How to Choose Your Shirt Color, From Navy to Kelly Green
How to choose a shirt color from all 13, from Navy and Royal to Maroon and Kelly Green, by ink contrast, team colors and where it gets worn.
AI Promo Design's garment range runs to thirteen colors: Navy, Red, Royal, Black, White, Sport Gray, Forest Green, Gold, Maroon, Purple, Orange, Carolina Blue and Kelly Green. Not every garment carries all of them - the table below says which - but between them they match almost any team, school, or personal project without turning the decision into a headache. Here's how to pick the right one. Part of Custom Apparel Guides & How-Tos.
Start with contrast, not preference
The shirt color and the ink color have to work together, or your design won't read from across a room. As a rule of thumb:
| Ink | Shows up cleanest on |
|---|---|
| Light ink (white, light gray) | Navy, Red, Royal, Black, Forest Green, Maroon, Purple, Orange and Kelly Green |
| Dark ink (black, navy) | White, Sport Gray and Carolina Blue - the safer call |
If your artwork is a single bold color, lean into high contrast - white ink on Black or Navy is about as legible as it gets. If your design is more detailed or multicolor, a lighter shirt like White or Sport Gray gives the fine lines room to show instead of fighting a dark background.
Matching team or school colors
If you're outfitting a team, class, or club, the easiest path is to pick the shirt color that matches your primary school or team color, then let the print use your secondary color, or plain white or black, for contrast.
- Royal and Red read as classic team colors on their own.
- Maroon, Purple, Orange, Carolina Blue and Kelly Green are in the range because they are school colors - check the table below for the garments that carry them.
- Navy and Forest Green work well as a quieter base that still ties back to school colors without shouting.
- Gold is there for programs whose palette calls for it as an accent - it is on every garment except the youth tee, youth crewneck, polo and women's tee, so check availability for your chosen product before you lock in a design.
Picking by use case
- Everyday and versatile: Black and Navy hide dirt well and go with almost anything - good defaults when you're not sure.
- Spirit and game-day energy: Red and Royal bring the most visual punch for pep rallies, tailgates, and fan gear.
- Clean, detailed prints: White and Sport Gray give multicolor or fine-line designs the best background.
- Outdoor or nature-themed groups: Forest Green is the natural fit.
Which garments come in which colors
Not every color exists on every garment, and the polo and the youth crewneck are the ones to check first.
| Garment | Colors |
|---|---|
| Adult Tee, Adult Hoodie, Youth Hoodie, Adult Crewneck | All thirteen, Gold included |
| Adult Long Sleeve | Every color except Orange |
| Youth Tee | Every color except Gold, Orange and Carolina Blue |
| Youth Crewneck | Navy, Red, Royal, Black, White, Sport Gray, Forest Green and Maroon |
| Performance Tee, Youth Performance Tee | Every color except Sport Gray, plus Silver and Iron Gray |
| Women's Tee | Navy, Red, Black, White, Purple, Orange and Kelly Green, plus Light Pink, Azalea and Heliconia |
| Polo | Navy, Red, Royal, Black, White and Athletic Heather - no Sport Gray, Forest Green or Gold |
A few colors also stop short of the biggest sizes - on the long sleeve, Gold, Maroon, Purple, Carolina Blue and Kelly Green end at 2XL - and the designer only offers the sizes each color is made in.
If you're matching a set across garments, start from the shortest list. Every color is the same price per size - see the full lineup on our product page. Matching colors for a school order? Our school shirt guide covers how mixed youth and adult sizes ship together in one checkout. Hats and mugs have color ranges of their own: see custom hats and custom mugs.
Not sure which combination will look best on your design? Start designing - describe what you have in mind, and we'll help you land on the right shirt and ink pairing before you pay a cent.