Creative Services

Your Logo on a Shirt Is Your First Outdoor Campaign

In the early weeks and months of a church plant, name recognition is everything.

Every person wearing your shirt in public is a walking introduction to your church — at the coffee shop, the gym, the school pickup line. People notice, and people ask.

It's not a replacement for direct outreach or community relationships. But a Super-Soft Tee or Oversized Boxy Tee with a well-designed church logo is a low-effort, always-on visibility tool that extends your reach beyond every room you're physically in.

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Build Belonging Before You Have a Building

One of the harder challenges in a church plant is creating a sense of community when the infrastructure isn't there yet.

A well-designed shirt gives your launch team something tangible to rally around. It signals that this is real — that there's something to be part of.

For early volunteers and supporters who are taking a real risk on an unproven thing, that shared identity matters more than most people expect.

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Design for Where You're Going, Not Just Where You Are

Church plant shirts should be built with the long term in mind.

A logo-forward design that works for a launch team of 20 should still feel right when you're distributing to a congregation of 300. Avoid highly specific references to dates, phases, or launch events that will date the design quickly.

Simple, logo-anchored, and timeless — this approach serves a growing church far better than a design built entirely around the launch moment.

Sunday Cool's Custom Design Package is a strong starting point if you want to develop a mark and a visual identity from the ground up.

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Launch Sunday as a Shirt Moment

Launch Sunday is a natural moment to put your entire team in the same shirt.

Your launch team in matching shirts on your first public Sunday creates an immediate visual impression of unity, intentionality, and size — none of which costs much, but all of which lands with first-time visitors trying to orient themselves.

It also makes it easy for new people to know who to approach, which lowers the barrier to connection in a room full of strangers.

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You Don't Need a Massive First Order

A focused first run — launch team, core volunteers, a small quantity for early attendees — is completely valid. You can always reorder.

Sunday Cool works with churches at every stage, not just established ones. Whether your first order is 25 Super-Soft Tees or 250, the process and print quality are the same.

Start where you are. Build from there.

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Launching something new? Sunday Cool is ready to help you build your identity from the ground up. Start your order today.

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The Problem With Traditional Screen Printing Ink

Standard plastisol inks sit on top of the fabric rather than bonding with it.

The result is a design you can feel — thick, somewhat rubbery, and noticeably different from the rest of the shirt. Over time, that print cracks, peels, and fades. You've almost certainly owned a shirt like this.

For a shirt you want your students to reach for again and again — not just once because they had to — that texture is a real problem.

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What Super-Soft Ink Does Differently

Super-Soft Ink is a water-based printing method that works differently from the ground up.

Instead of building up on the fabric surface, it absorbs into the fibers — "bleaching and dyeing" them rather than coating them. The design becomes part of the shirt rather than a layer on top of it.

The result:

• The shirt stays lightweight and breathable
• The print feels smooth rather than rubbery
• It gets softer over time rather than cracking
• Students are far more likely to wear it on their own

It's not a small difference — it's the reason ministries who've ordered once keep coming back.

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When Specialty Inks Are the Right Call

Beyond Super-Soft Ink, Sunday Cool offers inks designed for specific moments and effects:

• Puff Ink — adds raised, tactile texture to the design
• Water Reveal Ink — invisible until the shirt gets wet
• Sun Reveal Ink — appears and changes in direct sunlight
• Glow Ink — visible under UV or blacklight
• Iridescent Ink — shifts color with movement
• Digital Ink — full-color digital printing for photo-quality designs

These aren't right for every order. But for the right event — particularly camps, outdoor activities, or anything with a reveal or surprise component — they create a memorable moment that a standard print never could.

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Ink and Garment Are One System

Getting the most out of Super-Soft Ink starts with the right garment underneath it.

Water-based ink performs best on soft, ring-spun cotton or cotton-blend shirts. Pairing it with the Super-Soft Tee or Super-Soft Hoodie gives you the full experience: a shirt that feels broken in from the first wear, with a design that lives in the fabric rather than sitting on top of it.

Think of the shirt and ink as one decision, not two separate ones.

