Branding and marketing hats used to be made one size fits all. Today, customization is a major trend for both business and personal use. Customized hats may be precisely what you need to be bolder in your branding efforts and stand out from your competitors in the crowded marketplace. Even if you do not plan on doing anything with your custom branded hat right away, it could give you an advantage over time as you build brand awareness for yourself or your company. From Richardson Caps to you starting your brand from scratch, the opportunities for customization are endless.
Why Customized Hats
Branding is one of the greatest, most unique opportunities to speak directly to your audience. The greatest brands are ones that have been developed with care through collaboration and creativity. Branding has changed immensely in the last few years, where an individual’s reputation has begun to take importance into account. Previously, branding was a way of getting your name out to be seen through advertising. It was expensive and time-consuming.
The Problem with Mass-produced Hats
When you want a new hat that will help solidify your brand, it is all too easy to resort to buying a mass-produced one. The problem with that is, beyond all the overpriced advertising campaigns and logos plastered on the sides of these hats, they’re just not you.
Get The Right Tools
Firstly, you need the right tools for the job. There are so many ways to make a custom hat without going through the hassle of manufacturing and licensing. If you have access to fabrics, you can always buy them in bulk and cut them up yourself to be consistent with the pattern you created. This will save you from having to waste time and materials by using them the wrong way. You can also decide to craft your hat if you are a skilled person at that sort of thing.
Decide The Style
This is probably one of the most critical steps. There are so many ideas and designs out there, and it can be challenging to narrow them down. It is important to ask yourself a few questions. Do I want a plain cap or graphics? What kind of graphics do I want? Where will the hat be worn? What is my brand’s look and feel?
Customizing The Champion Hat
There is no doubt that trends influence our fashion sense in one way or another. When it comes to hats, you’d want to stand out from the crowd, and this is where customized Champions hats come in. With these hats, you get to express your style and what makes you truly unique. The iconic Champions logo is bound to draw people’s attention.
Choosing a Pattern
The most important step in getting a perfect finished hat is to choose a pattern that fits you perfectly. Many hat patterns are very generic, and the only way to get an exact fit is to alter the pattern yourself.
Most patterns begin life as a basic top-of-head shape. From there, you can add or subtract features and change the shape of the crown. Just be sure to draw your changes as clearly as possible! As you work on your hat, it’s helpful to keep a small set of notes where you can refer to them and make sure you’re making the cuts properly.
Creating the Crown
Once you’ve got a pattern, it’s time to play around with it. The crown will probably make up most of your total cost of materials, so it really pays off if you can save here.
The first step is to make a pattern for the crown. It’s best to have your design pre-cut because you can then remove the shapes for the top of the head and bottom of the hat.
First, draw a few lines across the mock-up hat to show where the top of the brim goes. Next, cut out the shape, leaving one small part left at each end.
Next, cut out a rectangular piece from each end. This will be the base for the crown, and it’s important that it is the correct shape. It’s easiest to draw your pattern onto a piece of cardboard and cut that out.
All that’s left is to trace your crown over your brim, and you’re done! You can then glue your pieces in place with some glue or epoxy.
Adding Fabric for the Lining
Most hats have a lining sewn into them. It’s a pretty important part of the construction, so it pays off to spend a little extra time here. Once you’re done, cut your piece out. You can also trace it on a separate piece of cardboard if you want a pattern to work with later. It can also help you line up the pieces if you’re having trouble lining them all up at once.