What images are legal to use in a t-shirt design?

It looks to me like this design was created by Better Life® Brand Apparel

On their site, they do have personalization available.

Now if you drew your own critters, and came up with your own saying I can’t see how you’d be infringing. I just would stay away from using their graphics and saying, unless you plan to pay them for it.

If it’s a phrase or part of a design that has been copyrighted, you cannot use it.

Graphics that are on royalty-free sites (and are royalty-free) you could use.

You’re safer if you change it to make it your own.To make the wording, you might use “Life goes better with pets”. Google it first, to see if it seems to be copyrighted. Draw your own cat and dog. You might have everyone in the clinic do drawings and choose the cutest. It may be a very primitive drawing, but if you ink it with heavy black ink, it may turn out to be amusing and just what you want and it’s yours!

You can search the web for stock graphics that are either free or you can use for a minimal charge.

It is insane that a phrase can be copywrited, because I am sure that anything you could possibly say has been said before at some point.

If you google free pet clipart or something like that, you will get a couple of million hits of art that is free to use.

ooopps I see skaggy just told you that, well I said it with different words!

Be careful even with “free” clipart. Read the EUL (End User License). It is often supplied free for use on non-commercial projects or where it is not reproduced in mass. Make sure the fine print doesn’t prohibit the use you have in mind.

You can always take a photo and use Photoshop to posterize it or apply artistic effects to it.

Animals, letters, clip art, nothing that someone else owns or nothing that is verrrryy close to what someone else owns. Something you made yourself. can be an idea of someone eases design but not similar.