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Sunday Cool specializes in Super-Soft Tees with water-based ink. Experience the difference in your next order.

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Lead With the Destination

Most mission trip shirts default to putting the church name front and center. For the people who went on the trip, though, the place is the thing they remember most.

Leading with the country, region, or city — "Guatemala 2025," "Haiti," "The DR" — connects the design directly to the experience in a way the church name alone doesn't.

Let the church or ministry name serve as a secondary element. The destination earns the headline.

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Use Visual Language From the Location

Incorporate a design element tied to where the trip actually took place.

A silhouette of a recognizable landmark, a map outline of the country, a native plant or animal, a color palette drawn from the local landscape — these details make the design specific rather than generic.

Specific designs are the ones that last. A shirt that could have been for any mission trip to any country is just a church tee. A shirt that unmistakably belongs to one trip is something else entirely.

Sunday Cool's Custom Design Package is the right path if you want an in-house artist to build something truly specific to your trip's story.

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One Scripture, Well Set

Many mission trip shirts try to include too much text: the trip dates, team member names, multiple verses, a quote, the destination.

Pick one element that mattered most and let it lead.

A single Scripture that anchored the trip, set cleanly in the right typeface, is often more powerful than five elements competing for space. Every element you remove gives more weight to everything that remains.

Sunday Cool's Customizable Templates include faith-based typographic options that work well as a starting framework for this kind of treatment.

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Consider Front and Back

Mission trip shirts are well-suited for designs that use both sides.

A common approach: a bold destination mark or key Scripture on the front, and a supporting visual — a map, a list of communities served, a thematic illustration — on the back.

A two-sided design lets you hold the big idea on the front and tell more of the story on the back. It also makes the Super-Soft Tee or Super-Soft Long Sleeve feel more complete as a final product.

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Staff and Student Versions

Some groups create separate shirt versions for team leaders and participants.

A staff version might carry the full team roster on the back. A student version might carry just the destination and verse.

This creates a meaningful distinction that acknowledges the different roles people played — something that often matters more to trip leaders than anyone else, but lands well across the whole group.

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Designing your mission trip shirts? Sunday Cool's creative team can help bring your trip's story to life.

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Collect Rather Than Estimate Whenever Possible

For groups under 50, collecting individual sizes is almost always worth the extra step.

A Google Form with a size dropdown takes five minutes to create and eliminates guesswork entirely. Send it with a clear deadline — not a soft request — and follow up once before the window closes.

The Super-Soft Tee fits true to size for most people, though students who prefer an oversized look will often want to size up. Mention that option in your form so people can make an informed choice.

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If You Have to Estimate

For large groups where individual collection isn't practical, use past orders as your baseline if you have them.

Starting from scratch? A general youth group starting point:

• 10% S
• 25% M
• 30% L
• 20% XL
• 10% 2XL
• 5% 3XL

Adjust based on what you know about your group. A middle school ministry skews differently than a college group. A congregation with a large adult population needs more XL and 2XL than a typical youth night.

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Order a Buffer

Even with careful size collection, things happen.

Someone joins last minute. A shirt gets lost. A volunteer shows up unexpectedly and you want to include them.

Ordering 5–10% above your confirmed count gives you breathing room without over-committing. Extra shirts in medium and large move fastest if you end up with a few left over — they're easy to give away or sell later.

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Youth vs. Adult Sizing

If your order includes both children and adults, be explicit about which sizing scale each person is on.

Youth sizes and adult sizes run significantly differently — a youth XL is not the same as an adult small. For mixed groups, include both options clearly on your sizing form rather than leaving it to people to figure out.

This is one area where a little extra clarity upfront prevents a lot of frustration at distribution.

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Save Your Size Data

Once you've collected sizes, keep a record.

Your next order starts from a real baseline rather than from zero. It won't be perfectly accurate — groups change year to year — but it's measurably better than guessing from scratch every time.

After two or three orders, you'll have a solid picture of what your group actually needs, which makes the whole process faster and more reliable.

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Questions about sizing for your order? Sunday Cool's team is here to help. Get started today.

