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Custom Tote Bags Guide | Small Business Academy

Robyn Wike |

A tote bag is an accessory that can be used for a variety of purposes, including carrying groceries, lunch, books, and more. Totes are a simple and apparent choice that should be added to any merchandise selection that you are offering because they are an easy addition. Custom totes bags have rapidly become one of the most popular things to offer online as more and more people are moving away from using plastic bags that are only used once in favor of bags that can be reused.

You have arrived at the proper location if you do not know how to begin this process. This guide will show you how to design customized tote bags that look fantastic and that people in your community will be delighted to buy if you follow its instructions. In addition, we show you some of our top design ideas for tote bags so that you can get some additional inspiration.


I suppose you want to make your own personalized tote bags that people will use repeatedly. In that case, you should choose sturdy materials that will highlight your company's logo or design prominently. Picking the perfect fabric and type of tote bag for your business is sometimes the most challenging aspect, but designing the bag itself is usually more straightforward. You may want to choose the best tote bag for your company's needs from among the numerous available options. In that case, you need to be familiar with the characteristics of the various materials.

Popular Uses of Personalized Tote Bags

Tote bags are versatile promotional items that can be used for almost any event or product you have planned. If you want to advertise your company at a minimal cost, hand out branded tote bags to people who visit trade shows where you aim to promote your company. Even if they have promotional goods from other companies, they will almost certainly keep all of their other items in the branded tote that you gave them, which means that yours will be visible at all times, even if they do have additional items from other firms. 

Giving away personalized tote bags is the perfect method to boost awareness further. An ideal place to do so is during charitable events and fundraisers. People who work in the education sector can personalize tote bags for their children or employees to take with them, and dentistry offices can get in on the fun as well!


Custom Tote Bags: Who Uses Them?



If you are planning on custom tote bags for your small business, first, you must decide who your customers are. Because of their affordability and versatility, custom-branded totes have quickly emerged as a statement item among consumers from a wide spectrum of demographics.

They can be helpful for people concerned about their environmental impact and who want to steer clear of single-use plastic and maintain an environmentally friendly lifestyle in their day-to-day activities. They can also be helpful for people looking for something that speaks to social trends in a way that is congruent with their individual preferences, values, and goals.

Gifting custom gift bags to a new employee or even to a large team that might need an additional morale boost as they work toward a common goal is a kind and essential gesture. They are also perfect for "tote bag people," or people who have a bag for everything they own.


Let’s Start: How to Design a Tote Bag

Putting the company logo on the bag is the most typical method of creating a promotional bag. It's not the most original strategy, but it does the job. However, you can use just your logo or incorporate additional features. The focal point can be a message or an enticing illustration of your choosing. Contact details, such as a website, may also be included, depending on your overall approach.


Location, scale, and color palette are all crucial decisions to make during the design process. Make sure the picture is placed in a way that makes the bag look like it belongs there. Think about the space that a bag provides, too. If you choose a blank tote bag, though, you'll have plenty of room to work with. However, there isn't a lot of space for extra stuff in a translucent fanny packs.

Tips and Tricks

Visual arts, business, psychology, and commerce all meet at the crossroads of design. Last but not least, this point is frequently disregarded. On the other hand, understanding human psychology is essential for reaching out to your audience and creating emotions through visual means. Some fundamentals of psychology that can inform your imagination are as follows:


  • Appearances matter, as they enhance usefulness and have a bearing on users' final choices
  • Maintaining a minimal design prevents the audience from becoming bored or frustrated
  • The ability to communicate visually is a fundamental human skill

Match Your Tote with Your Other Goods


If you are selling your tote bag with other stuff, you can simplify the design process by matching the design of your tote bag to the design of the other things you are selling. This will allow you to sell more of your tote bags. If you are developing products for a particular event or if you are just creating merch with your organization's logo, this design style works incredibly well for both of these scenarios.


Choosing the Bag Type

Consider the identity of your brand and the people you intend to sell the bags to. Consider the various ways in which you would like your customers to put the promotional bag to use. Give the item a particular function, such as storing documents, bearing big loads, or maintaining the freshness of lunch. The following is a list of some examples of different sorts of bags that could be incorporated into your marketing strategy:

  • Tote bags
  • Drawstring bags
  • Beach bags
  • Drawstring backpacks
  • Clear bags
  • Messenger bags
  • Lunch containers and cooler bags
  • Duffel bags

Decide on the Best Technique

When it comes to promotional bags, you have a variety of alternatives for personalization to pick from. Every strategy comes with its own individual set of benefits as well as drawbacks. The medium and the tools that are employed are the primary determinants of the variations between the various methods. These, in turn, may prefer a design that is more complicated (or less complicated), and the endurance of the image also varies depending on the procedure.

In addition, specific methods, such as embroidery, require significantly more time than others (digital printing). In addition, the choice of material is a significant factor as well since not all materials are suitable to be customized in any way. In the process of selecting a method, in addition to the quantity of the order, your available funds, and the design, keep all of these elements in mind. The following is a list of some of the primary methods of personalization that may be applied to promotional bags:

The use of screen printing results in a design that is durable. On the other hand, it might be time-consuming if you have a large order to fulfill and intricate images that call for various colors. Choose a monochromatic palette if you want to imitate complicated patterns. Choose a shade that is evocative of your company's aesthetic and use it to create a strong contrast with the color of the bag.

Printing done via digital means is capable of recreating intricate designs and has a high output ratio. On the other hand, the effects won't persist as long as screen printing.

Embroidery gives things a more luxurious appearance and feel. However, it is not capable of recreating intricate drawings very well.



Some Creative Personalized Tote Bag Design Ideas

The pattern on your tote bag need not be elaborate or brightly colored. These layouts achieve a spare but elegant appearance through the use of thin lines and little text. This may be a good choice if you're making a tote bag for a company or an event that leans toward a simpler aesthetic.

Elaborate, multicolored patterns are also common on the other end of the design spectrum. If you have a stock illustration from one of your other products or if your company has a wealth of other design assets at its disposal, this is a fantastic choice.

One of our most straightforward tote bag design ideas is just printing the design in black ink onto a tote of Natural color. This color scheme is striking in its great contrast while being tastefully neutral. Flowers, nature, and delicate lines are typical subjects for this duo.


Offering tote bags with your organization's logo is a specific and often necessary product to sell, much like t-shirts. This is a fantastic starting point for providing tote bags if you have never done so before.

Keep these design considerations in mind, and you're sure to create a tote bag that will be well received in your neighborhood. We have dedicated support staff standing by to answer any queries you may have as you create your tote bag. To guarantee that your customized tote bags will print beautifully, our Customization Department inspects every design and are willing to help you.