How to Make a Vintage T Shirt Design in Affinity Designer

So far we've covered many of the functions in Affinity Designer, such as using text and making an SVG. In this tutorial we'll combine several processes to create a vintage retro t-shirt design. Retro designs are very popular for various projects. Following these steps will give you the tools you need to create endless variations. You can create SVGs for cutting vinyl or sublimation designs for shirts, tumblers and so much more.

Step 1 - Create Color Palette for Vintage design

For our design we want to create a custom palette using the Rectangle Tool. If you would like to learn more, we have a great tutorial on using color palettes in Affinity Designer.

Open Affinity Designer then click on New Document. Adjust your settings as needed and click Create. Use the Rectangle Tool on the left hand side to drag out rectangles for your color palette. In the image below are the Hex codes if you want to use the same colors that we selected.

Step 2 - Create the Main Design Element

We will start by creating the main design element for our vintage T-shirt. In this process we will be using the Shape Tools and the Boolean Operations.

Use the Shape Tools

On the left hand side are the Shape Tools. We will be using the Ellipse Tool and Triangle Tool. Draw out a circle and triangle. Position the triangle so that the point of the triangle is at the midpoint of the circle.

Duplicate Elements for the Backsplash

Duplicate the triangle by right clicking the layer then Duplicate. Next, rotate it 45 degrees and align the point of the new triangle to the center of the triangle.

Hit Ctrl + J (or Cmd + J for Mac) to Power Duplicate the triangle enough times to complete the circle.

Crop the Triangles

Select all the triangles and using the Boolean Operations, click on "Add" to create one shape.

Duplicate the circle then color it to match the triangles. Select both the new circle and the triangles then click "Intersect".

The image below is the result of using the Intersect option/tool. This is your completed backsplash.

Step 3 - Type out Text for Vintage design

For this design I chose to use Groovy Script, a retro style font available from Font Bundles. This font has a regular style and an extruded style for an easy layered look.

Add the Extruded Layer of Text

Select the text tool on the left hand side. At the top left tool bar change the font to Groovy Text Extruded and type out your text. Position the text layer within the backsplash.

Add the Regular Layer of Text

Duplicate your text by clicking Edit and then Duplicate. Go back to the font selection box in the top left and change it to Groovy Script Regular. Then, in the color panel on the right side of the screen you can change the color.

Step 4 - Add Decorative Element to Vintage design

Using the shape tool on the left tool bar draw out a Heart. Select the colors for your heart in the color panel. For this we chose a pink fill and a brown stroke. You can add further elements as you want.

Step 5 - Export the Vintage Design

The design can be exported in different formats. The most common formats for crafting are usually SVG and PNG.

Export as a PNG for Printing

If you plan on using this design as a printable, you don't need to make any further edits. The design is ready to be exported as is. Select your entire design and then go to File and Export.

The file formats will show along the top of the window that opens. Select PNG then click the drop down menu for Area. Here we chose Selection Only because we only want our selected design to be saved. Next, click on Export.

An export window will appear. Here you can name your design and select the location to save it to.

Exporting as SVG for Vinyl Cutting

To use as a cut file, the layers need to be combined. We have a tutorial on how to use the Boolean Operations to help you along. The strokes also needed to be expanded.

In the Layers panel on the right side, click to select the Heart layer.

Click on the Layer Menu at the top and select Expand Stroke.

Next, in the Layers panel select the first text layer. Click the Layer Menu at the top then Convert to Curves.

Again click on the Layer menu but this time select Ungroup.

Finally click on "Add" in the Boolean Operations at the top right of the screen. This will combine your text together so it will cut as one piece. Repeat these steps for the extruded layer of text.

Click on File at the top of the screen and then Export.

Select SVG as the format. Make sure you have SVG for Export selected in the drop down and click Export.

Name your file and choose the location to save it to then click Save.

For more creative fun, check out our tutorials on how to create a paper cut effect, how to draw a flat character illustration, and how to create a mandala in Affinity Designer.