Your clothing should be an extension of yourself. You want to to have a look that will last. And what better way to do that than with some personalized designs on your custom logo hats? When you make your own hat you have lots of options available, but there’s nothing that gives you the freedom that making your own logo does. And there’s no better place for Portland to design it than Hat.Co.
Our team is here to help you bring your logo ideas to life. You just need to tell us your concept, and our creators help you tailor the design for your custom hat. If you already have an idea, you can speak with a team member at (636) 926-2777, send us a note online, or dive into our design studio to start designing today.
Today, you can read about the value of custom logos to Portland, OR hat wearers, how to get your logo onto your hat, expert insights to help you when working on your design, and other things to keep in mind while designing your hat/logo combination. You can jump ahead via the links below:
- Why Get A Custom Logo for Your Hat?
- Advice for Custom Hat Logo Design in Portland, OR
- Custom Logo Hats — Image Options
- Hat Style and Color Theory: How They Affect Your Custom Logo
- Get Started With Custom Logo Hats Today
Why Custom Logo Hats are Popular in Portland, OR
There are few better ways to give your brand exposure than by using custom logo hats, whether it’s for your Portland, OR, company, a group of friends, or just to show off your personal uniqueness. In some cases, you could be thinking about just using some existing artwork, but your existing logo may not fit as well as you initially hope.
Hats (as opposed to shirts) have unique aspects that are important to consider. You’ll want to put some though into the following:
- What the design will look like when it’s shrunk down to hat-sized
- Where it will be placed
- The type of hat and the fabric used to make it
- How important is durability versus detail to you
In the next section, we’ll go over some advice to make the best custom logo hats, but before that, it’s important to realize that a former design may not be the right choice for your new custom hat. At Hat.Co, our designers are experienced with translating existing Portland, OR logos into hat-ready ones.
Bonus: On top of getting a custom logo as a way to adapt to the hat medium or show off your unique style, custom designs are a great way to show off the uniqueness of a special occasion and make a souvenir to remind people of it.
3 Custom Logo Design Pro Tips for Portland, OR, Hats
If you want to get the most out of your custom logo hats while designing them, keep in mind the below pro tips:
Custom Logo Hats Pro Tip 1: Use a Bold, Readable Logo
Whatever kind of design you’re going for, keep the medium in mind: Hats. Hats are prominent in Portland, OR, but don’t give you as much area to work with as a billboard or even a custom t-shirt. Because of this, you need to make your design stand out.
Logos with large, easily readable elements are best for hats. 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 Fine Details
Finely detailed art can be incredible, but only in the right medium. A design that looks great on a poster can lose its aesthetic when it’s shrunk down. This is why it’s worth considering an update on an preexisting logo before putting it on a hat.
This ties back into the advice above — a more straightforward, commanding logo keeps things understandible and separates your design from the rest in Portland, OR.
Custom Logo Hats Pro Tip 3: Consider Adding a Rear Logo
You already know that the front of the hat isn’t the biggest display area. However, you can also add something to the back of your hat to distinguish your design further.
Most creators overlook the backside of the hat, which is something you can turn to your advantage. With a rear design element, you can add something specific to an event, give exposure to a secondary logo, or add a tagline.
Portland, 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 typical ways this is done are Embroidery, Patches, Screen Printing, and Direct-to-Film(DTF)/Heat Transfer. Each method has its place, and we’re discussing them in detail below to help you decide between them:
DTF/Heat Transfer:
DTF/Heat transfer is relatively new, compared to the other methods. Custom hat designers can express themselves like never before with this method. Below are some of the main benefits of using DTF/Heat Transfer:
- Very affordable method, particularly for smaller orders
- Very high number of color options and special printing options, such as iridescent prints
- Rapid turnarounds, for help when you need your custom hats ASAP
Screen Printing:
Screen Printing is the traditional method for putting a custom logo on your hat. As the name implies, it involves using screens as guides to paint layers of ink onto the fabric of your hat. Below are some reasons why you should consider screen printing:
- Designs are long-lasting when 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 stitched into the materials of your hat, creating a one-of-a-kind effect for your logo and giving it texture. If you go with Embroidery, here’s what you have to look forward to:
- A raised, unique effect that increases your logo’s distinctiveness from the Portland, OR crowd
- A quintessential look with a lot of history behind it
- durable designs, because the logo is integrated into the fabric
Patches:
Patches, last but not least, are fundamentally different in that they are their own entity, rather than something created on the hat itself. Patches come in all shapes, sizes, and materials, giving you a lot to pick from there as well. Custom logo hats in Portland, OR use patches for the following reasons:
- Variety of patch types to choose from
- The most durable and long-lasting logo option
- If you go with patches, you’ll have the option to get extra and use them for more
As you can see above, there’s no definitive option for how to translat the design to the real-world hat. Custom logo hats are, by their nature, unique. And you should go with a method that will make your logo stand out. If you’re not sure which method to go with, give us a call, and we’ll offer insight based on our years of experience. And as an added bonus, we save your design so you can reorder the same custom hat later and/or get matching apparel.
Other Hat Customization Aspects to Keep in Mind
Your logo artwork is set — 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 most of that comes down to the style and color of the hat it’s on:
Hat Styles:
While many hat styles can be customized in Portland, OR, you’ll want to pick the right type for both your design and audience. A custom dad hat has a very different feel to a custom fitted hat. Below, you can read an overview of the major hat styles available in Portland and a bit about each of them:
- Baseball Caps: Baseball caps are good all-arounders with a long history, and are adequate for nearly any logo.
- Trucker Hats: Trucker hats have a large, padded front which displays screen printing and DTF well, but the mesh rear doesn’t work as well for extra logos.
- Snapback Hats: Snapbacks have large fronts like trucker hats, but also provide good structure in the 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: Flexfits are great for activewear, and a hyper-durable logo like a patch should stand up to the increased wear.
- Beanie Hats: Without a brim, beanies are pliable and flexible, and are worn outside. While any style can work well on a beanie, the two most popular styles are embroidery and patches.
Color Theory:
Looking into 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 give you a major advantage.
While it may seem intimidating at first, it’s not rocket science. Complementary color schemes will help your logo pop. Complementary colors help each other stand out, adding to your design’s boldness.
One last color scheme tip — look for a color wheel to check out your colors before you decide on them. Then, you can design the whole hat in complementary fashion.
Portland, OR, Gets Its Custom Logo Hats From Hat.Co
Many Portland, OR residents are looking to make custom logo hats. If that includes you, you want to work with the best to ensure high quality service and results. Hat.Co is ready for your project. we have over five decades of experience with custom clothing, and we offer extensive design and support tools to help you along the way.
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 out. Call us at (636) 926-2777 or reach out online today to start your project.