The variety of t-shirts that adorn the backs of people, irrespective of age or sex, has to be seen to be believed. But the one that is singled out for special mention is what is called the "Designer T-Shirt". This remarkable piece of clothing is not a current fashion statement. "Ike" Eisenhower actually won the 1952 Presidency with the help of a custom made t-shirt that had the slogan "I Like Ike" splashed across it. These were a t-shirts, made with a precise intent as a particular point of time. Though they may not have been know as such, they were truly designer t-shirts. Relegated now to the tomes of history, they did make their mark when they appeared.

There is no hard and fast rule that designer t-shirts should be created for a sole purpose and then fade away into oblivion, but can be designed even to satisfy ones whims and fancies. It can be verbal or graphical and is left solely to the wearer's penchant for it. It can be even used to express your particular point of view a particular subject.

Thomas Edison once said that genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration. The same can be said to apply to the design of custom t-shirts. Graphic designers have to spend hours and even days to create that "just-perfect" look. The idea for that designer t-shirt, may just flash into your ken, but it may take some time to materialize. Once the thought, the inspiration, has germinated, a lot of other seemingly intimidating queries popup into your mind:

As a novice in the making of a designer t-shirt, a person may be bombarded with a number of questions that may at first seem to be daunting. Doubts may rise up on your capability to come up with a fantastic design that will catch peoples eyes. These issues, though at first may seem insurmountable, have easy solutions.

Do I have an aptitude for drawing? Should I first learn how to draw? What are the principles of design? Where can I learn the basics of computer usage? What computer program should I use? Who is going to teach me to use these programs?

On the face of it, difficult issues. But not difficult enough to throw your idea to the winds. The answers are simple. Help is always available on the Internet. Umpteen number of programs are there to assist one to give a concrete shape to your ideas. Simple drawing programs like "Paint" can get you started off on the basics of computer aided drawing and design. As one progresses, one can migrate to more sophisticated programs like Adobe Illustrator etc. You might even discover that you had a latent talent for drawing.

Familiarizing yourself with the functions of these drawing programs is easy since all of them come inbuilt wit some sort of basic tutorials and online tutorials and discussion groups are just as plentiful and ready to help clear just about any doubt that you want to get cleared. A in-depth knowledge of the principles of design is not absolutely required. Even here help is available on the Internet. Once you get started the rest will come along and by some perspiration one could become an adept. But in case it happens that you just don't have the aptitude, then there are always professionals to help you concretize your flash of inspiration.

What you do with the t-shirt that you have designed is your choice. You can keep it for your personal use. If you feel that you have to make a statement for people to know, be warned though - you might be misunderstood, get a number of them made and gift them to your relatives and friends. Designer t-shirts also make good corporate gifts and promotional tools.