Branding a Hat Maker

Optimo Hats is one of the last remaining traditional, luxury hat shops in the world. They practice the craftsmanship and quality of a bygone era—handcrafting the materials, customizing the look and tayloring the fit for each and every customer. Their hats are celebrated by both locals and celebrities, and often appear in television and movies. We worked with Optimo to refine their identity, hat box packaging, and print and online materials.

Services

Logo Refinements

Print Design

Package Design

Digital Design

Credits

Kyle Eertmoed, Designer

Chris Lake, Photographer

Tadd Myers, Photographer

Recognition

Published In "Magic Branding 2", Designerbooks

Behance Branding Served

Brand Vision

Optimo Hats is rich with history and culture. Founder, Graham Thompson, was an apprentice of Johnny Tyus, a famous hatmaker on Chicago’s south side. Fascinated by the process and learning of Johnny’s retirement after 42 years in the business, Graham bought Johnny’s Hat Shop at the age of 22 and renamed it Optimo Hats. The hat molds and machines date back to the early 1900s and are still being used in his shop today. He calls it a “working museum.” We honored this heritage with a classic visual identity that uses old-world printing techniques. Since each hat is crafted by hand, we gave their hat box the same details with write-in blanks for the hat specifications and letterpressed care instructions. Parchment papers, serif typefaces and embossed treatments are used to match the timeless quality of their hats and process.