Trademark Products’ Phil King on why simplicity reigns supreme when it comes to great t-shirt design

Phil, thanks for making time. To kick us off, can you tell us about Trademark Products and its history?
Trademark was first established back in 2002. From the outset, we’ve been focused on licensed character t-shirts, selling into the specialist and entertainment market area. This has been the backbone to the business throughout the years, and while we have expanded our retail customer base, our focus has always been towards this area. This is also reflected in the licenses we work with – we can take on much edgier brands and tend to look at licensing quirky new shows that come through.

On that, what sorts of brands do you do well with?
There are a number of genres we supply. Currently the focus is on anime properties, Japanese-style graphics brands, horror and gaming properties. There is always an interest in retro TV and films, so we also carry a range of these types of licences within the portfolio too.

Design-wise, what makes a good licensed t-shirt?
Honestly, we have found generally the simplest designs are the best. You need to encapsulate the essence of the brand in the simplest way possible. Our consumers wear a t-shirt as an outward expression of what they like and are into, so you need to use the limited space on the front of a t-shirt to communicate this; it could be a key image or slogan from the show that will just capture what the show represents.

A good example would be with The Big Bang Theory… We used Bazinga as a slogan on a red t-shirt and it’s one of our all-time bestsellers – yet it’s such a simple design!

Do you have any tips around how designers should present themselves to companies like your own if you wanted to collaborate?
Understand what works for our sector. We are not fashion driven, we are trend driven. As such, we look for people who have designs that are on trend – and that’s currently Japanese-style graphics. Sadly, black t-shirts are still the main selling colour, so design-wise you have to present great graphics that reflect the current market trends.

Speaking of trends, how do you keep your finger on the pulse, especially in the fan market?
We use several ways. Comic Cons are a good start – you get a great feel just visiting them to see what’s happening, what’s coming through and what’s gaining popularity. We have seen certain properties grow in popularity and at these events, fans are never slow to chat with you. It can be invaluable when it comes to targeting properties.

Needless to say, social media and streaming sites are also a great source of information. They give you a variety of opinions on what’s popular, but the key has always been identifying what’s being talked about and seeing people’s reactions to brands. They are always the best indicators.

“We used Bazinga on a red t-shirt and it’s one of our all-time bestsellers – and such a simple design!”

Away from brand popularity, what trends are you keeping an eye on at the moment?
We are starting to see interest in recycled cotton. The sustainability and production of garments is becoming a bigger consideration and customers are looking for us to offer this option.

Good to hear! Alongside that shift, how else has the licensed apparel space changed in the last 10 years?
We have seen a development and move towards e-commerce sites, obviously accelerated due to the pandemic. You cannot ignore the importance of it… We are working with an increasing number of e-commerce sites and we see this continuing to expand. We have seen a slight move back to bricks and mortar retail for our sector as well, with HMV continuing to grow and take on the high street. Also the growth of print on demand, which allows for greater range of designs and limits stock costs as you only hold plain stock.

A few more questions before we wrap up. If you were pitching Trademark Products to an IP owner, what would be the key points you’d highlight?
We always target the more niche brands that work for our specialist market, so our key point is we have great design and a deep understanding of this market. We also have speed to market, so we can react very quickly to events. And we hold stock, so we can react quick and service the independent stores.

Great stuff. Finally, do you have a go-to t-shirt in your wardrobe?
Funnily enough, I only have a couple of t-shirts I wear… The Heisenberg design from Breaking Bad – it’s a great show and a simple design, yet a great shirt. Now, being a petrol head, I also have a Gas Monkey Garage logo shirt, great design.