Have you seen those trendy shoulder to shoulder sweatshirt designs where the lettering stretches all the way across the back of the shirt and onto the sleeves?
These oversized typography designs are such a fun way to create custom sweatshirts, school spirit graphics, holiday designs, and personalized apparel.
But figuring out how to position your text so it flows naturally from one shoulder to the other can be a little tricky!
In this week’s tutorial, I’m showing you how to make shoulder to shoulder designs using my customizable template in both Canva and Affinity.
We’ll take a quick look at how the template works in Canva, and then I’ll walk you through the more advanced customization options available in Affinity, including setting up your document, positioning your text, curving your lettering, and exporting your finished design.
Start with My Shoulder to Shoulder Design Template
The easiest way to get started is with a guide that helps you visualize where your design should go.
That’s why I created my Shoulder to Shoulder Design Template, available in my Etsy shop.
The template provides a guide for positioning your text across the upper back and sleeves of a sweatshirt, helping you create that continuous shoulder to shoulder appearance.
Instead of guessing how much your words should curve or where the lettering should sit, you can use the template as a starting point.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE TEMPLATE
Using the Template in Canva
First, I’ll briefly show you how the template works in Canva.
Canva is a great option if you’re looking for a straightforward way to create this style of design.
The template includes a separate Canva tutorial that walks you through how to use it, so you won’t have to figure everything out on your own.
In this week’s video, I’m focusing more on Affinity because it gives us additional control over the text and allows for more customization.
Why I Prefer Affinity for More Advanced Customization
While Canva is a great option for creating shoulder to shoulder designs, Affinity gives you more flexibility when it comes to manipulating your lettering.
With Affinity, you can make more precise adjustments to the shape, placement, and curvature of your text.
This is especially helpful when you’re trying to make a long word or phrase follow the natural curve of a sweatshirt’s shoulders.
You can also experiment with different fonts, outlines, patterns, and other text effects to create a design that fits your personal style.
Step 1: Set Up Your Document in Affinity
Before we start designing, I recommend setting up your page to give yourself plenty of room to work.
For this tutorial, I’m using a document size of:
40 inches wide × 20 inches tall
This gives us a large workspace for creating the full shoulder to shoulder layout.
Keep in mind that this is our design workspace, not necessarily the final dimensions you’ll use when printing.
Your actual print size will depend on your printer, transfer method, and garment size.
Step 2: Open the Shoulder to Shoulder Template
Once your document is ready, I’ll show you how to open and position the template inside Affinity.
The template acts as a visual guide for your design.
It helps you see where the lettering should sit and how the words need to flow across the back and sleeves of the sweatshirt.
Instead of designing blindly, you’ll have a reference to work from as you build your layout.
Step 3: Add and Position Your Text
Next, it’s time to start adding your wording.
This is where you can really make the design your own!
You might choose:
- A school name or mascot
- A holiday phrase
- A hometown or state name
- A personalized name
- A sports team
- A fun seasonal saying
Using the template as a guide, I’ll show you how to position your text so it stretches across the shoulder area.
The goal is to create a balanced layout that looks intentional rather than simply placing a straight line of text across the page.
Step 4: Curve Your Text to Follow the Template
This is one of the most important parts of creating a shoulder to shoulder design.
Because the lettering needs to follow the natural shape of the shoulders, we don’t want to leave everything perfectly straight.
In the tutorial, I’ll demonstrate how to curve and adjust your text in Affinity so it follows the guide provided by the template.
This is where Affinity’s additional customization options really come in handy.
You can make adjustments to the curve and placement until the lettering flows the way you want.
And because you’re creating your own design, you can experiment with different fonts, sizes, and text treatments to achieve a completely different look.
Step 5: Export Your Finished PNG Design
Once you’re happy with your lettering, I’ll show you how to export your finished design from Affinity.
For PNG designs, you’ll generally want to export with a transparent background, leaving only your finished artwork.
Be sure to remove or hide the template guide before exporting so it doesn’t become part of your finished PNG.
Your completed file can then be used for digital design projects or prepared for printing, depending on your intended use.
Important: Understanding the Template Sizing
This is something I really want to emphasize because it’s important to understand the difference between designing a PNG and physically printing a sweatshirt.
My Shoulder to Shoulder Template is based on a size Large Gildan unisex sweatshirt.
However, that doesn’t mean you can only use it to create designs for that particular shirt size.
If You’re Creating PNG Designs
You can use this template to create shoulder to shoulder PNG designs regardless of the shirt size your customer eventually uses.
The template is a guide for creating the overall layout and curved lettering style.
It’s not limited to one specific garment size.
If You’re Printing the Design Yourself
If you plan to print your design and apply it to a physical sweatshirt, you’ll need to make additional adjustments.
Always check your printer’s maximum printing dimensions before creating your final transfer.
You’ll also need to account for the size of the garment.
For example:
- Larger sweatshirts may require a larger design.
- Smaller sweatshirts may require a smaller design.
- Different sweatshirt brands and styles may have different shoulder measurements.
Because this design extends across the back and sleeves, proper sizing and placement are especially important.
The template gives you a starting point, but you’ll need to adjust the final print dimensions to fit your specific garment and printing equipment.
Design Ideas for Shoulder to Shoulder Graphics
Once you understand the process, there are so many ways to customize these designs.
Try creating:
- School spirit sweatshirts
- Christmas and holiday designs
- Hometown graphics
- Sports team sweatshirts
- Personalized names
- Mascot designs
- Seasonal sayings
- Family or group apparel
You can also experiment with patterned text, outlined lettering, or a combination of fonts to make your design stand out.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to make shoulder to shoulder designs in Canva and Affinity opens up a lot of possibilities for custom apparel and digital PNG designs.
And while you can absolutely use Canva to create these graphics, Affinity gives you additional control when it comes to shaping and positioning your text.
Using my Shoulder to Shoulder Design Template as a guide makes it much easier to visualize the layout and create a finished design that flows across the shoulders.
Just remember that if you’re planning to physically print your design, you’ll need to adjust the final sizing based on your printer and garment.
Join Crystal’s Crafties Design Club
Want more Canva and Affinity tutorials, exclusive design resources, Etsy trend reports, and live Q&As?
Inside Crystal’s Crafties Design Club, I share additional tutorials and resources to help you improve your design skills and create your own digital products.
Get Free Designs + Weekly Tutorials
Join my newsletter for free design downloads, early access to my newest tutorials, design tips, and more!
Leave a Reply