How do I design a new product ?

In this article, we'll walk you through a step-by-step process on how to design a new product from the Fourthwall catalog. It's simple and fun, and by the end, you’ll have a product ready to showcase in your store.

• Step 1: Select a Product
• Step 2: Choose Your Product Options
• Step 3: Upload Your Artwork
• Step 4: Position and Size Your Artwork
• Step 5: Preview Your Product
• Step 6: Add More Colors (Optional)
• Step 7: Add Initial Product Listing Details
• Step 9: Set it Live!

Getting Started

To get started, head to the homepage, click on Products → All Products, and then click Create New Product. From there, select Design Something New to start designing your product.

STEP 1: Select a product

The first step in designing your product is to select a product from the various categories as shown in the image below.

Please scroll through our online catalog to find the right product for your shop. To narrow down your search, make use of the following filters:

• Categories: Filter by product categories such as Apparel, Accessories, Home & Living, or specific items like Drinkware.
• Collections: Choose between various collections such as Champion, Gaming, etc.
• Color: Select the product's color based on your branding needs.
• How quickly can I sell it?
  • Instantly: These products are ready to design and sell right away.
  • Request: These items require coordination with our team and manufacturer, taking 2-3 business days before they’re ready for sale.
• Base Price: Adjust your search based on the cost per item to fit your budget and desired profit margins.
• Minimum Orders: 
  • No Minimums: Some products have no minimum order requirement, making them perfect for small launches or testing new products.
  • Up to 300: Products that require a minimum order, but you can meet the requirement through pre-orders (no upfront payment needed).
  • More than 300: Ideal for larger orders where high quantities are needed.
• Production Method: Different production methods affect your product quality and design options. For more details on how to select the right production method, check out this blog post.
  • All Over Print (Sublimation): Great for vibrant, large designs across the product. Best for polyester items.
  • Sublimation: Excellent for printing on various surfaces, allowing for bright, detailed designs.
  • Direct-to-Garment (DTG): Perfect for soft prints on clothing. Works well on lighter fabrics.
  • Digital Print: High-quality printing (300 dpi) for paper products like posters or art prints.
• Brands: Filter by popular brands like AS Colour, Bella+Canvas, Gildan, Yupoong, and others for quality and brand recognition.
• Ships From: Ensure the product is shipped from the relevant region based on your customers' location to reduce shipping times.
• Sustainability: Opt for eco-friendly or sustainable products if that's part of your brand ethos.

STEP 2: Design your Product 

Once you've selected your product, such as the Gildan Classic Crewneck Sweatshirt, it's time to customize it based on your preferences and business needs. Here are the available options for this product:

• Design Now: Ready to customize? Click this button to start creating your unique design for the product.
• Favorite: Not ready yet? Click here to save the product to your favorites for easy access later

STEP 3: Upload your artwork

Now that you’ve customized your product, it's time to bring your designs to life! Follow these steps to upload your artwork:

1. Upload Your Artwork: In the left-hand upload tab, you can either click to browse your files or simply drag and drop your image into the designated area.

2. Customize your design placement: Once your artwork is uploaded, click on the image to see it displayed on the selected area of the garment (such as the front, back, left sleeve, or right sleeve). To add your artwork to different areas of the garment, click on the small images to the left of the primary mockup.

• Get Design Help: If you need assistance with your design, click on the Get Design Help button. This will open a new window with two options:
• Hire a Designer: Browse trusted designers who have worked with and are recommended by Fourthwall creators.
• Design it Yourself: Use Canva to create designs in minutes. Once you've created your design, export your file and upload it here to get started.

Caution: Pay attention to the dollar amount shown in the lower left-hand corner of the page. This figure indicates the running tally of your item's base cost, which is how much it will cost to produce.

STEP 4: Position and size your artwork

Now that your artwork is uploaded, it's time to position and size it for the best possible look on your product. See the GIF below for a visual guide on how to position and resize your artwork.

1. Positioning:

• Click and drag the image to move it around the designated area.
• Rotate the artwork by clicking the dot that sticks out from the top center of the image area.
• Be sure to keep your design within the print-safe area indicated by the dotted-line square. If you see red appear, this means the artwork is outside the printable area, which can result in production errors or defects. Avoid this to ensure proper printing.

2. Resizing:

• To resize your artwork, grab one of the white dots located at the four corners of the rectangle surrounding the artwork.
• The rectangle will turn blue if your artwork is printed at high quality, yellow for fair quality, and red for low quality.
• Always aim to keep the rectangle blue, which indicates the best print quality for your design.

3. Additional Options: Click the three dots on your uploaded image to access these options:

• Resize: Adjust the size of the artwork by dragging the corner dots.
• Duplicate (Cmd+D): Create an exact copy of your artwork.
• Bring Forward (Cmd+]): Move the artwork to the front layer.
• Send Backward (Cmd+[): Move the artwork to the back layer.
• Fit to Area: Automatically resize the artwork to fit the designated area.
• Set Position: Precisely set the artwork’s position using coordinates.
• Delete (Del): Remove the artwork from the design.

Remember, the goal is to ensure that your artwork stays within the boundaries and prints at a high quality. Taking the time to adjust the size and position correctly will ensure your product comes out looking great!

STEP 5: Preview your product

1. Use the Preview button as shown in the image below to get a better view of how your artwork will look on the Gildan Classic Crewneck Sweatshirt. Click back and forth between the tabs as you make adjustments to make sure your product is looking exactly how you want it to!

2. When you enter preview mode, the background of your image (e.g., gray areas) will automatically become transparent. This allows your design to blend with the background of your website or any custom background settings you've applied to your theme.

STEP 6: Add more colors (optional)

1. On the right side of the screen, locate the color section and click the “+” sign to add additional color options for your product. See the GIF below for a visual guide on how to add color options:

• A color palette will appear, allowing you to add or remove colors based on what’s available for your selected product. 
• Review your design to ensure the size, placement, and colors are exactly how you want them.
• Once satisfied, click the “Next” button, and you will be redirected to the next page where a high-quality render of your product will be generated, and you’ll be taken to the product details page for final adjustments.

STEP 7: Add initial product listing details

1. On the right side of the screen, enter your product name, a description (recommended), and the price. Alternatively, click "Write a title and description for me", and the system will generate a nice name and description for your product as shown in the image below.

• For products selected from the Product Catalog, the product generator will automatically include information like sizing and garment materials (e.g., cotton, polyester), so you don’t need to worry about adding these manually.
• The system shows how much profit you'll make per sale. For example, with a selling price of $37, you'll earn $12.55 per sale. This is calculated for each size, and you can customize the pricing for different sizes by clicking "Customize.".
  Note: The platform automatically adjusts pricing for larger sizes to maintain your profit margin across all sizes.

• Once you’re happy with the details, click Save as hidden to continue editing later, or Publish now to make the product live on your store.

STEP 9: Set it live!

That’s all it takes to get your product ready and live in your store! With just a few simple steps, you can create something unique and set it up for success. Once published, you can easily edit and adjust details later if needed. Enjoy the process and good luck with your new product!