T-shirt designs have long been used as a way of advertising products, promoting political candidates and sending messages. For the last ten or 15 years, however, people have been using t-shirt logos to promote smaller companies or to display messages and ideas. Printed t-shirts aren't only used as a means of advertising other companies' products, either; the t-shirt often is the company's only product.

After the turn of the century, t-shirt designs with slogans and catchphrases became more popular, especially those with an ironic edge. Even celebrities such as Paris Hilton have been known to wear trendy printed t-shirts around town, which only further accelerated the trend. The political and social statements that T-shirt logos often display have permeated different levels of culture and society, as well. There is clearly a huge range of possibilities with t-shirt designs, from the satirical to the serious.

Some t-shirt designs may be found to be offensive or shocking to some people, and that is sometimes the intention. The majority of t-shirt logos are totally harmless though. T-shirts for tourists, concert mementos and company branding are some of the most widespread. Different companies have caught on to the trend of printed t-shirts, including independent stores and Web sites, and have also made their own unique designs that range from funny to thought-provoking.