Submit a Design Idea
You know what's missing from the catalogue. Tell us.
TechGeeksApparel is built by a team of developers. That means there are entire disciplines, communities and inside jokes that haven’t made it onto a shirt yet, because we haven’t lived them. If you work in embedded systems, bioinformatics, quantum computing, game dev, or any corner of tech where the humor runs deep and the community is real, you know what that shirt should say better than we do. Submit the idea. If it’s a good fit, we produce it. You get the first one.
Free t-shirt
Your design, printed and shipped to you for free. You get it before it goes live.
Product page credit
Concept by [your name/handle]' on the product page.
Personal discount code
Your own permanent discount code for the store. Use it. Share it
How It Works
Submit your idea
Fill in the form below. Tell us the exact design concept, the wording, the visual idea, the target audience, and why you think it works. The more specific, the better.
We review it
Submissions are reviewed in batches on the 1st of each month. Every submission gets a response, accepted or declined, with a reason either way. You will hear back within 5 days of the review date.
We design and produce it
If accepted, we take your concept and produce the final design. We may refine the layout or typography, Production takes 2–4 weeks from acceptance.
You get the first one
Before the design goes live in the store, we ship you a free printed t-shirt in your size. Your name or handle goes on the product page as the concept contributor. Your personal discount code is sent with the confirmation.
What We're Looking For
Not every idea will be a fit, and that is okay. Here is what gets accepted and what does not, so you can judge your own idea before submitting.
Ideas that tend to get accepted
- Specific to a real technical discipline, not ‘a shirt for programmers’ but ‘a shirt for people who have debugged a race condition at 2am’
- Exact wording that works as a design, something you could picture on a shirt without needing a long explanation
- Humour that only lands if you actually do the job, the more insider, the better, as long as the community is large enough
- Targets an audience of at least a few thousand people worldwide, niche is good, obscure is a problem
- Fits one of our proven formats: a code snippet, a terminal command, a stack trace, a dictionary definition, a nutrition facts parody, an identity statement
Ideas that tend to get declined
- Too generic, ‘I love coding’, ‘coffee and code’ – these already exist everywhere and do not convert
- Too obscure, an inside joke specific to one company, one team, or one very small community
- Requires complex illustration, we can do text-based and simple graphic designs well; complex character-based art is out of scope for this program
- Already in the catalogue, check the store first
- Offensive, discriminatory or targeted at a specific individual or group
Not sure if your idea is a fit?
Submit it anyway. The worst outcome is a declined submission and a brief explanation of why. We would rather see an idea that does not quite fit than miss one that does.
Submit Your Idea
Fields marked * are required. You do not need an account to submit.
Read this before submitting. By submitting the form below, you confirm you have read and agreed to these terms.
1. Originality Only submit ideas that are entirely your own original work. Do not submit concepts based on existing copyrighted material, trademarked phrases, licensed characters, or designs already sold by other brands. If your submission is found to infringe on a third party’s rights, it will be declined and removed from consideration without notice.
2. What you are granting us By submitting an idea, you grant TechGeeksApparel a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use, adapt, modify, produce and sell products based on the submitted concept. We may refine the wording, adjust the layout, or modify the visual execution of your idea, the core concept remains credited to you.
Non-exclusive means you retain the right to take your idea elsewhere. Submitting to TechGeeksApparel does not prevent you from also submitting to other brands or using the concept yourself outside of the apparel context. However, if we produce and sell the design, we ask that you do not sell or license the same concept to direct competitors.
3. If your submission is accepted If we select your concept for production you will receive:
- One free printed t-shirt featuring the accepted design, in the size you specified, shipped to your address at no cost to you
- A credit line on the product page reading “Design concept by [name or handle you provided]” – this is permanent for as long as the product is listed
- A personal discount code for 20% off all future orders from TechGeeksApparel, with no expiry date
The free t-shirt and discount code are sent once the design has been produced and is ready to go live, typically 2 to 4 weeks after acceptance. You will be contacted to confirm your shipping address before dispatch.
4. If your submission is declined You will receive a response within 5 days of the monthly review date explaining why the concept was not a fit. A declined submission returns full rights to you – TechGeeksApparel will not use, develop, or reference a declined concept.
5. No financial compensation beyond the above Accepted submissions are rewarded with the free t-shirt, product page credit and discount code described in clause 3. There is no royalty, revenue share, or ongoing payment of any kind. The reward is fixed regardless of how many units the design sells.
6. Product discontinuation If an accepted design is later removed from the catalogue, due to low sales, a platform change, or any other reason, the product page credit lapses with the listing. The free t-shirt and discount code are not affected and remain yours permanently.
7. Ownership You retain ownership of the original concept you submitted. TechGeeksApparel owns the final produced design, the specific artwork, typography, layout and execution created by our design team based on your concept.
8. Content standards We will not produce designs that are offensive, discriminatory, defamatory, or that target specific individuals. Any submission containing such content will be declined without response.
9. One submission per concept Each form submission should cover one design concept. You may submit as many separate forms as you like, but each should be a distinct idea.
10. Changes to this policy This policy may be updated. The version in effect at the time of your submission is the version that applies to your submission.
Questions about a submission or this policy? Contact us at info@techgeeksapparel.com.
Common Questions
Does my idea have to be completely original?
Yes. Submit only concepts that are your own original ideas, not existing memes, catchphrases owned by others, or designs already sold elsewhere. The wording and concept should be yours.
What happens to ideas that are not accepted?
You receive an email response within 5 days of the review date (1st of each month) explaining why it was not a fit. The concept remains yours, you are free to take it elsewhere.
Can I submit more than one idea?
Yes, one submission per form is preferred so each idea gets a proper review. Submit as many separate forms as you like.
Do I need to provide a design file or mockup?
No. Text and a clear description are enough. If you have a sketch or reference, you can describe it in the concept field, we do not accept file uploads at this stage.
How long does it take to hear back?
Submissions are reviewed on the 1st of each month. You will receive a response within 5 days of that date. If you submit on the 2nd, your earliest response date is the 6th of the following month
What size t-shirt will I receive if my idea is accepted?
The size you select in the submission form. If you do not select a size, we will follow up by email before shipping.
Will I be credited if TechGeeksApparel modifies my idea?
Yes. If your concept is accepted and produced, even with refinements to the wording, layout or visual, you will be credited as the concept contributor on the product page.
Is the discount code usable immediately?
The discount code is sent when your submission is accepted, before the product goes live. You can use it immediately on any product in the store. It does not expire.
Can I stay anonymous?
Yes. Leave the ‘name or handle’ field blank and your submission will be reviewed without a public credit. If accepted, you can choose to be credited anonymously or not credited at all.
What if I have a question not answered here?
Contact us at info@techgeeksapparel.com or use the contact form. We will respond within 2 business days.