Made from soft materials like cotton and polyester, tote bags are easy to carry and can be a neutral addition to any outfit. This makes them a popular bag choice for individuals all over the world; they're great for travel and are large enough to hold a substantial amount of supplies for regular use.
Tote bags are also very eco-friendly as they encourage reusing and recycling. If you want to sell more sustainable products, offering a tote bag in your shop is a wise business decision.
These features make tote bags an easy piece of merchandise to sell in an ecommerce shop, but first, you'll need some killer tote bag design ideas that attract customers to your style.
As a designer, it's up to you to determine your niche and target audience for your products. Fortunately, tote bags appeal to the masses, making it possible for one shop to create many designs that cater to very different styles and preferences.
For design inspiration and ideas, this post highlights 12 of the best tote bag designs in 2024.
Main takeaways from this article:
-
Ways to target different demographics with slight design changes and customization
-
How current events, pop culture, and inspirational quotes can be your biggest-selling designs
-
Why personalization in a tote bag shop is essential for return customers and brand loyalty
What is a tote bag?
A tote bag is a large, versatile bag with parallel handles that emerge from the sides. Typically made from sturdy materials like canvas or leather, it's perfect for carrying a variety of items, from groceries to books. Tote bags are both fashionable and functional, ideal for everyday use.
Why are tote bags popular?
Tote bags are popular for their versatility and durability. They can carry various items, making them ideal for shopping, work, or travel. Available in numerous styles and designs, tote bags also offer a fashion statement while promoting eco-friendliness by reducing the need for disposable bags.
12 Tote bag designs for your inspiration
The following tote bag art ideas allow you to create your own spin on each one, making a unique design for offering in your ecommerce shop for a broad demographic. Let your imagination wander as you read through these to determine where you'll start with designing.
1. Vintage tote bags
The return of retro means tons of design inspiration for custom tote bags in stylish, vintage themes. Incorporate warm colors like orange, yellow, and red in your tote bag design ideas, and use funky fonts that evoke nostalgia in your audience.
Vintage art
Create a custom tote bag design with vintage art printed on it, like Van Gogh's Sunflower, flapper-era advertisements, or Monet's iconic impressionist paintings. Printing vintage art on a cotton canvas tote bag will appeal to the masses, and a collection of unique vintage art prints is sure to sell to art lovers from any generation.
Retro era
Celebrate the glory of previous eras with a design print reminiscent of an earlier period in time. Honor the 70s with a groovy beach scene and a VW bus, the 80s with neon clothing and metal bands, or Y2K with plastic furniture, boy bands, and Lisa Frank.
Creating totes with different era designs broadens your audience by catering to a larger demographic; those who lived through the 70s may be in the market for a tote bag that brings them back to simpler times, while a 90s child would pay big bucks for a Lisa Frank-inspired tote.
2. Farmer's market tote bags
Many consumers look for tote bags for their groceries and Farmer's market trips to carry fresh produce, baked goods, and perishable items. The ideas for tote bags inspired by this are easy to spin off with your own take, so be creative and incorporate produce and farming themes in these designs.
Farmer's market fresh
Create a play on words using language synonymous with shopping small, like "Fresh Fruits Picked Daily" or "Farm to Table." These terms look great on a tote with relevant graphics, like a farm, vegetable gardens, or a wooden farm stand.
Support local farmers
What's more important than shopping locally? Encourage consumers to shop small through a design with a bold statement "Support Local Farmers" in a flashy, fun font that will grab people's attention. Including visual elements like a farm in the backdrop to make it really pop is one of the most profitable ideas for tote bags.
Produce & baked goods
As a designer, lean into your own style to create imagery of enticing fruits and vegetables to display on your tote bags. Use ink gradients to curate a cohesive design and a cursive font to describe each produce item, like "Fresh garlic" or "Juicy tomatoes from the farm," for design authenticity.
3. Beach tote bags
A beach tote bag collection is an easy way to generate sales; everybody needs a durable beach bag that is easy to carry.
Sea life
Cute graphics, like a sea turtle or a toothy shark, embellished on a tote bag will appeal to animal lovers and ocean conservationists.
