While most of your t-shirt designs will probably be for fun, every once in a while an issue will come up that is very important to you. It may be personal or work-related, or just a cause that means a lot to you. What better way to raise awareness than by literally wearing the issue on your chest? Designing a t-shirt about the issue you care about is a great way to use your imagination and draw attention to something you believe is important for people to know about. But be prepared: if your t-shirt succeeds, you may have to answer questions on the street!
Blood donation is an important and ongoing issue. In times of crisis or national emergency, blood donation numbers usually go way up. People are willing to help when help is needed. What a lot of people don’t realize, however, is that help is always needed, even during calmer days. It is a great idea to donate blood regularly—to make a habit of it. Many people may not think that they can make a difference, but you may want to enlighten them and tell them that they definitely can.
One area of knowledge that could help raise the number of blood donors is eligibility. You could make a t-shirt detailing where and when people can go donate blood. Very often people use ignorance as an excuse to sit back and not do anything proactive to affect the world around them. Your custom t-shirt is a chance to inform people of their options. What types of blood are the rarest and most needed? How do people find out their own blood type? Are there any conditions that might prevent people from being able to donate blood—like sickness, menstruation, pregnancy, or certain medications? If so, how long should a person wait, for example, after being sick or being on antibiotics to donate blood?
Other questions you could answer on your t-shirt: where are the nearest locations for donating blood? How much time will donating blood take out of the day? Are there side effects, and if so, what are they? Does it cost money to donate blood? How often can you donate blood? What happens to blood after it is collected? What is it used for during times of peace and non-crisis?
With information like this on your t-shirt, you can attract the attention of people walking past you, or coworkers and friends. Most of the information about blood donation is easy to understand—it’s just that a lot of people haven’t been educated about it. Some simple facts in people’s minds might make the difference between them never donating blood at all, and possibly beginning a lifelong routine of donating blood regularly. Your t-shirt could include anything from a slogan prompting people to ask you about blood donation to a list of statistics or helpful facts. This could at least open up a dialogue with interested people about the issue of blood donation. At most, you might save a life.