How to Design Custom Ball Caps

Custom ball caps will make your sports team seem more united. They can be mementos or part of the uniform. You can create custom baseball caps for your wedding rehearsal so everyone knows his role on your big day. You might just want to use your graphic-design skills to create a piece you can wear every day. Custom ball caps also give you a chance to showcase your unique style instead of just buying a hat that might not have any personal significance to you. Here is how to design custom ball caps.

Things You'll Need

  • Photo Editing Software
  • Internet Connection
  • Computer
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Instructions

  1. Design Custom Ball Caps

    • 1

      Pick a basic hat to start with. There are brick-and-mortar stores and online stores where you can design hats. Most of these stores require that you purchase your hat there before they'll customize it. If you are choosing caps for a lot of people, go for an adjustable cap so you won't have to worry about getting the correct sizes for many different people. You can choose between a trucker hat and a more traditional baseball cap made entirely of cloth. There are hats with domes and caps that fit lower on your head.

    • 2

      Obey copyright laws. Most customization shops enforce copyright laws. This means that you can't replicate the artwork from your favorite sports teams. Instead, make your own artwork and find your own style. This can be as simple as writing out your name or the name of your company.

    • 3

      Use bold lines. Ball caps don't allow a big area for intricate designs. Your design will show up better if you use bold, sharp lines that can easily be seen from across the room.

    • 4

      Be aware of the limitations of embroidery. Most custom ball caps are made with an embroidery machine. These machines can't replicate shading, so use solid colors in your design. Talk to the shop keeper and tell her what you are envisioning. She'll be able to guide you so you can get the design you want in a way that will work on the hat.

    • 5

      Choose striking colors. Your company logo may be too complicated to fit on a ball cap. Instead, pull fun colors from the logo. One of the colors can be the overall base color of the hat, and the company name can be embroidered in another color. This is an easy way for a beginner to design a ball cap.

    • 6

      Add a photo. Take a picture into your design shop. The staff will be able to help you simplify your photo into a design that will work on a ball cap. This will let you get your favorite items on your clothing even without graphic-design skills, but it will cost more because the embroider has to make a stitch-by-stitch plot of the photo.