A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Design Custom Hats

Are you trying to find out how to design custom hats? look no further!

There is a lot of work that goes into making custom hats, but your brand or business will thank you for it.

Hats are one of the best garments to display your affiliation year round! All you have to do is choose a hat style and design your custom hat. 

Keep reading to learn how you can design and create custom hats for your brand. 

Types of Hats 

Before you can begin designing, you must choose your hats. There are more to choose from than you think. From your classic trucker snapback to your reflective safety cap, your options are endless. 

If you are making many hats for your company, you may choose a few different types to please everyone. Yet, when ordering for a small group of people, you might want the most popular hat.

The adult knit cuffed beanie is known to be a people pleaser. 

The following is a list of other hat types you should consider. 

• Baseball cap
• Earflap Beanie 
• Long bill cap
• Square panel cap
• Cotton twill visor 

Think about the seasonal changes in your area as well as the preferred styles of most people. That is how to design custom hats that people will want to wear. 

How to Design Custom Hats 

1. Find Your Supplier 

Finding blank hats at your nearest craft store may seem like the easiest option. But that's just not true. You will spend a lot less money if you buy them from a wholesaler. 

A wholesaler is a company that sells items in bulk to people like you. Ordering so many hats at once can be daunting, but you'll thank yourself when you get them at the lowest price available. 

2. Choose Your Hats 

Choosing your hats is easy. Find your favorite styles and compare their prices. Once you've chosen a hat or a couple of hats, go to check out and choose how many you'll need. 

Many wholesale clothing websites have no minimum order requirement. Keep in mind, ordering more means paying less for shipping. 

3. Choose Your Customization Method

There are three main customization methods. They are HTV, screen printing, and patches. Your customization method depends on what you are most comfortable doing.

If you already have all the supplies for one method, you can skip this step.

4. Design Your Hat

How you design your hat depends on the customization method you chose. Other methods will need more time and supplies than others.

If you bought custom patches online, all you have to do is place them, and adhere them to the hats. But, if you are doing screen printing there are many more steps and materials involved. 

Design your hat in a way that is favorable to your skillset and budget. 

Methods to Design Custom Hats 

1. Patches

Patches are one of the easiest customization methods for hats. You can buy customized patches from several places online. They are sold in bulk at reasonable prices. 

You have the option to sew or iron them onto your hats. Keep in mind that the iron-on option is less secure. Your patch may lift or completely fall off if the adhesive isn't strong enough.

Sewing on your patches is the preferred method because they are unlikely to fall off. Even if you put the hat through the wash. If you are unfamiliar with sewing on patches there are many videos online to teach you how.

2. Heat Transfer Vinyl

Heat transfer vinyl requires a little bit of skill and practice. You will also need a vinyl cutter and a heat press or iron. If you choose this method, you should already be familiar with the vinyl cutter machine. 

Hats are a bit trickier to use HTV on. You will need something inside of the hat to make it sturdy so you can apply enough pressure to it. Also, make sure you know how to safely use your heat press or iron. 

Depending on the hat you are using, you will want a thicker vinyl. Regular smooth vinyl may show the lines of the hat through it. 

3. Screen Printing 

Screen printing is the most difficult of all methods. It requires screen printing ink, a hat platen, a frame, and more depending on your design. 

Before screen printing onto a hat, you may want to practice on shirts or other flat garments first. 

Out of all the methods, though, screen printing is likely to last the longest. The method makes the design durable and the most flattering to the shape of the hat.

There are many tutorials online to help you learn how to start screen printing. 

Custom Hat Design Ideas

Whether you are making hats for your baseball team or your office, you want them to look great. When you design them with a goal in mind, they can be worn year-round to show your affiliation. 

It's most important that your design makes an impact. Bold colors and fonts stand out the most. Try a few different designs and get the opinions of others. 

Also, think of today's fashion. Many older trends are coming back from the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s. Take inspiration from popular brands' new releases while designing your hat. 

If you already have a logo you will be using, the biggest decision to make is where to put it. Some hats look great with a large logo right in the middle. Others look better with a smaller design off to the side.

Whatever design you choose, make sure it reflects the personality of your team or brand. A specific color scheme or logo will allow people to recognize you no matter how it's positioned on a hat. 

Make Your Custom Hats 

Designing customs hats is one of the best ways to show your brand affiliation. The options are endless when you get to choose the type of hat, type of design, and method of creation.

When you learn how to design custom hats, you'll need to buy high-quality hats to use. Check out our headwear page to find all sorts of styles for your needs.