Beach quotes
Incorporate cute beach quotes like "Life's better at the beach" or "Take me to the beach" with a backdrop of the ocean for an idyllic scene on a tote bag.
Sunsets
Use bright colors or warm, muted tones to create an image of a sunset at the beach. Use photos for inspiration, or create your own tote bag art ideas.
4. Floral tote bags
Florals appeal to a large audience because they represent happiness, a fresh start, and positive energy. There are so many directions you can take with floral designs, but here are three to get you started.
Monochromatic
Keep it simple and neutral with a monochromatic floral tote bag that will pop. Stick to one flower, like a stunning rose, or create a beautiful field of daisies for a sophisticated style.
All-over floral
Design and implement a floral pattern with two or three colors that you can use all over a cotton tote bag. Embellish the cotton fabric by making it reversible, so shoppers get two bags for the price of one.
Botanical descriptions
Research a few flowers' history, origin, and details to create a flower-description tote bag. It allows shoppers to select the flower they want or create custom tote bags based on their favorite florals.
Offering customization in your shop will drive customer loyalty and increase sales as shoppers get exactly what they want.
5. Animal tote bags
Cater to the animal lovers browsing your shop with a tote bag they can carry with their favorite creatures.
Farm animals
Create designs for all the lovable farm animals, like cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens, for farmers and animal lovers to carry their daily essentials.
Cats & dogs
Target the dog moms and cat dads in your audience with custom tote bags celebrating the cutest four-legged friends in the home. Whether you draw the animals yourself or allow shoppers to upload a photo of their pet, animal this is one of the best cute tote bag design ideas to sell in droves.
Mountain or desert critters
Blend two images together to create a unique graphic using a mountain or desert scape and the silhouette of a bear, bird, or wolf. A collection of animal styles and images can be used for business tote bags, daily wear, and many other uses.
6. Quote tote bags
Choose from classic quotes and sayings to unique slogans and memes is one of the most common ideas for tote bags to appeal to various age groups and demographics. Humor is personal, making it a great personalized gift idea for shoppers.
Uplifting Quotes
As a designer, inspiring your audience is a great way to encourage them to make a purchase. There are a variety of uplifting and inspiring quotes for stylish totes. From "Just keep swimming" to "Live your passion," words have a powerful way of motivating people to buy.
Kindness quotes
Encourage more kindness in the world with quotes like "Throw kindness around like confetti" or "It's cool to be kind."
Humorous quotes
Humorous styles will always sell; people love to laugh, and a funny tote bag is a great conversation starter. From family-friendly humor to cheeky jokes or NSFW comments, consumers love incorporating humor into their daily lives.
7. Food tote bags
Design drool-worthy food graphics and images in a fresh style; use patterns, gradients, silhouettes, and other elements to develop an interesting spin on food.
Produce
Design bright, vibrant produce images that shoppers can use to store their grocery essentials during shopping trips.
Abstract
Create a unique collection of food items that one may purchase on a grocery trip or all the best junk foods pictured on one tote bag.
Cheese
A cheese tote bag is like a charcuterie board you can carry. Select the most popular types of cheese, explore wine pairings, and top it off with a fun font for the perfect wine and cheese tote bag.
8. Minimalist tote bags
For the modern minimalist style, totes with basic designs that are still meaningful will always sell. From plants to landscapes, single images can pack a punch without all the noise.
Landscapes
One of the simple tote bag design ideas that sell is using thin lines and one or two colors to create a mountainscape or desert scene without overcomplicating the design.
Greenery
Sketch a simple plant or foliage, add some texture, and call it a day. Many businesses use a single plant as a logo, so testing your skills as a designer in this regard can create more opportunities for future designs.
9. Pop culture tote bags
From The Office to Parks and Rec, viral TikTok trends, and the latest current events, pop culture is rich with design ideas that are just waiting to come to life on tote bags and other popular merchandise.
TV Shows
Borrow logo ideas from popular TV shows, like Rose Apothecary from Schitt's Creek or Schrute Farms from The Office. Do your research to widen your audience and include other genres like Yellowstone, the Star Wars collection, or the Marvel Universe.
Movies
Celebrate all the movie genres with tote bags in horror, comedy, fantasy, and documentaries. From Midsommar to Harry Potter, there are endless ideas you can work into your tote bag designs.
