{"id":26307,"date":"2026-02-23T07:50:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T12:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.customink.com\/?p=26307"},"modified":"2026-02-25T11:52:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:52:44","slug":"brand-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.customink.com\/blog\/brand-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Ink Is More Than You Think"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By David Doctorow, CEO of Custom Ink<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"david<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve ordered from Custom Ink before, there\u2019s a good chance it started with some t-shirts. Maybe it was for a family reunion, a 5K, a team offsite, or a class field trip. And if you\u2019re like most of our customers, that first order led to a second, and then a third. Because somewhere along the way, you realized that the right custom gear does something bigger than just look good. It brings people together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know this personally – (feels like) long ago, when I was at Leigh High School in San Jose, California, I was the drum major of the school marching band. My bandmates and I had different backgrounds, were part of different social groups, and had different interests. But when we put our uniforms on for performances, we were one and the same. And the feeling of belonging to that community was so powerful that we would proudly wear our custom gear in between performances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 25 years, Custom Ink has been the company people trust when they need to rally a team, celebrate a moment, or make a group feel like they belong to something. What started as a way to design custom t-shirts<\/a> online has grown into something we\u2019re incredibly proud of\u2014and today, I\u2019m excited to share the next chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re refreshing our brand. And the story behind that is \u201cInk Is More Than You Think.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"ink<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past few years, something shifted. Businesses that used to order t-shirts for a summer picnic started coming to us for onboarding kits, sales kickoff swag, client gifts<\/a>, and employee recognition<\/a> programs. Schools<\/a> and nonprofits expanded well beyond spirit wear into branded merchandise<\/a> of all kinds. Companies large and small have been working with us for years. We just hadn\u2019t told that story loudly enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we asked ourselves: what would it look like if our brand caught up to the company we\u2019ve already become, and got ahead of where we\u2019re going?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet Janine<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our brand refresh is anchored by a character we call Janine, a 40-something organizer savant who treats Custom Ink as her cheat code for solving any team challenge with absurd confidence. She\u2019s the HR coordinator, the PTA president, the team captain, the office manager who somehow always knows what the group needs. Through humor and heart, Janine celebrates the people who do the behind-the-scenes work of making teams feel like teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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