Branding With Hats: A Complete Guide for Businesses, Teams & Events. If you’re looking to broaden the reach of your message, build a sense of togetherness, and/or take advantage of building social awareness, custom hats are a great way to do so! Our guide below will help you set up a custom hat for your business, team, event, or whatever cause you’re looking to promote.
What Impact Do Branded Hats Have?
Hats offer several benefits that you can take advantage of for your brand. For example:
- People tend to wear the same hat several times in a row, as opposed to shirts, which need to be washed after each use.
- They help build a sense of community and camaraderie for groups wearing them together.
- Hats are a relatively cheap form of branding, compared to other clothing types.
- Like any branded merchandise, hats are cost-effective advertising for your cause.
In summary, hats are great options for branding because they are worn frequently, strengthen a team mentality, are relatively inexpensive, and can act as free marketing when worn about.
How to Design Branded Hats for Your Business, Team, or Event:
Designing branded hats for your business, team, or event is easy, and can often work off of work you’ve already done! Our 6 steps below will help guide you from start to finish:
Step 1: Set Up Your Logo
- If you have an existing logo for your group, that’s a great start.
- You can adjust it to make it easier to read on a hat.
- If this is for a specific event, you might need to design a custom logo, and can base it on your regular logo.
- Use a logo that’s bold and not overly complex.
- If you want, you can use a secondary logo or slogan too – we’ll talk more about that in Step 4.
Pro Tip: Keep words to a minimum – too many, and they won’t be legible on the hat.
Step 2: Look At Your Purpose/Audience
- For Businesses: Will you want your hat to have a more professional look?
- For Teams: Will these hats be worn during practice or other activities?
- For Events: What time of year will this occur, and what conditions will it be in?
Pro Tip: There might be cases where you want to have a variety of hat types, such as if this hat will be merchandise for people across the world.
Step 3: Pick a Hat Style
While there are many different hat styles available, different ones fit better in different situations. To summarize:
- Trucker Hats: Display logos well, with good breathability, and an informal vibe.
- Flexfits: Feature a more formal aura and are good when moving about.
- Beanies: Flexible for different seasons and easy to carry around.
- Snapbacks: Good logo display, like trucker hats. Adjustable for different head sizes.
- Dad Hats: Casual style and easy to transport.
- Flexfits: Great for any active events.
- Baseball Caps: An excellent all-arounder; likely to be worn year-round.
Step 4: Logo Placement
- Your primary logo should be large, front and center. Make it easy to see for everyone.
- If you have a short slogan or a smaller secondary logo, make use of the side panels for added visibility.
Step 5: Pick a Logo Application Method
- Screen Printing: Cost effective for bulk orders, but requires individual screen setup.
- Embroiderd: Bold, raised art, but may not translate small detail well.
- Patches: Highly customizable attached logo for the clearest picture and a unique look.
- Heat Transfers (DTF): No screen setup costs, but less breathable and durable.
Pro Tip: Make use of patches to make your logo pop extra against the background.
Step 6: Decide on a Background Color
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Since you started with your logo, you can pick colors that go well with it.
Look for options that both make your logo pop and also fit the overall look of your design.
Pro Tip: A color wheel can help with figuring out what colors will work well with what’s already in your logo.
I Have My Custom Branded Hat, Now What?
After you’ve ordered and received your custom-branded hats, you’ll need a plan for how and when to get them out into the world. We recommend considering the following:
- Keep them stored safely, in climate-controlled conditions, until it’s time to distribute them.
- For teams, give them out at the start of the season to build up team spirit.
- For businesses, give them to employees as soon as you can, and to new hires as a reward after they complete training.
- For events, consider giving them out early to help raise awareness ahead of time. For example, giving out hats before a charity event could lead to new people seeing the hat beforehand and then deciding to attend.
The key takeaway is to get your hats out as early as possible, so they can start having an impact right away.
FAQ:
Should I pair branded hats with other apparel?
Yes! Branded apparel in general helps promote your cause, and by pairing hats with t-shirts and sweatshirts, you both create more opportunities to show off and let people match them together.
Are there downsides to branded hats?
Not inherently – the key thing to watch out for is low-quality hats, which can detract from your brand. But working with reputable hat sellers can avoid this.
Do I need to be a graphic artist to design a hat?
No! You can build your own design if you’re comfortable, or work with a professional if not.
How many hats should I order?
If you have a rough idea of how many people will be getting the hats, order 5-10% extra – just in case something goes wrong and you need a replacement.
Whatever Your Brand, Contact Hat.Co Today to Get Started
From start to finish, Hat.Co is here to help you keep your brand on (and in) people’s heads. We are a locally-owned, union company that takes pride in our craft and values our customers.
If you have any questions or need any help, call us at (636) 926-2777. Or, if you’re ready to set up an order, you can also get a quote online.