In the modern era, expressing your identity is important. You want to show off your individuality. And what better way to do that than with some unique to you images on your custom logo hats? When you make your own hat you have lots of options available, but custom logos are the ultimate way to show off your brand. And there’s no better place for Salem to design it than Hat.Co.
You don’t need to be a drawing expert to get started. You can come up with an idea, and our artists help you customize the design for your custom hat. Ready to make your hat? You can talk to a Hat.Co representative at (636) 926-2777, let us know what your project is about online, or dive into our design studio to start creating today.
Today, we’ll go over the reasons Salem, OR residents are getting custom logo hats, methods you can use to get your logo onto your hat, expert insights to guide you while creating, and other things to keep in mind while designing your hat and logo. You can jump ahead via the links below:
- Why Custom Logo Hats are Popular in Salem, OR
- Expert Insights on Salem, OR, Hat Logo Design
- Custom Logo Hats — Design Options
- Other Hat Design Options to Go With Your Custom Logo
- Get Started With Custom Logo Hats Today
Reasons People in Salem, OR Get Custom Logo Hats
If you want to show off your brand, it’s hard to beat custom logo hats, whether it’s for your Salem, OR, business, a team, or just for you. Depending on your circumstances, you could be thinking about just using some existing artwork, but there’s more to the design process than that.
Hats (as opposed to shirts) require some special design considerations when creating a custom logo. You’ll want to take the time to think about the following:
- What the design will look like when it’s shrunk down to hat-sized
- The location(s) where you’ll put the logo
- The style of hat and the fabric used to make it
- If you are expecting the hat to go through lots of wear and tear, and want the logo to survive
Below, you can learn expert design tips to keep in mind regarding your logo, but before you dive in, it’s important to realize that a current design may not fit well on your next custom hat. At Hat.Co, we can help either create a new logo from scratch or convert an existing one to fit Salem, OR, style perfectly.
Bonus: In addition to translating an existing logo into hat-format, custom designs are a great way to showcase a special event and make a souvenir to remind people of it.
3 Custom Logo Design Pro Tips for Salem, OR, Hats
Want to make the ultimate custom logo hats in Salem, OR? Keep in mind the below pro tips:
Custom Logo Hats Pro Tip 1: Use a Bold, Simple Logo
Whatever kind of design you’re going for, keep the medium in mind: Hats. Hats are prominent in Salem, OR, but don’t have the display area of a billboard or even a custom t-shirt. Because of this, you need to make your design stand out.
If it’s going on a hat, stick with bold designs and avoid complication. If someone sees your custom logo hat from a distance, you want them to be able understand it easily.
Custom Logo Hats Pro Tip 2: Avoid Minute Details
Finely detailed art can be incredible, but only in the right medium. Ornate designs that look incredible on a billboard are wasted on the smaller space of a hat. Because of this, existing logos aren’t always a good fit on hats.
A more minimalist design is helpful in and of its own right, but it has an added benefit that is related to the previous pro tip — a more straightforward, bold design keeps things understandible plus it separates your hat from the crowd in Salem, OR.
Custom Logo Hats Pro Tip 3: Consider Adding a Rear Logo
We spoke above about how hats don’t have a large amount of display space. That said, you can also add something to the back of your hat to distinguish your design further.
Most creators don’t give much attention to the back of the hat, giving you a chance to capitalize on it. With a back design element, you can add something to mark the occasion, give exposure to a secondary logo, or add a tagline.
