four people holding umbrellas

24 February, 2022

What To Look For When Customising An Umbrella

Whether you want to advertise your business, promote your University, give wedding favours or bring community awareness to a cause, there is nothing better to make you stand out than a smart-looking umbrella. The question is, how do you achieve that and what are the best tips for customising your umbrella. We’ve compiled a shortlist of the things to look at, that we think are the most important. So, let’s get started. There are 5 key things to bear in mind when customising your umbrella:

  1. Choose an umbrella that is stylish.
  2. Pick the right sized umbrella.
  3. Get creative with your design.
  4. Maximise your print area.
  5. Select a complementary colour combination

Choose an umbrella that is stylish. You want your brand to stand out and you want people to use your umbrella and not another one, so choose one that is stylish. Pick an umbrella that has a comfortable handle – preferably moulded rubber foam, if possible get an auto-opening and closing and get one that is robust enough for rough weather. Yes, these will cost a little more but isn’t the goal to get people to use your umbrella. Every time they walk outside and use it, it becomes a walking billboard for your company, so the few extra dollars you spend become worth it.

Pick the right-sized umbrella. Is your target market female? If so, you may want to look at a compact umbrella that folds down and is easy to carry. Are you giving away umbrellas at a golf day? Then you’ll want a larger canopy umbrella. Are you handing out to high-end clientele? Then an executive style, the timber-framed umbrella is what you need. It’s important you get the size right for who you are giving the umbrellas to, in order to maximise the effect.

Get creative with your design. On a standard golf umbrella there is a lot of branding room – usually at least 200 x 100mm on each panel, so get creative and make something that is eye-catching. You want to make your umbrella distinct, so use bold lettering that is easy to view and some type of visual that will grab people’s attention. Remember an umbrella is a perfect way to showcase your company to other people, besides the person you gave the umbrella to.

Maximise your print area. Remember you are printing in a rectangular space, so try and avoid anything that is too vertical. You want something that will go across the umbrella as this will maximise the print space and make it easier for people to see and read. A square logo to the left and then several bold lines of text to the right will give you the best effect.

Select a complimentary colour combination. If you are printing onto an umbrella with contrasting panels, usually one panel is white. Print on the white panels and do the print colour to the same colour as the coloured panel on your umbrella. If you have an all-black or navy blue umbrella, use something with high contrast such as white or silver print to make it stand out. Avoid doing tone on tone prints as these are very subtle and hard for people to see and read.

Umbrellas are ideal for both rainy days to keep dry and hot days to protect from the sun. They can be used all year round, so make your umbrella stand out from the crowd.


The Umbrellas Only Team