We’re back with another one of our great clients! Barrel Maker has been working with Sprout Social since 2015, and they are an absolute pleasure to work with! Sprout also does an amazing job at making sweet tees that their employees and clients are excited to wear, and here at our shop we always love to talk about what makes a really cool shirt. So we reached out to one of Sprout’s visual designers, Melissa, to get a better look at how tees tie into their company culture, and to get her opinion on how other businesses can also move past the boring company t-shirt to make something really great for their whole team.
Barrel Maker: Hi Melissa, you’ve put in a lot of orders with us! (Hey thanks for that!) Primarily, what do you use these shirts for? Are they client gifts, employee gifts, or for events of some kind?
Sprout Social: We love working with Barrel Maker! Our largest order consists of Sprout and Bambu shirts, which are used both internally and externally. When new hires start at Sprout, they have both shirts waiting for them on their desks to help them represent our team and our products from day one. We also give the shirts to our customers when they attend events so they’re able to show their #SproutLove too! From time to time, we’ll order one-off shirts that are either connected to an employee event, marketing campaign, or a feature launch as well.
The design above is one of our favorites. The t-shirt was created for our team participation in the 2017 Chase Corporate Challenge. Since this was a race, we wanted to find a unique way to represent running and being the fastest on the field, which is where the Pegasus idea came from.
https://www.instagram.com/p/8ofMPOoGIX/?taken-by=sproutsocial
The “Made It So” shirt was created for a team that worked on our Message Approval launch in 2015. The design played off of their many Captain Picard references, making the shirt a great surprise and celebration for all their hard work. Also last year, our sales team had a strong focus on teamwork and bringing home wins (illustrated by the “W” from the Chicago Cubs victory flag), which made for a great shirt.
BM: What do you think makes a good company shirt? Is it garment type? A bright design? Do you have any advice for other companies after making so many shirts?
SS: At Sprout, there are a few factors that we believe contribute to a good company shirt. First, it needs to appeal to the masses. We also learned early on that comfortable material and a forgiving fit were the most important factors to consider. Once we had a brand and style that our team liked, we were able to exercise more creativity with colors and designs. Depending on the use and audience, designs that remind people of a specific event or launch tend to be fan favorites. Celebrating these special moments not only strengthens a sense of belonging, but encourages people to wear their company swag with pride in and out of the office.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL1aveDg7cH/?taken-by=sproutsocial
BM: Can you give us a little more info about why you do the Great Sproutdoors retreats, what they’re about, and why you choose to make tees for the event? How does this all tie in to Sprout’s company culture?
SS: The Great Sproutdoors is a Sprout Social tradition where we take one Friday off in the summer to canoe down the Fox River in Ottawa, IL—and this year we’re adding a Sproutdoors event on the West Coast for our Seattle and SF teams, as well! Inclusion and open communication are two of our core beliefs, and the Great Sproutdoors is a unique event that encourages team members to get out of the office, connect, and build relationships. As we continue to grow, it’s a great opportunity to enjoy a day of sun, canoeing and getting to know our co-workers outside of work a little better. Having a shirt and theme to go along with the event each year is really special to us. The shirt design ties in with other event materials we create and is a great piece of memorabilia from the day that keeps the memories alive year-round.
BM: I feel like everyone struggles with this one from time to time – how do you decide on size breakdowns?
SS: Tough question, haha. Our events team generally takes the lead on this. We typically do 40% M, 40% L and then 20% S, XL, XXL. That seems to work best for us.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFRdPpMIGNf/?taken-by=sproutsocial
BM: Do your employees ever vote on designs? Or is everything created in one team?
SS: That’s a really cool idea! We’ve never voted on designs at Sprout, although that is definitely something we could do in the future. While we often have ideas that originate from other departments, our design team takes the lead on submitting orders and giving a final sign off.
BM: Do you have any advice on how companies can find a good printing partner and what they should expect? Have you worked with a few other companies before you found the right fit?
SS: Finding a good printer can be tough. One of the many reasons why we love Barrel Maker is because it’s local. Having a printer nearby is a huge benefit since we can check out a new design in-person before approving a full run of shirts. Another thing that we love about you guys is how responsive and personal you are. Each order is carefully handled and you make sure that every detail is taken into consideration. Having a reliable and knowledgeable printer eases the process and we love the relationship we’ve built with Barrel Maker as a result. The biggest piece of advice we have for other companies is to take the time to be sure the printer is a good fit and will be a good partner with their best interests at heart.