Affliction Designs: How to Create an Original Affliction-Style Shirt Design and Print It With DTF

Affliction designs are the busy, full-coverage graphic tees made by Affliction, a clothing brand founded in 2005 in Seal Beach, California. The brand says its founders had backgrounds in graphic design and screen printing and chose full-coverage designs over traditional placements. Its product names show the recurring motifs: wings, crosses and skulls. This guide covers what defines the look, how to make an original design in that style, and how to print it with DTF. Affliction's logos, names and artwork are protected by trademark and copyright, so the goal is the style, not a copy.

What makes an Affliction-style design

From Affliction's own site and product listings:

• Full coverage. Large graphics spread across the front, the back, or both, rather than a small chest logo.
• Recurring motifs. Product names include wings, crosses and skulls, often combined with ornate linework.
• Embellishment and washes. Product descriptions mention rhinestones over the front and back, enzyme and silicone washes after printing, and burnout fabric.

How to make an original design in that style

1. Start from your own motif. A personal symbol, a city, a gym or a team name works better than borrowing someone else's emblem.
2. Build it large. Plan for an oversized front or a full back; the placement calculator gives the largest sizes for each shirt size.
3. Layer ornament around it. Wings, scrollwork, crosses and texture can be drawn or licensed from stock sites that allow merchandise use; check each licence.
4. Add texture in the artwork. Distress and grunge textures should be built into the file, because DTF prints exactly what is in the artwork.
5. Pick a heavy display font. The streetwear fonts guide lists free fonts that allow commercial use, including blackletter.

Do not use Affliction's name, logos or recognisable artwork on shirts for sale. The licensed character guide explains how copyright and trademark apply to printed shirts.

Printing an Affliction-style design with DTF

• Large transfers. Full-coverage designs need the largest transfer sizes; order them on a gang sheet with your other work, using the gang sheet calculator to plan the sheet.
• Dark shirts work. DTF prints its own white underbase, so detailed artwork stays bright on black, which suits this look.
• Fine detail. Keep thin lines at roughly 1/16 inch or thicker at print size so they print cleanly.
• Washed and burnout blanks. Garment-dyed and washed blanks give a worn look; press at the fabric's settings in the DTF temperature and time chart, and test burnout or poly-heavy fabric first.
• Rhinestones. Rhinestone transfers are a separate product applied with a heat press; add them after the DTF print.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Affliction design style?

Large, full-coverage graphics with ornate details, often featuring wings, crosses and skulls, sometimes finished with rhinestones or a washed garment.

Can I print Affliction designs on shirts?

Not Affliction's own artwork or logos for sale; they are protected. You can create original designs in a similar style.

What size DTF transfer for a full-coverage design?

Use the largest size that fits the shirt; the placement calculator lists maximum print sizes for each shirt size.

When was Affliction founded?

Affliction says it was born in 2005 as a passion project between friends. It is based in Seal Beach, California.