A bag for carrying groceries, an accessory, a way to reduce single-use plastics—tote bags are functional tools with endless uses. They also present a business opportunity: You can design creative tote bags to sell on your website or an online marketplace, use them as packaging to store or carry your product, sell them as an accessory to your existing collection, or use them as branded merch to give away to customers, employees, and partners.
If you’re looking to make tote bags of your own, it is important to differentiate your design from competitors’ and align it with the preferences of your target audience. Here are some popular tote bag design ideas to get your creativity flowing.
What is a tote bag?
A tote bag is a bag with parallel handles, typically constructed from a sturdy fabric such as canvas, cotton, or recycled materials. Often used to replace single-use plastic bags, tote bags are a practical way to reduce waste. Plus, custom tote bags are a fashionable accessory that can showcase personal style and build brand awareness for the bag designer.
11 tote bag design ideas
- Plain totes
- Animal designs
- Floral designs
- Inspirational quotes
- Special occasions
- Branded designs
- Retro designs
- Customizable designs
- Food designs
- Abstract designs
- Nature designs
Literally a blank canvas for creativity, tote bags give you the freedom to explore endless design possibilities. Whether you’re designing bags to sell as a creative entrepreneur or using them as a marketing tool for your brand, there are many ways to approach tote bag design. Here are 11 design ideas to consider:
1. Plain totes
If your brand aesthetic is simple and clean, consider designing minimalist tote bags without any embellishments, save for a small logo or brand name. Despite being the simplest of designs, there are still ways to have fun with a plain tote. If your brand’s visual identity features bold colors, design a collection of plain totes in those colors. Or you could go with classic cream or solid black bags and offer branded pins people can use to personalize their otherwise minimal totes. Alternatively, use an unconventional material—such as fabric made from recycled water bottles—to make a statement.
2. Animal designs
Create a tote bag to appeal to nature and animal lovers. Feature an animal mascot in your designs or use all-over wild animal prints to make a bold statement. You can create animal shapes and designs in numerous ways, including screen printing, embroidery, and block printing. Even if you aren’t an animal-focused brand, finding a way to incorporate our fuzzy friends into a design can be a great way to add an “aww” factor to your merch.
For example, Almond Surfboards released a tote featuring an abstract bird. Though the brand sells surfboards, the illustration adds whimsy to the otherwise simple bag made of recycled canvas.
3. Floral designs
It’s easy to get creative with floral patterns. Flowers can be bold, delicate, romantic, comic, or childlike, and you can put together a floral tote bag in a way that stays true to your brand guidelines. Flowers inspired artists including Van Gogh, Monet, and O’Keeffe, and they can inspire you too. Consider sticking a packet of wildflower seeds in each of your floral tote bags as an added perk.
4. Inspirational quotes
Using inspirational quotes that resonate with your consumers can be a great way to highlight your brand’s mission and ethos. Spreading positivity and encouragement through inspiring quotes can help you connect with your audience and create a sense of community for those who use your tote. Not to mention, you can choose fonts and typography that match your brand assets, providing visual recognition that nods to your other products.
5. Special occasions
People over-buy products to commemorate special occasions like bachelorette parties, holidays, and anniversaries. If you make custom goods, you can offer personalized designs for these events, or create memorable designs for customers to use or give away on their special day.
The Outrage, an activist clothing brand, released a tote for the election season that features the quote “Women Are Voting” to encourage voting turnout. This is a great example of using a tote to commemorate a large event and act as a message board for women voters around the nation.
6. Branded designs
You can use your brand’s existing logos and marketing materials to easily create a functional tote that boosts brand recognition. You can print logos directly on the fabric, iron them on as a patch, or stamp them into leather to showcase your branding in a fun way. Or, you can use a tagline or easily recognizable attention-grabbing phrase.
Glossier’s Utility Bag offers a great example of a branded tote that displays their logo in a cool, minimal way that entices their consumers to want to carry it around and represent the brand. The partially covered typography makes the logo understated while still being clear.
7. Retro designs
Take inspiration from retro styles, typography, and color palettes to create an old-school tote bag. Motifs like vintage cars, era-specific fashion, and past music genres can invoke nostalgia for those who identify with those times. Not to mention, the vintage look can be very successful if you can tap into a niche, cult classic icon or subject that is harder to find elsewhere.
8. Customizable designs
If you run a design brand that creates products on order, customizable tote bags can be a hit. You can use your signature aesthetic to zhuzh up designs or images your customers send you. Some common custom tote bag designs include pet portraits, names, and family photos; you can even custom design totes for other brands and companies for their work celebrations or milestones
9. Food designs
Everyone loves food, which is why edible items are a hit for tote bag designs. Cute line drawings of root vegetables and salad greens can be great for those who like to frequent their local farmers market or use reusable bags for grocery shopping. Coffee and baked goods are also popular food items that are applicable to a wide audience.
For example, Couplet Coffee designed a limited-edition tote bag that referenced the brand’s playful style and sold it on its ecommerce website as a covetable branded merch item.
10. Abstract designs
Abstract art tote bags with bold colors, interesting patterns, and geometric shapes are ideal for a wide array of use cases. With no clear motif or theme, they can complement diverse product types and brand identities while resonating with a broad audience.
11. Nature designs
Nature designs can be perfect for a demographic that enjoys camping, surfing, hiking, and traveling. Nature offers endless ideas for tote bag designs, so get creative and pay attention to the world around you for inspiration. Making a collection of tote bags each highlighting a specific type of fungi or the many National Parks are just a few examples.
Tote bag design ideas FAQ
How can I make my bag more interesting?
You can make your tote bags more interesting by creating fun prints or adding embellishments like embroidery, sequins, or patches. You can also add a personal touch to your designs by adding a logo or tagline, or create customized tote bags for customers for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, or company milestones.
What makes a tote bag design effective?
An effective tote bag design should connect with your target audience and be both stylish and practical. It should also achieve your desired goals, whether that’s to give your customers a personal memento of their special day or to be a piece of branded merch that showcases your brand.
What tools can you use for tote bag designs?
You can use tools such as a screen printer, sewing machine, or block prints to decorate your tote bags. You can also turn to websites such as Pinterest for inspiration, and use free online graphic design software to help you create your designs.
