Eventually, all designers have to answer the question: How do I make my designs feel like mine?
It is rarely as quick as identifying a specific type of hat that you always create or finding a particular color combination that you stick to. But there are several methods that you can use to help develop a distinctive style in your hat making.
First of all, your style is reflected in the shapes, textures, colors, and details of your work.
Your personal aesthetic could be based on the types of shapes you are drawn to:
- Geometric
- Sculptural
- Soft and flowing
- Minimalist
- Bold
Or perhaps your style relies on your choice of materials or your color palettes. Maybe you gravitate towards traditional techniques and details or bold, dramatic accents.
Observe Your Preferences
Find out what catches your eye. Take inspiration from hats, architecture, clothing, art, nature, books, everyday objects… anything really!
Start collecting images that resonate with you. Once you have a collection of 20-30 images, look for patterns. Are you drawn to bold, sculptural shapes? Soft, organic lines? Muted tones? Unusual textures?
If you can identify a few common elements, you’ll have a better understanding of the types of design choices that appeal to you.
Collect Your Inspiration
Create an inspiration archive for your hat design style. It can be a notebook or a collection of digital files. Make sure that you save all of your images and sketches in one place.
It isn’t just a list of designs to copy. It’s a visual library that will help you identify your preferences. As you continue to create hats, you’ll notice certain details, shapes, textures, and colors cropping up more and more often.
Draw Inspiration From Outside Your Field
While you’re looking for inspiration, don’t forget to explore areas outside of the world of hats.
Architecture can provide great structural inspiration. Flowers can offer fantastic ideas for shapes and proportions. Sculptures and vintage furniture can be excellent sources of texture and color.
By pulling inspiration from outside of your niche, you’ll be able to create pieces that aren’t quite what people expect.
Create Without Aim For Perfection
Style develops through experimentation. Create several versions of a basic hat shape. Try changing the height of the crown, the size of the brim, the materials used, or the details you’ve added.
Not every hat you make is going to be a masterpiece. Some will fail. And that’s perfectly fine. Every hat you make will be a learning experience. Even the ones that you dislike will help you figure out what works and what doesn’t.
Identify the Elements You Keep Coming Back To
Once you have made a few different hats, go back and look at them together.
What details did you end up including on each? Which elements kept appearing over and over again? Which designs were you happiest with?
Perhaps you’re drawn to oversized, dramatic proportions or to unexpected color combos or to minimalist design.
Rather than shying away from repeating elements, start using repetition on purpose. Over time, these recurring choices will become part of your signature design style.
Use Inspiration Wisely
It’s completely fine to use existing designs as a starting point, but don’t try to create a perfect copy of another person’s style.
When you find a hat design that you like, ask yourself why it appeals to you. Does it have a great silhouette? Interesting materials? Creative construction? Unexpected contrasts?
Use your observations to inform your next design.
This will help you create original work that feels authentic.
Give Your Style Time to Evolve
There is no rush to find your hat design style. Your taste will change as you learn new techniques and see more inspirations.
What you don’t like now might become an important part of your style later. Rather than trying to put your hat design style into one neat little box, think of it as a consistent way of approaching your designs.
Match Your Style With Your Skill Level
The more skills you have, the more freedom you’ll have to experiment.
You might start with classic shapes and eventually move on to more experimental constructions, unusual materials, or sculptural designs.
You don’t need to find a hat design style. You need to create one.
Wrapping Up
Having a recognizable hat design style requires curiosity, patience, and a lot of experimentation. Collect visual references. Explore various techniques. Create fearlessly. Pay attention to the design choices that you make repeatedly.
And as you continue to hone your skills, your aesthetic will slowly become more distinct. Before long, people will be able to look at a hat and know exactly who made it.