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Step 1: Get Clear on Your Needs

Before any design work starts, you need four things:

• Approximate headcount (how many shirts?)
• Purpose (event, team, camp, general ministry wear?)
• Timeline (when do you need them?)
• Budget per shirt

You don't need exact answers at this stage — rough estimates are fine. But having this information prevents you from falling in love with an option that doesn't fit your timeline or price point.

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Step 2: Pick Your Garment and Design Path

Sunday Cool's most popular apparel options for first-time church orders:

• Super-Soft Tee — the workhorse. Soft, comfortable, and available in a wide range of colors.
• Oversized Boxy Tee — a more fashion-forward fit for groups that want a current, streetwear-influenced look.
• Super-Soft Hoodie or Super-Soft Crewneck — great for fall and winter orders or as a premium add-on.

For the design itself, you have three paths: start with a Customizable Template, build something original with the Custom Design Package, or submit your existing artwork through Customer Supplied Art. For first-time buyers, templates are the smoothest entry — you can see exactly what you're getting and make changes without starting from a blank page.

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Step 3: Collect Sizes Early — and Set a Real Deadline

Size collection is where orders slow down most often.

Don't wait until the design is approved to start gathering sizes from your group. Start as early as possible, and give people a specific deadline to respond — not a soft "let me know when you can."

A Google Form sent to your group takes five minutes to set up and removes most of the friction. The goal is to have sizes confirmed around the same time your design is finalized.

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Step 4: Review Your Proof Carefully

Before anything goes to production, you'll receive a digital proof of your design on the garment.

This is your moment to catch anything that needs to change — spelling, spacing, color accuracy, placement. Once you approve the proof and the order goes to production, changes aren't possible.

Sunday Cool's 72-hour turnaround clock starts after art approval. So the sooner you can give a clean, confident approval, the sooner your shirts are on their way.

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Step 5: Receive and Distribute

Your order arrives packaged and ready to hand out.

If anything doesn't look right when the box arrives, reach out to Sunday Cool's team directly — they're there to make it right.

And after the first order, the second one is noticeably easier. You'll have a size baseline, a design file on record, and a clear sense of what the process looks like from start to finish.

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Ready to get started? Sunday Cool makes your first order simple from day one.

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Design for the Buyer First

The most common mistake in fundraiser shirts: making the design entirely about the cause rather than about the shirt.

A shirt that says "SUPPORT OUR MISSION TRIP 2025" with a clip-art graphic is a fundraiser. A shirt with a well-crafted design that connects to your mission — and happens to be something people are proud to wear — is a fundraiser that sells.

The difference is that the second one gets worn after the trip. Every time someone wears it, they're carrying the story forward without thinking about it.

Sunday Cool's Customizable Templates and Custom Design Package both work here — the right choice depends on your timeline and how much creative control you want.

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Price for Meaningful Margin

Fundraiser shirts need real margin to be worth the effort.

A workable rule: price at roughly 2.5x to 3x your per-unit production cost. If a Super-Soft Tee costs $8 to produce, selling at $20–24 generates meaningful return per shirt without pricing people out.

Higher-quality garments can support a higher price point — and often sell better because buyers feel like they're getting something worth having, not just fulfilling an obligation to donate.

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Presell to Remove Risk

The cleanest way to run a shirt fundraiser: presell and only produce what you've sold.

Set a two-week window, collect sizes and payment up front, then place one production run. No inventory risk, no guessing, no leftover shirts.

Make it easy to participate: a simple Google Form for sizes, payment through Venmo or your church's giving platform, and a clear pickup or delivery date. Friction is the enemy of fundraiser momentum.

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Create a Real Deadline

Open-ended fundraisers underperform. People intend to buy and then forget.

A specific close date creates urgency that open-ended availability never does. "Order by Sunday the 18th" converts better than "available until we run out."

Bonus: a defined presale window also gives you a clean number to submit for production — no rolling orders, no chasing down late stragglers.

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Tell the Story Alongside the Shirt

People give to causes they understand.

Every post, every announcement, every email about the shirt fundraiser should include the story: which trip, which country, how many students, what they'll actually do when they get there.

