradition. Sports kits are one example of this!

There are many ways to honor tradition in a sports kit! You could incorporate traditional patterns and designs or you could use classic colour schemes and add vintage logos and elements.

This is also a good way to boost team morale and loyalty. If your current players see you respecting and honoring those who came before them they are more likely to feel a stronger sense of belonging to the current team.

However, there is also a place for innovation, sports are always improving and athletes are continually mastering their craft, so it stands to reason that sports kits should also change and develop. As the printing industry gets more and more advanced innovative designs are becoming more and more possible!

Creating eye-catching custom sportswear with 3D Customization design tips

Eye-catching and effective sports kits need to pull inspiration and knowledge from a blend of art and science. Sports psychology is a growing field that offers a lot of impact on how certain things can influence performance.

To create a truly effective kit you need to understand not only your team but also how certain elements might benefit or hinder them!

Our biggest tip is to blend practicality with aesthetics to create a kit that inspires on multiple layers!

Why Kit Builder

Kit Builder is the perfect tool for creating these Kits. You can use your knowledge of sports and what works best for your clients to create a catalog of designs that you know will work.

This takes a huge amount of stress off your clients that they might not even have been aware they had!

They can then easily create a kit based on their needs without worrying about the science behind it!

If you want any more information please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team who are more than happy to help!

Or maybe you want to check out Kit Builder today and try it for yourself: