7 Steps to Designing the Perfect Branded Reusable Bag

Posted on March 15, 2018 | Last Updated On: June 8th, 2021 by

We all know recycling helps the world. That little triangle of arrows is a common sight in our everyday lives, from the grocery store to the curbside recycling bin. Increasingly, you can find products either made with post-consumer materials or – even better – products that replace disposable items, making recycling unnecessary in the first place.

And if those items can promote your business at the same time? Even better.

Enter the branded reusable bag, which not only helps save the Earth, it gets your logo out into the world. Now you can connect with customers, leverage the power of the brand and bring more people into your business with an affordable product that will generate thousands of impressions in its lifetime.

Obviously, that’s a great deal … but where do you begin?

At your service. Here’s our quick-start guide to creating the perfect branded bag. Not only will it match your business’s purpose and serve your audience, but it will also do so with aesthetic aplomb for months – or years – to come. Let’s get started.

Match Your Material to Your Biz

First things first: What kind of material do you want to use? Some businesses benefit from strong, sturdy, environmentally friendly unbleached cotton. Think providers of clothing, swimsuits, antiques or even pet supplies. Your cotton or canvas bag will give your customer lots of use, long after the purchase is made.

On the other hand, a green goods company will want to play up the environmentally-conscious angle. In that case, you’ll benefit from a recycled bag made from post-consumer plastic, gathered from old water bottles. Keeping that plastic out of the landfill in the ocean is a huge service to society and Mother Earth, and broadcasts your do-goodery far and wide.

Run a deli? Wholesale insulated bags are obviously the right choice.

Choose a Bag Style (Or More Than One!)

Obviously, your business will dictate what kind of bag works best for you, so start there. If you run a beverage shop, take a look at the reusable wine bags. Breweries, vintners, juice companies, kombucha peddlers, iced tea aficionados and other companies that use tall bottles can benefit from keeping 1-, 2-, 4- or 6-bottle bags on hand.

When you’re first starting out, though, it’s best to keep your order minimal so you can experiment.

Begin with a single bag style and go from there. If your customers tend to order lots of product at one time, maybe opt for a 6-bottle wine style bag option. On the other hand, if you’re a high-end winery that usually sees a purchase or two at a time, a bag crafted for a single bottle is probably your best bet.

Other companies will have other needs, so check out our bags specifically made for grocery stores or trade shows.

Select Colors

Color time! Most likely you already have a branded palette, courtesy of your designer. If you don’t, you can take your cue from store signage, tags, brochures or the website. If you don’t have any of those, well, you might want to tackle that first… even a simple free website can give your business the brand direction you need to select the right colors and aesthetic for your bag choice.

If you do have a brand palette already, great! That will make things very easy for you, because now all you have to do is decide on a background color, then customize your logo’s hues to fit it.

Decide on Your Logo

If your branding collateral contains multiple logos, now’s the time to choose the right one for your bag. This often depends on the shape and type of the bag itself. For instance, a single-bottle beverage carrier does best with a rounded logo that takes up most of the width of the bag.

On the other hand, you can get away with a stylized business name that runs across the front of the bag and is significantly longer than it is wide, on a larger bag, such as this typical grocery style.

In addition to the type of logo you’ll use, you should also consider colors. Do you want a wacky logo in a range of shades? In that case, choose a very neutral bag background, such as black or unbleached canvas. If you’d like a brighter-colored background, then consider logos in black, navy or white, so they stand out crisply.

Select Expert Help and Proof Your Artwork

Before you decide on which branded bag company to go with, it’s important you get the right help. Some bag companies are a DIY affair, so you have to make all the hard choices yourself. If you’re new to bag marketing, however, opt for a company that will hold your hand all the way through. That way, you have a much better chance of getting what you want and need.

Remember, before you hit that final approve button, to proof your artwork carefully. You don’t want to end up “holding the bag” on a product that isn’t exactly what you want.

Order the Right Volume

Ordering the correct number of bags is critical, but don’t expect to nail it right out of the gate. It will take you a few weeks or months to see how many bags you sell/give away. You should also give yourself a bit to learn how to match up the ordering cycle with how often you run out of bags. Soon enough, you’ll learn to time everything right.

For now, buy enough bags that you won’t immediately burn through them – especially if you have an event coming up – but not so many that you’ll be stuck with a bunch of old inventory if you don’t end up using them. The goal is to give yourself flexibility, and this is the best way to do it.

Make Sure to Get It Into Customer Hands!

Most people forget this step. They think just because they design a great bag, it will automatically put itself out into the world and start marketing up a storm. That, unfortunately, is untrue. Unless you take the time to develop a marketing plan, your bag will likely languish in obscurity. Questions to ask yourself once you’re done designing include:

  • Do I intend to sell this or give it away? Are you running a school fundraising, church fundraiser or other green fundraising programs?
  • If I’m going to use it as a gift, will I offer it with a purchase or just use it to create relationships?
  • If I’m doing the latter, will I fill it with anything? Think corporate picnic raffles or client holiday gifts, filled with picnic goodies or your latest vintage.
  • How will I make sure people notice my bag if I’m selling it? Where will I place/hang it in the store?

The answers to these questions will help ensure that your bag not only promotes your brand, but it also does so to maximum effect.

Want to learn more about creating the custom reusable grocery bag of your dreams – one that will look good, improve your credibility and get you business? Get in touch with us here at ReuseThisBag, and our team will help you get started. Don’t wait to call 1-877-334-5323 or ask for a free quote today.

About the Author

Douglas Lober Chief Product Specialist

Doug Lober is Co-Founder and Chief Product Specialist for ReuseThisBag.com. Lober is a passionate environmentalist with roots in the Southern California surf culture. Over the last 15 years, Lober has launched and supported a number of environmental initiatives around the land, sea, and air. Today, he continues to provide and support the use of eco-friendly promotional products for small, medium, and Fortune 500 companies. You can learn more about his extensive background in the industry on Linkedin.com, Quora.com, Instagram.com, Twitter and Alignable.com

You have 0 item(s) in your quote.
Your Quote can have up to 5 items.

Submit Quote Now