The shirt becomes a way to participate in the story — not just a product. That shift in framing moves people from passive observers to invested supporters.

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Ready to design your fundraiser shirt? Sunday Cool can help you create something people genuinely want to buy.

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Lead With Wearability

Before you pick a color that looks interesting, ask a more practical question: will people actually wear this outside of the event?

Neutral and near-neutral tones — black, navy, heather gray, natural, slate, olive — get worn most because they work with whatever someone already owns. They're not trying too hard.

Bright colors have a place — camps, VBS, high-energy outdoor events — but they have a narrower window of everyday use. If the Super-Soft Tee is going to become a genuine wardrobe item, neutral tends to win.

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Consider How Ink and Shirt Color Interact

Your ink color and garment color work together as a system — not independently.

Dark shirts (Back, Heather Denim, Heather Charcoal) give you high contrast with lighter inks and open the door to bold, graphic-forward designs. Light shirts (White, Heather Tan) allow for full-color printing with more flexibility in the design.

Mid-tones (Heather Mudd, Heather Gator, Heather Slate Blue) require more careful ink selection — you need colors that pop without blending in. When you're not certain how a combination will look, Sunday Cool's art team can show you a digital mockup before you commit to a full run.

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Align With Your Ministry's Visual Identity

If your church has a defined brand palette, staying in that family creates visual consistency — from your social media to your stage design to what your team is wearing.

If your ministry doesn't have a formal palette yet, think about the aesthetic you want to project: modern and minimal (black, white, charcoal), warm and welcoming (cream, terracotta, sage), or bold and high-energy (royal blue, red, bright orange).

Color is part of your identity whether you're intentional about it or not. Might as well be intentional.

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Two Colors, One Design

If budget allows, ordering the same design in two garment colors gives your group options — and makes the merch feel more complete.

A common pairing: a dark option (black or navy) alongside a lighter option (white, natural, or heather gray). The same design runs on both, with minor ink color adjustments.

This approach also works well for differentiating groups at the same event — staff in one color, students in another — without requiring two completely different designs.

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Sunday Cool's team can help you finalize your color direction before you order. Start the conversation today.

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12 Weeks Out: Lock In the Basics

You don't need a finished design at 12 weeks — but you need direction.

What's the camp theme? Is there a Scripture or phrase anchoring it? Are you going with the Super-Soft Tee, a Super-Soft Hoodie for staff, or both? Are you adding any accessories — Sticker Sheets, WootHoops wristbands, or custom Drinkware?

Making these decisions early prevents the downstream slowdowns that come from changing the plan mid-process.

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8–10 Weeks Out: Start the Design

This is the window to begin.

If you're personalizing a Customizable Template, this phase moves quickly — you're editing, not building from scratch. If you're working with Sunday Cool's Creative Services on a Custom Design Package, starting here gives you time for revisions without pressure.

Going in after 8 weeks doesn't disqualify you, but it does reduce your options. Earlier is always better.

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6 Weeks Out: Finalize and Collect Sizes

By six weeks out, your design should be approved or close to it.

This is also when to send out the size collection form to your group. Set a hard deadline — not a suggestion. Sizes are where orders stall most often, and a vague "let me know by next week" gets ignored.

Having design approval and a confirmed size count at the same time puts you in a strong position.

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4 Weeks Out: Place the Order

Four weeks before camp is a comfortable margin.

Sunday Cool's 72-hour turnaround after art approval means production is fast once you're in — but that clock doesn't start until everything is finalized. Building in four weeks gives you buffer for shipping and any last-minute changes without turning into a fire drill.

Once the order is placed, you're done. That's a good feeling heading into a busy camp prep season.

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What If You're Already Behind?

If camp is four weeks away and nothing has started — don't spiral. Just move fast.

The biggest time-saver at this stage: start with a Customizable Template rather than a fully custom design. You'll skip the longer concept-and-revision phase and get to an approvable design in hours instead of days.

Sunday Cool's team has helped churches navigate tight timelines before. The sooner you reach out, the more options remain on the table.

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Don't wait until the last minute. Get your summer camp shirts started with Sunday Cool today.

