11 Baseball Hat Design Ideas That Get Noticed

Baseball caps, often also called dad hats, are some of the most widely used hats that appeal to different age groups and personalities. They’ve gone from being merely functional pieces of accessories that shield the eyes from the sun to a fashion statement and an effective marketing tool.

Sports games, concerts, souvenir shops, political rallies, and outdoor activities—baseball hats can now be found everywhere and are liked by many on various occasions. And since this is such a typical accessory to wear daily, more and more people prefer custom hats to separate themselves from the crowd.

That naturally makes custom baseball hats an attractive print-on-demand business idea. To help you navigate the broad field and come up with your own customization options, let’s explore the 11 most popular baseball hat design ideas.

1. Team logo

As the name suggests, baseball caps originated from the game of baseball, and even 150 years later, customized hats are still popular. There’s barely a better way to show support and loyalty to one’s favorite sports team than wearing a baseball cap with their logo.

Custom baseball hats are also a popular choice among sports team members as it fosters a sense of belonging and serves as a means of differentiation. You can embroider the team name or team-inspired design on the cap to add a touch of sophistication. If you want to design a vintage-looking cap, choose a corduroy hat.

Sports-inspired designs may also look good on a 5-panel hat. Unlike the traditional dad hat, a panel hat has five separate fabric pieces stitched together to form the crown. Despite its more robust exterior, it looks equally good with custom embroidery designs.

Read also: Hat Logo Size Guide

Source: the Design Maker

2. Names and initials

Another profitable baseball cap idea is to have people’s names or initials embroidered on the hat. It’s the ultimate level of personalization that’ll make the cap unique and will serve as a great, one-of-a-kind gift or original personal wardrobe addition.

You can offer to create custom hats with a name in large font on the front of a cap or embroider smaller, more chic initials on the side, which can complement other designs. Just be sure to offer a variety of fonts and colors to allow your customers to showcase their style.

Pro tip: Eager to expand your business? Explore other best-selling print-on-demand products.

3. Cities, countries, and locations

Dad hats are a popular headwear among frequent travelers, especially hikers. So why not fuel their lust for discovering new places or reliving fond memories by offering a cap with the names of their favorite destinations?

Similar to the dedicated team headwear, this is another cap design that’ll look great on a panel hat. Given its increased breathability, adjustable back, and overall comfortable fit for different head sizes, a panel hat offers an ideal combination for outdoor lovers.

Souvenir shops are also usually filled with hats representing the respective city, country, or specific landmarks. You can tap into this market niche and save tourists the trouble of running to gift shops by offering to customize hats with their top locations or even hometowns.

Source: the Design Maker

4. Jokes and puns

Everybody loves a good laugh, so add a dose of humor to your baseball cap collection. Funny jokes or a clever play on words on a cap will not only lift the wearer’s mood but can also work as a great ice-breaker.

You can start your humorous cap line with popular jokes and puns, such as “you a-moose me” or “I love you a latte,” and complement the text with a cute illustration. However, you may also offer to create a custom hat design, leaving room for inside jokes or customer’s beloved puns.

5. Company logo or slogan

Instill the feeling of pride in employees and lure professionals by offering hats with their company’s logo or slogan. Baseball caps featuring branded elements of a business or organization can serve as a fun addition to a new team member’s welcome gift or as a means of uniting existing employees.

Marketing is another popular area where caps with a company logo are in high demand. Branded hats have become a popular, low-cost marketing asset to give out in promotional events to build brand awareness and recognition.

Some widely-known companies like Apple or Google even sell their branded clothes, including headwear with their logo, as official merch, suggesting great potential in this niche.

6. Pet-inspired designs

Most pet owners would love to bring their dog or cat wherever they go and showcase their attachment and loyalty to their best friend in multiple ways. A pet-inspired custom hat embroidery can fulfill that dream by allowing pet parents to decorate their casual headwear with paw prints or cute portraits of their furry companions.

Baseball caps with adorable dog, cat, or other animal designs will also be a top choice among people who don’t have a pet yet and can use this accessory to brighten their day. Aside from that, these hats may be popular among ex-pet owners who’d love to cherish the memories of a dear friend who has passed away.