Salem, OR, Custom Logo Hats — Artwork Options
Either before or after you design the logo, you’ll need to pick a way to put it onto the hats. The four main logo application methods are Embroidery, Patches, Screen Printing, and Direct-to-Film(DTF)/Heat Transfer. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, and we’re going over them below to help you pick the right one for your project:
DTF/Heat Transfer:
DTF/Heat transfer is relatively new, compared to the other methods. It gives creators more options than ever before when it comes to finishes and overall designs. Here are the main advantages you get from DTF/Heat Transfer for your custom hat:
- Inexpensive, especially for smaller orders
- Unlimited color options and special printing options, such as silicone finishes
- Fast turnarounds, if you have an event coming up soon
Screen Printing:
Screen Printing is the traditional technique for customizing your hat. As the name implies, it involves using screens as guides to paint layers of ink onto the fabric of your hat. Following are some of the advantages of screen printing:
- You logo will last for a while, as long as it is properly cared for
- Bold, vivid hues can be applied to give your design an extra pop
- After the initial setup, it’s very affordable to print in large quantities
Embroidery:
Embroidery doesn’t involve any printing, and instead uses thread. This thread is interwoven into the fabric of your hat, creating a distinctive effect for your logo and giving it texture. Here are the main advantages of embroidery:
- A raised, distinctive effect that increases your logo’s distinctiveness from the Salem, OR crowd
- A quintessential style with a lot of history behind it
- Long-lasting logos, because the design is woven into the fabric
Patches:
Patches, the final artwork option for your custom logo hats, are fundamentally different in that they are their own entity, rather than something created on the hat itself. You could get leather patches, PVC patches, or even special embroidered patches. Custom logo hats in Salem, OR use patches for the following reasons:
- Many options are available for the patches themselves
- Because of their strong materials, they are the most durable and long-lasting logo option
- Patches can also be ordered standalone if you want to put your logo on more things
Because of the different advantages, there’s no always-right answer for how to translat the design to the real-world hat. Custom logo hats are, as the name suggests, unique. And different designs work better with different techniques. If you’re having trouble picking a method, let us know, and our team will help you find an answer that works best for you. And as an added bonus, we preserve your art so you can reorder the same custom hat later and/or get matching apparel.
Other Things to Consider When Creating Custom Logo Hats
You’ve got your logo design ready — great job! Now it’s time to pick out the hat it will go on. It’s important to give your design a complimentary base, and that starts with the style and color of the hat itself:
Hat Styles:
While you can customize a variety of hat styles in Salem, OR, you’ll want to pick the right type for both your design and audience. A custom dad hat gives a very different impression than a custom fitted hat. With that in mind, here are the main hat style choices and what to know about each of them:
- Baseball Caps: These hats are good all-arounders with a long history, and work well with any logo style.
- Trucker Hats: Trucker hats have a large, padded front which is a great fit for either ink logo option, but the mesh rear isn’t as convenient for logos.
- Snapback Hats: Snapbacks also have large front panels, but also have able space for extra design elements in back.
- Dad Hats: Dad hats don’t include a strong internal structure, making embroidery a good fit since it is easy to sew through the material.
- Flexfit Hats: If you’re wearing your hat while running around and being active in the world, it’s hard to go wrong with a flexfit. And a patch can go toe to toe with all the world’s wear and tear.
- Beanie Hats: Beanies are most often worn outdoors in colder weather. While any style can work well on a beanie, the two most popular styles are embroidery and patches.
Color Theory:
Learning a bit about color theory is a good idea for both your logo and the hat it will be on. Regardless of hat style, matching colors together properly will affect how your logo fits. Using the right background color will take your design to the next level.
While it may seem intimidating at first, it’s not rocket science. The main color schemes to look for are those that are complementary to your design. Complementary colors stand out more when placed next to each other, adding to your design’s boldness.
One final color tip — try out a color wheel to figure out which colors you want to go with at the start of the process. When you start with the colors, you won’t have to make extensive revisions later to make everything fit together.
Need Custom Logo Hats in Salem, OR? Call Hat.Co
If you’re in Salem, OR and need custom logo hats, you want to work with the best to make it happen. Hat.Co is ready for your project. we have over five decades of experience with custom clothing, and we offer extensive support from start to finish.
If custom logo hats are calling your name, or if there’s another hat project you’ve always wanted to do, we’re ready to help you find what you need. Dial (636) 926-2777 or contact us online at any time to start your creation.