Basic t-shirts (the kind that he wants to print graphics on) are in--basically--two silhouettes. Basic, and fashion. Basic is the boxy fit that you'll find on t

Basic t-shirts (the kind that he wants to print graphics on) are in--basically--two silhouettes. Basic, and fashion. Basic is the boxy fit that you'll find on tees from Cafepress or Woot.Shirt, for example. Fashion fits are a bit slimmer, have smaller sleeves and a different fit on the shoulders. It's a bit silly to experiment much beyond the cut of the neck. Besides various v-neck and crew styles, I wouldn't venture out too far. The "pattern" (the technical term for the shape of the garment) of a t-shirt is a solved problem. The trick is designing innovative artwork in printing, clever usage of embellishing stitches and garment washes that give a certain look. If you want to see innovation, then you're right on the mark with clever seaming. Use a saddle stitch over your shoulder and sleeve seams in a colored polyester thread, and then put the garment through a pigment dye treatment. You'll get a beautiful contrast stitch on a washed-look garment.