How to design a baby’s T-Shirt box in 5 Steps with AI Tools

First, let’s take a look at the client’s requirements. 

1. A packaging design for a baby or children's t-shirt. 
2. The brand name is "CuteLove" with the tagline "babys' Favorite"
3. The packaging box should be a mailer box, with a roughly square dimension of approximately 210X210X60mm.
4. Design requirements: Focused on pencil hand-drawn illustrations, the overall look should be fresh, cute, and full of childlike fun. Once the design is finalized, the pencil hand-drawn illustrations will be printed on the t-shirt. The overall style should reflect a  infants or toddlers theme, appearing cute and interesting. It would be best if it has good adaptability for application in a series of works.

Step one：To understand and research the market

As the design of this packaging will also be applied to the t-shirt. Therefore, we need to look at the design characteristics of children’s t-shirts in the market.

• GAP Baby & Toddler Clothes

Apart from some solid-colored children’s T-shirts, the patterned T-shirts are mostly printed with co-branded animated IPs or small illustrations in the center, creating an overall fresh, cute, and minimalist look. The small illustrations typically tell a cartoon story. For example, the Toddler Winnie the Pooh Friends Graphic Tee features the experience the classic tales of friendship and adventure with young Christopher Robin as he travels with his precocious and beloved teddy bear Winnie the Pooh.Join Pooh as he finds new friends like Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, and many more in the Hundred Acre Wood.

• ZARA PRINTED BABY T-SHIRT

Similar to the ones from GAP mentioned above, the printed T-shirt designs are primarily composed of fresh and cute little illustrations. In addition to the animated collaboration styles, there are also some embroidered motifs. These small patterns often represent famous cities. For example, the first item below features flower embroidery with the text “ARE YOU READY FOR PARIS?” underneath, while the third item showcases embroidered chairs and an umbrella with the word “California” written below.

• ZARA PRINTED BABY T-SHIRT

These items from H&M share the same theme “Let the mini adventure begin.” The same dinosaur pattern is applied to different products, with slight adjustments made to the designs based on the color of the T-shirts. This creates a cohesive and fun series of products that look unified overall, and this approach is certainly worth referencing.

In addition, I did some research on the packaging design for infants and young children. Below are some works I found that are quite consistent with the client’s style and requirements.

Step Two：After my own research, I ask AI to help me come up with design ideas

Yes, AI is our good friend and can quickly help us solve many problems. The more I use it, the more I realize that AI is becoming my confidant. It’s like a worm in my belly, capable of rapidly generating a wealth of inspiration and images that match my needs. 

Still, it’s our old friend Packify. By chatting with it and inputting my requirements, I can easily obtain multiple design inspiration ideas.

• Dialogue 1

I would like a packaging design for a children's t-shirt. The style should be cute, featuring a hand-drawn illustration of a rabbit that looks playful and full of childlike charm. The brand name “cutebaby” should have rounded, adorable font that appears lively and be centered in the layout. The tagline is “Babys' Favorite.” The main background color should be white, giving it a simple, cute, and whimsical overall look.

• Dialogue 2

A packaging box for a children's t-shirt featuring a small illustration in the center. The illustration is in a cute and fresh style, resembling pencil coloring, depicting a happy little koala running on the grass while holding onto a balloon that seems to be flying away, as if it's leaping joyfully. The little koala is smiling happily, with its ears perked up, conveying a carefree spirit. The scene is playful and lively, with a simple white background. The foreground includes scattered small blades of grass or green plants, suggesting a spring or summer atmosphere. The overall style of the image is a whimsical hand-drawn illustration, reminiscent of illustrations found in children's books, characterized by its gentle and affectionate aesthetic.

• Dialogue 3

The packaging design for the children's t-shirt features the brand name "CuteLove" and the tagline "Babys' Favorite" The brand name should be in a rounded, cute font, while the tagline is in small black sans-serif letters. Both the brand name and logo are centered on the packaging but should not be too prominent. The front of the packaging box requires a pencil-colored drawing with playful picture book illustrations. The main illustration depicts a happy little squirrel holding a large pine cone, seemingly jumping with excitement. The squirrel is smiling joyfully, with its ears perked up. The scene is playful and lively, set against a simple white background, with scattered small leaves and green plants in the foreground. The overall style of the illustration is whimsical hand-drawn artwork, similar to that of children's books, filled with warmth and charm.

Step three：Find T-shirt box mock-ups

Visit Pacdora and search for “Mailerbox”. I found many similar mockups. Click on any image below to use these mockup models for free.

Step four：Choose the mockup and design direction, and start designing the layout

I found one of the mockups based on the dimensions requested by the client, modified the size and color, and it perfectly matched the client’s box specifications. The ability to adjust box dimensions and edit online is truly captivating. I believe that in the realm of mockups, the flexibility and usability of Pacdora’s mockups are exceptional.

The images generated by the Packify AI tool are great. I chose to reference the following two options.

After finalizing the options, I used the AI tool to generate a series of illustrations and performed a simple design layout using design software.

Step five：Create 3D renderings

After completing the design, I uploaded the design drawings to Pacdora to start creating the 3D renderings. The 3D preview in the upper right corner, along with the simple design functionalities, makes it easy for me to check the results and make adjustments. This is truly the simplest 3D tool I’ve ever seen!

By clicking the “3D Design” button, I start building a simple 3D scene. It’s just like a child playing with building blocks. With simple mouse operations, I can create the rendering in just a few minutes. Here are a few images of the renderings I built in the Pacdora 3D scene.

At the same time, I also applied the illustrations to T-shirts. Using the same method, I searched for T-shirt mockups on Pacdora and created two renderings to help my client better understand and finalize the design. The client was indeed very satisfied with this presentation.

I have to say, the quality is truly outstanding!

• Friendly reminder

You can also generate renderings using AI Photoshoot.

To render some preview images with realistic scenes, I used AI Photoshoot. With just a simple click on “Regenerate,” I was able to obtain the following renderings. The entire process took no more than 5 minutes, and the final results were truly impressive.I think the squirrel illustration on this packaging is really great!

Using the same method, I generated several renderings of t-shirts, and the results were equally satisfying.

It would be even better if there were some scenes related to maternal and baby care that are more fitting.

Finally, let me summarize.

• Step one: Do market research on the design characteristics of children’s t-shirts based on client needs.
• Step two: Input client-matching requirements into Packify AI Design to quickly find inspiration and direction. 
• Step three: Find mockup on Pacdora and adjust the size and color according to client packaging needs.
• Step four: Upload the flat design to Pacdora to check the 3D effect based on the research, AI inspiration, and the mockup found. 
• Step five: Use Pacdora’s 3D renderer and AI Photoshoot to complete the renderings. 

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