Go into any successful business or franchise–chances are, you’ll see employees or workers wearing something that screams the brand’s image. These usually come in the shape of simple polo shirts or tags, as they mostly just work as identifiers for your own workers. You don’t need anything more complicated, right? While finding good corporate apparel ideas may not seem important, corporate apparel does much more than just tell people about your brand.

There are a number of benefits to having good, unique corporate apparel, including:

1. Better brand perception for employees and customers,
2. A more stylish way to stand out from the competition,
3. Simpler and sleeker goodies to give out to customers
4. The easiest way to show off brand personality and character,

…And so on.

All of these sound well and good, but what are the corporate apparel you should consider if you want your business to pop? Shirts are the classic option for employee wear (and sometimes make good customer goodies, too), but don’t limit yourself to those options. Here are just a few other apparel and goods you can try making for your corporation:

1. Tote Bags

Tote bags are a simple but underrated way to communicate a brand’s image. You’ll find them everywhere in corporate life, whether you’re packing to sell clothes or storing items away. There’s a lot of flexibility to work with here, as you can make them for customers or pass them out to employees to show off their brand pride.

One of the best aspects about tote bags is how simple they are. If you’re starting out, you may want to just print your brand logo on the front to get used to the manufacturing process. Later on, though, you can experiment with designing the sides of the tote bag, or handle types, or add other functionalities like velcro swatches and pockets. 

2. Hoodies and Jackets

Most people wear hoodies and jackets in their day-to-day life. Whether it’s heading to the office, going out into town, or just relaxing with friends, this is staple wear for modern life. Knowing that it can be easily made into chill apparel for corporate reasons. 

You’ll most likely see business casual office workers wearing these kinds of apparel since they suit the occasion. They also make for very valuable customer goodies if needed. There’s a variety of jacket options to choose from too–whether it’s varsity jackets, simple hoodies, windbreakers, or otherwise, no one corporate jacket will end up looking the same. It gives a nice personality and volume to the overall brand.

What’s fun about jackets is they can be as elaborate or simple as you’d like them to be. Most corporate apparel ideas go for a simple logo on the front chest. However, it’s also completely possible to have elaborate, fun designs shining on the back. Customers and employees tend to appreciate your corporate apparel ideas more the more creative you get with them here.

3. Acrylic & Enamel Pins

As a stylish solution to regular nametags, acrylic, and enamel pins can come in a lot of forms. Printing and designing them can be more challenging than other accessories, but they’re easy to carry around and can be fashioned on all sorts of fabrics.

Corporate apparel ideas don’t often highlight aesthetics, but that’s an underrated advantage in many demographics. People enjoy showing off their lives, whether it’s a brand they enjoy purchasing or their workplace. Enamel and acrylic pins have been particularly popular with the younger demographic in recent years.

Just note that the materials of these pins lend to different types of designs. Acrylic can show off all sorts of pictures within the material, which is why they’re also great for keychains. However, they can come off as more plastic and less valuable in the long run. Meanwhile, enamel’s metallic texture may be more expensive and tricky to paint on, but it has a glossier finish that lasts longer and shines brighter. 

In other words, more colorful designs for mass-marketed events lend themselves better to acrylic pins. If you want to highlight the importance of rewarding employees and customers, enamel pins will usually come off as more impressive.

4. Caps & Hats

People aren’t often as creative about caps and hats as they could be. The typical print of a cap with a corporate logo at the front is classic but can get a little old at times. Nowadays there are other ways you can style your brand-designed hat! 

You can choose different types of hats, like bucket hats or beanies, to suit whatever occasion you’re looking for. If you’re sticking to the usual options, you can also place your patches at different angles of the hat.

For caps, you can even stitch new patterns on the long half of the cap. It’s worth adding a little more thought into your hat design for your corporate apparel ideas.

5. Sweatshirts

Who doesn’t love a good, comfortable sweatshirt? Whether you’re using it for exercise or wearing it in for the day, the materials of a thick sweatshirt lend to a cozy clothing experience. Since they’re also as versatile as a shirt, you can add as many odd designs as you want on your own branded sweatshirt.

Unlike hoodies, and jackets, however, sweatshirts tend to be on the simpler side. Your main area of design is typically the front, where you can stitch your logo or write a slogan atop the chest. It’s possible to customize the back of a sweatshirt, but considering its use cases, its better to maintain practicality than pure aesthetic.

Those are just a few corporate apparel ideas you can use for your own business. If you have more elaborate ideas, though, it might be difficult to figure out how to mass-manufacture it in the easiest way. This is where collaborating with a service like Shirtual can come in handy, especially when they have a long history of merchandise experience. 

Be sure to research your options and know ahead of time who to trust when creating your merchandise!