There are almost 1 billion iPhone users worldwide. Add to that number the shocking amount of Android users and the picture painted is clear… Mobile phones have fully saturated our global society.
It used to be that the type of phone you had said something about your uniqueness. Now, with all of today’s top devices being produced by a couple of companies, your phone is anything but unique.
Fortunately, there are ways to give your device a pop of character. Perhaps the best way is to design a custom phone case.
Customized phone cases allow you to exercise your creativity to create an item that protects your phone and also allows it to feel like more of an extension of you.
Below, our team has compiled a quick guide of how-to’s, do’s, and don’ts to teach you how you can design a phone case!
Find a Custom Cellphone Case Provider
It’s never been easier to design a phone case because the sheer volume of online services providing this ability has ballooned in recent years. Not all services are created equal, however. You’ll want to make sure of a couple of things before choosing to do business with certain sites.
For starters, make sure that other people online have used the service you’re considering to make sure that they’re legit and are turning out quality products. Second, different providers offer different products. That means that if you have a phone that’s unique, particularly a less popular Android phone model, you’ll want to find a case provider that offers a custom case that fits your phone.
To help you along your search, try a service like Custom Envy or Zazzle which both offer high-quality products at great prices.
Opt for Custom Design or Go with a Template
Creating your design is the most fun and integral part of the design-a-phone-case process. It can also be the most cumbersome.
If you have a particular design in mind, then you’ll want to make sure you have the tools available to complete your vision. With some “design a phone case” companies, they’ll provide tools which will enable you to create simple designs on their website.
Others will require that you just upload a picture file you created in a separate piece of software.
If you’re going to be creating custom work in a separate piece of software, we recommend opting for Adobe Photoshop as this program will offer you the most flexibility.
To make sure that your design aligns well with your phone case, be sure to look at your custom phone case provider’s sample/reference materials which will give you all of the information you need to know to create a design that works.
If all of this custom design stuff is over your head, many custom phone providers will have unique template designs you can opt for rather than going custom.
Make Sure You Have Rights to Images
One of the most popular ways people go about designing custom cases is by pulling images off of Google and incorporating them into their case. While you can certainly do this, you’ll need to make sure that the images you use are “labeled for reuse”.
If they’re not and you’re not the copyright holder, your custom case provider is under a legal obligation to reject your design and ask you to start over.
Export to Spec
While designing your case, as mentioned previously, you’ll want to make sure that your design aligns with your case by utilizing your case provider’s reference/sample documents.
After you’re done designing, you’ll now need to look at your case provider’s guidelines for exporting.
Export guidelines from case providers can range from specifying certain file types (.png, .jpg, etc.) to allowing for certain ranges of opacity. These guidelines are put in place to ensure that you get the best possible print quality for your phone case.
Ignoring your case provider’s export guidelines could result in you getting delivered a case you’re unhappy with so be sure to read before uploading your image and when in doubt, contact the company’s customer support team.
Ask For Samples
Even if you follow your design a phone case company’s guidelines flawlessly, there’s always going to be some variation from what you see on your computer to what you get in a case.
Fortunately, if you followed directions well, the variance will typically only be in the way of color. The color you see on your computer monitor may not be the same color a printer sees. That’s because different hardware presents colors in different ways based on a wide variety of factors.
So, if you want to see what the color red, blue, green, etc. looks like when printed at your provider’s warehouse, feel free to ask for a swatch sample.
Many case providers will be happy to provide you with reference materials to help you get a better understanding of how your case will turn out by giving you samples.
Going through this process will reduce the likelihood that you’ll end up disappointed with your final product.
Wrapping Up How to Design a Phone Case
Investing in a customized phone case can give your mobile device a pop of character amidst a sea of phones that look exactly the same in today’s market. It can also provide your phone with excellent protection from the elements.
To get started customizing a case of your own, find a design a phone case company online and follow their guidelines as well as our steps listed above.
Reading closely and doing everything you’re asked to do during your design process will result in a gorgeous, original case that reflects your personality. It will also make for a case that’s sure to draw some “Oohs” and “Ahhs” from your friends!
Want to find local and online businesses that can help you create custom case designs? Our team at Find a Business That… can help.
We host a comprehensive directory of reputable businesses all over the United States. These businesses are ready to serve any needs you may have. So, if you’re looking for a top-notch company that can help you today, dig deeper into our directory or keep reading more on our Find a Business That… blog!