Making custom hats for your brand is a great way to show appreciation to your employees, build team morale, and gain exposure for your company. If you’ve never created custom hats before, it can quickly become a daunting task. This isn’t just because of the creation of a custom design or your logo, but also thinking about how many panels on the hat you want, the design / logo placement, and the closure method. Taking the time to learn more about all these different design choices will help you pick the best one for your brand while also getting fashionable and comfortable headwear.

Panels

Hats aren’t perfect circles like many would think. Instead, they’re made up of 4,5, or 6 different triangular pieces of fabric (called panels) that are stitched together. Fewer panels create a fashionable streetwear vibe but also creates a boxy look. More panels create a classic baseball cap style that fits snuggly against your head and appear more circular.

Material

It’s a good rule of thumb to choose a material that fits your desired style and what you envision the use of your hats will be. Going with 100% cotton will keep heat in which is great to keep you toasty in the frigid winter months, but can get scorching hot in the summer. Alternatively, poly-mesh is great for the summer months because it lets in a nice breeze, but isn’t great for the cold or rainy days. Choosing to go with a cotton / poly twill material for your hat is the best for all-year wear. This is because it’ll let in that nice, cool breeze on sweltering late-July afternoons and will keep your head warm on the cool fall mornings.

Bill Shape

You’re able to bend your bill however you like, and typically if you’re playing baseball on the field, you will bend it. However, if you’re not playing sports or wearing it to make a fashion statement, a streamlined and uniform design is the way to go for your brand. There are two main types of bill shape, flat or curved. Flat is when the bill is completely straight, and it creates a fashionable and modern look to the hat. Curved bills are more common and give a relaxed look.

Cap Closure

This is one of the most important aspects to consider when looking to make custom hats. This determines how your cap fits on your, and your employee’s, heads. There are a couple of different styles to choose from, with the most common being snapback, buckle, and fitted.

Snapback closures are usually plastic and will snap closed. Sizing can be a bit difficult on this hat, as you have to use the predetermined snaps to see which fits best on your head.

Buckles close by using a buckle and loop that you move to your desired fit. These provide a better fit for your head because you are free to move it how you like, picking how tight / loose you want it.

Fitted closures actually don’t have a closure. When choosing this style, the hat will come in different sizes for you to choose from. Generally, these provide a nice sleek, minimalistic look. However, you will have to know your hat size to make sure you don’t get a hat too big or too small.

Labels

Custom labeling is when you create a label and put it on your hat. This is generally done for branding purposes and adds a ton of value to your brand and the hats by making them unique. Choosing to not have custom labels created will give you a generic label that details the maker of the hat, but nothing about your business and brand. This makes the hats more generic rather than increasing their salability and resale value.

Packaging

You’ve now fully created a custom hat for your brand or business, now what? Well, now it’s time for you to pick out some custom packaging! While it's not mandatory when ordering custom hats, having custom packages created for them helps to showcase your brand, add value to your brand, and add value to the custom hats. This helps turn them from simple hats that you give away to your employees, customers, and clients into a unique collectible.

Looking to have custom hats created for your brand or business? J&R Print is here to help you every step of the way, including designing the logo, the hat, and the packaging.