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Sunday Cool's Headwear Options

Sunday Cool's Headwear lineup covers the styles that work best for ministry environments:

• Dad hat (unstructured, low-profile, curved brim) — the most popular style right now, and the one that gets worn most in everyday settings
• Trucker hat (structured front, mesh back) — great for outdoor camps and summer events, with a clean panel for embroidery or a front graphic
• Beanie — a natural fit for winter retreats and cold-weather camps

For most youth ministry contexts, the dad hat is the right starting point. It reads as current, it fits a wide range of head sizes, and it pairs well with casual everyday outfits.

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Keep Embroidery Designs Simple

Hats are typically decorated with embroidery, which means design complexity works differently than screen printing.

Embroidery creates a clean, raised texture that holds up for years — it reads as higher-quality than a printed graphic on fabric. But it also means highly detailed artwork will lose definition at small sizes.

Bold, clean shapes and legible type are the right approach. A church logo, a single word, or a clean typographic mark all translate well. Intricate illustrations don't.

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Color Strategy for Everyday Wear

Hats in neutral tones — black, navy, tan, stone, olive — get worn most often because they pair easily with whatever someone already has on.

Bright colors work well for high-energy events (summer camps, outdoor retreats, VBS) but have a narrower window of everyday use.

If the goal is a hat that becomes a staple rather than a one-time event item, neutral tones are the stronger bet.

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Hats as a Premium Add-On

Hats work well as a premium add-on alongside a shirt order — either as an upgrade option or as a reward for student leaders, early registrants, or key volunteers.

Because Headwear is size-flexible, ordering is simpler than apparel. You don't need to collect exact size counts — one size genuinely fits most, which removes a meaningful logistical headache.

For mission trips, summer camps, or student leadership teams, a hat alongside a Super-Soft Tee creates a layered merch package that feels thoughtfully put together.

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Ready to add custom hats to your next order? Sunday Cool's Headwear lineup is a great place to start.

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Sticker Sheets

Sticker Sheets are one of the highest-value additions to any event merch package.

Students put them on water bottles, laptops, notebooks, and phone cases — which means your design keeps showing up long after the event ends, in places you didn't expect.

A well-designed sheet carries your event theme across several small graphics: the main mark, a secondary illustration, a Scripture reference, a fun element tied to the moment. Sunday Cool also offers Holographic Stickers and Sticker Packs for groups that want to mix it up.

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WootHoops Wristbands

WootHoops wristbands are a standout option — both sides are fully customizable, which gives you more design space than a standard wristband.

For camps, retreats, and multi-day events, they serve a practical purpose (identification, access check-in) alongside a symbolic one. Students tend to keep them on long after the event ends.

Pair them with your shirt design's color palette for a cohesive look across everything your group is wearing.

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Drinkware

Sunday Cool's custom Drinkware options — including bottles from the promo items lineup — are one of the most practical things you can put your design on.

Unlike a shirt (which requires the right outfit) or a sticker (which needs a surface), a water bottle integrates into daily life without any effort from the person carrying it. Every refill, every morning routine, every school lunch — the event stays present.

That kind of repeated, low-key visibility is hard to buy any other way.

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Specialty Inks as Built-In Accessories

If you want to create a wow moment without adding a whole separate product to the order, specialty inks do it through the shirt itself.

Water Reveal Ink appears when the shirt gets wet — perfect for outdoor camps and water activities. Sun Reveal Ink changes in direct sunlight. Glow Ink lights up at night. Iridescent Ink shifts color with movement.

These aren't just print options — they become events in themselves. Students show each other, they share it online, they remember the moment the shirt did something unexpected.

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Building a Cohesive Merch Experience

The most memorable events don't hand out a bag of unrelated stuff. They create an experience that feels designed.

A Super-Soft Tee + Sticker Sheet + WootHoops wristband + custom water bottle, all tied to a consistent visual theme, turns your event merch into something that feels curated — not assembled.

Sunday Cool can help you design across all of these touchpoints, not just the shirt, so everything belongs together.

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Want to build a full event merch experience? Start the conversation with Sunday Cool today.

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