THE CHALLENGE: Create an original logo or design that you can put on a t-shirt! The logo you create IS NOT A DRAWING!! You tell the machine where to cut out your logo. Watch the video to learn more!

 You get ONE white or black t-shirt from Mr. Wolfe. If you want to put your design on anything else or on more than one thing, you must bring it in. It can be a sweatshirt, pillow case, whatever!

Steps to making Apparel Logo on Affinity Designer

1. Decide what you want to make and if you want to create it completely original or trace something. If creating original logo, go to step 7.

2. When thinking and designing what you want to make - REMEMBER THE MACHINE IS NOT A PRINTER!! The Cricut cuts out the lines you make so your designs should be simple and one to two colors. 

3. If you are tracing something, find the image online and then take a screenshot (Shift+Cmnd+4)

4. Open Affinity Designer on your Lab Mac computer

5. Choose Legal size to make your design

6. Drag the screenshot you just took into Designer

7. YOU MUST USE ONLY the PEN TOOL!

8. Keys to designing apparel:

   • HIGHLY Recommend that your first design be ONE COLOR.

   • Look at the examples below to see the type of designs that work. It takes some critical thinking to design something that will cut out well.

   • Multi-color designs are really several different designs printed on top of each other. Each color needs to be designed, cut, pressed separately.

   • Details are difficult. Make simple designs. The more detail the harder it will be to cut, print, create. 

9. To prepare for export

   • Click the move tool (black arrow)

   • Hit cmmd+A to select all

   • Make sure all layers say ‘curve’. If not, go to Layer → Convert to Curves

10. When that is all done, go to File → Export → SVG (for export)

    • YOU MUST DO THIS FOR EACH COLOR USED! ONE LAYER/ONE COLOR at a time.

11. Then email SVG file to Mr. Wolfe

12. Mr. Wolfe AND you will do the rest on Cricut software with Mr. Wolfe’s laptop and the Heat Press.

Creating on Cricut - Done with Mr. Wolfe

1. Open Cricut app

2. New Project

3. Blank Canvas

4. Upload SVG image

5. Check and edit the size of your print

6. Click ‘Make’

7. Give it a name

8. Mat should be at 12x12

9. Connect to the cricut to the computer either through blue tooth or the wire.

10. Follow prompted direction

    1. Choose "Medium Cardstock - More"

    2. The more detail the logo the lighter the cutting pressure should be

12. May need to trim out the cut out with cricut tools

Cricut Heat Press - Done with Mr. Wolfe

1. Color/Shiny side up. White side down

2. First press = #1 on dial (330 for 30 sec)

3. Let it cool

4. Second press = #2 on the dial (315 for 15 sec)

5. Let cool

6. Peel off shiny top

7. Done

STEAM U Levels: