The joke should work before the product does.
Funny Or Dye develops original, punchline-first humor about modern work, technology, and ordinary systems behaving strangely—then gives each approved joke a shirt, hat, or mug to live on.
How a joke earns the shirt
The working process starts with a recognizable human truth, not a finished slogan. A meeting that creates more work. A time-saving dashboard that eats an afternoon. Laundry reporting results for another fiscal quarter. From there, the line has to earn its way forward.
- Name the plain truth. Write the situation clearly before trying to make it funny.
- Explore different comic turns. Reframe the same truth through unrelated systems such as bureaucracy, security, shipping, or technology instead of writing twenty synonyms.
- Score and cold-read the finalists. Intended readers see the line without an explanation. If the turn is missed or the target feels wrong, the wording goes back to work.
- Research the exact wording. Final phrases and distinctive fragments are checked for saturation, attribution, and rights concerns before commercial approval.
- Make the design perform the timing. Type, hierarchy, contrast, placement, mockups, and required product checks have to support the joke rather than rescue it.
An editorial score is not a launch button. Product availability, artwork readiness, measurements, care, shipping, and return information must still be verified on the applicable product page.
The complete original funny T-shirt design guide documents the premise, scoring, cold-reader, second-wear, wording-research, and rights-review checkpoints—and the limits of what those checks can establish.
01
Independent wording
Research supplies recognizable situations, not copy to borrow. A logo, lyric, celebrity, screenshot, famous quote, or lightly altered meme cannot be the whole joke.
02
Three seconds, then twice
The premise should read during a quick browse. After the surprise is familiar, the voice should still feel good enough to wear or use again.
03
Facts where they belong
Current fit, material, care, price, production, shipping, and return details belong on the exact product or policy page—not inside a timeless brand promise.