Source: the Design Maker

7. Band names and lyrics

Right after sports enthusiasts, fans of music bands and pop stars may just be the second-largest customer group that seeks custom hats to complete their fan outfits and showcase their music taste and favorite musicians wherever they go.

Band names, album titles, iconic song lyrics, illustrations of classic rock legends—these are a few elements you could play around with and embroider on your hats. Start with the biggest fandoms and follow new trends to claim your spot in less saturated niches.

However, it’s important to note that only the copyright owners, aka musicians themselves, are free to create and sell merch with their official logos or other design elements. Nonetheless, other people can do it, too, if they obtain a respective licensing agreement from the copyright owner.

Music-inspired baseball caps could also be part of a much larger product line dedicated to different hobbies and passions and extending to other areas of interest, for example, video games or movies.

Source: the Design Maker

Pro tip: Make sure you don’t break the copyright rules with your designs by reading our Copyright and Trademark 101 guide.

8. Nature-inspired designs

Hats with nature-inspired art are always a solid choice when you want to appeal to a range of customers. Intricate flower embroidery can add a feminine flair to an otherwise robust-looking cap, while an illustration of a mountain range or sunrise will appeal to the more outdoorsy souls.

Nature is where we seek calm, inspiration, and energy, and for many city dwellers, wearing hats with characters from the animal kingdom or elements of flora will provide the only way to escape urban life, even for a little bit.

When extending your cap line of nature-inspired patterns, make sure you also include customization options, allowing your customers to pick their favorite animals, plants, or landscapes for their custom hat design.

Source: the Design Maker

9. Social roles

We all play different social roles in the lives of others and our own, so it comes as no surprise that caps with different titles related to love, family, friendship, or our professional responsibilities are popular among different audiences. It’s one of the evergreen cap styles.

You could embroider words like “Mom since 1980,” “World’s Best Boss,” “Bride,” “BFF,” or others on your caps to reach customers seeking thoughtful gifts or fun party elements. You may also think of bundles, offering complementing cap styles for couples, families, or friend groups.

Pro tip: Custom hats are among the best-selling print-on-demand items. Discover the rest in our article Dropshipping Products with High-profit Margin.

10. Symbols and icons

Symbols and icons can be more powerful than a thousand words, conveying a message with just one sign. Embroidering them on baseball caps can help the wearer express their beliefs, interests, and values in a subtle way.

Something as simple as a smiley face, heart sign, or yin and yang symbol has found its way into different types of clothes and looks great on hats. Use the most common symbols as a starting point and develop more styles for your custom hats with the Printful Design Maker.

Source: the Design Maker

11. Mottos and sayings

“Seize the day,” “No pain, no gain,” “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud”—there are so many sayings we use to inspire others or communicate a powerful message in a few simple words. And what better way to share what you stand for with the world than by embroidering these words on a cap?

You could start with the phrases you resonate with the most and mix in some popular quotes like “Be the change you wish to see in the world” by Gandhi or “Tomorrow is another day” from the popular movie “Gone with the Wind” to appeal to a greater audience.

You could also offer the personalization option, allowing your buyers to customize baseball hats with their favorite sayings or mantras. Just make sure to limit the number of words in the design so that the text is not too small and is readable from a distance.

Source: the Design Maker

Should you start your baseball cap business?

Baseball caps have long crossed the borders of baseball stadiums and have established themselves as wardrobe essentials to stay. People are attracted to the functionality and versatility of these caps and are increasingly looking for ways to express their style with them.

You can tap into this market niche and develop a successful custom hat business. Don’t worry if you have no idea how to customize or manufacture hats. You can partner with a print-on-demand and dropshipping company like Printful that’ll take care of the production and delivery of your products while you focus on designing and selling the best-looking hats.

Use this list as your guide and source of inspiration for crafting your brand, and don’t be afraid to experiment and look for other trending products to sell. 

Read next: Jump on the Dad Caps Trend: Best Dad Hats to Sell