Custom Apparel Designer

Overview

About Crit Apparel

Crit Apparel is a custom apparel and merchandise company specializing in jerseys, teamwear, sweatshirts, shirts, and other fully customized products for organizations, teams, brands, events, and communities.

We are looking for a Custom Apparel Designer to help turn client ideas, branding, and creative direction into production-ready apparel designs.

Position Overview

The Custom Apparel Designer will be responsible for completing design requests submitted through Crit Apparel's internal design ticketing process.

Our team will provide each ticket with the available client information, which may include logos, brand guidelines, colors, existing artwork, inspiration images, reference products, and specific design requests. The designer will use those materials to create polished apparel concepts that meet the client's needs and can ultimately move into production.

This role will primarily involve designing products such as:

• Custom jerseys and uniforms
• Sweatshirts and hoodies
• T-shirts and performance shirts
• Team and organization apparel
• Esports jerseys and merchandise
• Promotional and event apparel
• Other custom products offered by Crit Apparel

Responsibilities

The Custom Apparel Designer will:

• Review and complete design tickets submitted by the Crit Apparel team.
• Interpret client requests, branding, logos, colors, and inspiration materials and translate them into strong apparel designs.
• Create original jersey, sweatshirt, shirt, and merchandise concepts using Crit Apparel product templates.
• Apply logos, typography, patterns, graphics, sponsor marks, names, numbers, and other design elements appropriately.
• Maintain consistency with client brand guidelines while still producing visually compelling apparel.
• Create multiple concepts or revisions when required by a design ticket.
• Make revisions based on internal or client feedback.
• Prepare final artwork and production files according to Crit Apparel's specifications.
• Ensure artwork is properly sized, aligned, layered, and organized for production.
• Maintain accurate and organized design files so approved artwork can be reused for future orders and reorders.
• Communicate questions or identify missing information when a design ticket does not contain enough information to complete the requested work.
• Complete work within established turnaround expectations and communicate proactively when deadlines may be impacted.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate has experience designing apparel, sports uniforms, jerseys, merchandise, or similar products and is comfortable working from both detailed creative direction and loose inspiration.

Strong candidates should have:

• Strong graphic design and visual composition skills.
• Experience with Adobe Illustrator and vector-based artwork.
• Experience creating designs for apparel, jerseys, uniforms, merchandise, or print production.
• An understanding of typography, color, branding, and layout.
• The ability to work within existing templates and production specifications.
• The ability to take a rough client idea or collection of reference images and turn it into a cohesive finished design.
• Strong attention to detail, particularly regarding logos, spelling, numbers, alignment, and brand consistency.
• The ability to manage multiple design requests and revisions simultaneously.
• Strong file organization habits.
• The ability to work independently in a remote environment.

Experience with sublimation apparel, DTF printing, embroidery, screen printing, or apparel production is helpful but not required.

How the Role Works

This is primarily an execution-focused design position.

Crit Apparel's team will handle the client relationship and submit design tickets containing the information available for each project. Designers are expected to take that direction and develop the requested artwork rather than independently managing the client or sales process.

A typical ticket might include:

Product: Custom esports jersey
Client: University esports program
Provided Assets: School logos, official colors, sponsor logos, jersey template, and two inspiration images
Request: Create a home jersey using the school's primary colors, incorporate a subtle background pattern, include player name and number locations, and place sponsor logos according to the provided instructions.

The designer would create the concept, submit it for review, complete any requested revisions, and prepare the approved artwork for production.

Work Environment

This position may be performed remotely. Designers will work through Crit Apparel's internal systems for receiving assignments, reviewing project information, submitting artwork, and completing revisions.

Because this role supports active client orders, reliability, responsiveness, and the ability to consistently complete assigned tickets are important.

Preferred Portfolio

Applicants should provide a portfolio demonstrating relevant design work. Examples involving sports apparel, esports jerseys, uniforms, streetwear, branded merchandise, or other custom apparel are especially helpful.

Pay: $10.00 - $25.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Work Location: Remote