What We Do > Embroidery Nightmares: When Logos Go Rogue (and How to Keep Yours in Line)

Embroidery Nightmares: When Logos Go Rogue (and How to Keep Yours in Line)

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At Ink & Stitch, we’ve seen it all. Logos with more gradients than a sunset. Artwork pulled from the depths of MS Paint. Even a chicken mascot that, once stitched, looked more like a haunted turnip.

So today, we’re here to help you avoid the horror stories of embroidery gone wrong. Whether you’re kitting out your staff, sprucing up your brand, or just really love a crisp embroidered polo, let’s stitch this out together.

When Good Logos Go Bad: Real Stitch Situations

Let’s paint a picture. A client sends us a logo. It’s got:

3D shading,
drop shadows,
a background image of a sunset and a wolf,
and six different fonts.

We bravely say, “Let’s simplify it for embroidery.”
They reply, “Nah, stitch the whole thing. We want it to POP.”

Mate, the only thing that popped was our machine — and a little blood vessel in Dave’s forehead.

Top Offenders in Logo Design:

🧵 Tiny Text: Embroidery isn’t a printing press. We can’t stitch your company’s entire mission statement onto a left breast pocket.
🎨 Too Many Colours: Unless you’re launching a Crayola collab, pick a palette. Most logos work best with 3–4 thread colours.
📸 Poor-Quality Artwork: That blurry screenshot from your Facebook banner circa 2012? It’s not the heirloom you think it is.

How to Avoid Becoming a Stitch Statistic

You want sharp, professional, “wow-is-that-stitched?!” results. Here’s how to help us help you:

Send a Vector File (or a good PNG at least).
We digitise everything in-house, but starting with crisp artwork is like starting your day with good coffee — everything runs smoother.
Keep Fonts Bold and Legible.
If we need a magnifying glass to read it, your customers definitely won’t.
Simplify Your Design.
Complex = cluttered. Clean = classy. And our embroidery machines will love you.
Approve a Proof.
We’ll send a visual before anything gets stitched. Because nothing says “oops” like 25 polos with the word “Pubilc Relations.”

Thread Talk: Real Life Tales from the Stitching Room

We once embroidered hoodies for a stag do. The brief said, “Keep it classy.” The groom’s nickname was “Big D.”
What ended up on the back?
“Big D’s Last Stand – Blackpool 2023” in 8-inch Gothic lettering.
Classy? Maybe not. Memorable? Absolutely.

Another time, someone wanted their pet’s face on a work uniform. Cute idea… except the pet was a bearded lizard named Steve. The result looked more like an angry crumpet with legs.

Look, we’re not judging. But also, we are.

Need Custom Embroidery or Garment Printing in Norfolk?

Whether you’re a business owner looking for professional embroidered workwear, a start-up creating your first batch of branded t-shirts, or just someone who thinks their cat deserves a custom bucket hat — we’re here for it.

Ink & Stitch offers: