You’ve probably heard that you need a tech pack, but the conversation usually revolves around how you need one to give to your factory. While a tech pack is very useful in communicating information about your design to your factory, there are many parts of a tech pack that are useful to you as the designer as well. Over the next seven posts, we’ll talk about what’s in each section of a tech pack and what’s in it for you.
The first section of a tech pack is the cover page. The cover page contains all the basic style information such as the style number, size range, style description, and product category. It will also contain a flat sketch in black and white showing the front and back of the garment. There is a section for sample due dates and production timeline to keep development on track. Another large section tracks all revisions and changes made to the style/tech pack.
As the designer, the cover page is a quick reference document to find all the style information in one spot. It’s the master page that keeps things organized. During development as changes are being made and information is being filled in, the comments and revisions section will be a life-saver. You’ll be able to look back at the history of the style and easily see what you changed when and why. Perhaps you had to change hardware to save on cost, or add a seam to a piece to get a better yield. These notes will help refresh your memory for the current piece, but also help guide development for future styles.