10. Travel tote bags
Encourage shoppers to explore the world with travel-themed tote bags for every adventure, whether a day in the city or a backpacking trip through Europe.
Adventure awaits
Adventure is out there, so inspire shoppers to see the world with a tote bag design that reads, "Adventure awaits!" Add a visual element like a sunset, airplane, or beach scene for a boost of motivation to get going.
Big city
Build a unique cityscape on a tote with a vibrant taxi cab or train, an epic skyline, and swirly fonts with city names like New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and San Diego.
Bon voyage
Board the plane, train, or jet with a "Bon Voyage" tote bag to carry essentials and see the world. Use bold, striking fonts that grab their attention and design features like a subtle pattern in the background for visual interest.
11. Retro tote bags
As retro styles make their return to fashion, designers should get on board with these design trends ASAP. Retro is here to stay; embrace it, and you'll see a major influx in orders in your shop!
Florals
Boho daisy flowers are having a moment, and we're here for it. Use warm hues like mustard yellow and baby pink to fully immerse your shoppers in the retro floral movement with such canvas tote bag design ideas.
States
Many shoppers want a tote bag with their home state emblazoned on it, and the retro design opens the door to many unique styles. Use the quintessential retro sunset in bold colors with each state's name boldly displayed on it.
12. Nature tote bags
From foliage to plants, critters, crawlers, and greenery, there is so much inspiration to be found in nature for your tote bag design ideas.
Landscape
Use warm hues and a mountainscape silhouette to create a beautifully printed tote bag. Draw inspiration from the giant saguaros in the desert or how the moon shines light on a valley for memorable, unique landscape tote bags.
Fungi
Celebrate sustainability on Mother Earth with some aesthetically pleasing fungi and frogs that serve their purpose in the environment.
Create custom tote bags with Gelato
Tote bags can be used in many everyday situations; from travel to carrying supplies to work, books to school, as a diaper bag, or gardening storage, the uses are endless. This means that your target audience is virtually limitless, so it's time to start carving out design ideas that you think will sell.
With Gelato's print on demand services, creating custom tote bags has never been easier or more sustainable. Get started here and prepare to be amazed at the inspiration you find from these tote bag design ideas.
Custom tote bag FAQs
Are tote bags fashionable?
Tote bags have become a staple in the fashion world due to their versatility and the endless design possibilities they offer. From minimalist and elegant tote bag design ideas to bold and vibrant prints, tote bags can complement any outfit. Their ability to be customized with unique patterns, logos, and artwork makes them a popular choice among fashion enthusiasts who want to express their personal style. The integration of fashion trends, such as vintage and retro themes, further enhances their appeal, making tote bags not only practical but also a trendy accessory.
How can I personalize the design of my tote bag?
Personalizing a tote bag is a straightforward process, especially with platforms like Gelato. You can choose from a variety of design templates or create your own unique artwork. Whether you prefer minimalist aesthetics, retro designs, or vibrant colors, Gelato allows you to bring your vision to life. You can upload images, add text, and select the perfect color scheme to match your style. The platform also offers high-quality printing options, ensuring that your custom design looks professional and stands out.
Are tote bags appropriate for all types of events?
Tote bags are incredibly versatile and suitable for a wide range of events. They are perfect for casual outings, such as trips to the beach, grocery shopping, or day-to-day errands. They can also be dressed up for more formal events like conferences, trade shows, or even as stylish gift bags at weddings and parties.
The adaptability of tote bags makes them an excellent choice for both personal use and promotional purposes, as they can be tailored to fit the theme and atmosphere of any event.
Are tote bags environmentally friendly?
Tote bags are often lauded for their environmental benefits. Unlike single-use plastic bags, tote bags are reusable and durable, reducing the need for disposable alternatives. By opting for a reusable tote bag, you contribute to the reduction of plastic waste and promote a more sustainable lifestyle. The ability to customize these bags further encourages their repeated use, amplifying their positive environmental impact.
We at Gelato emphasize the use of eco-friendly materials and sustainable printing practices, making our tote bags a greener choice.
Can tote bags handle heavy items or groceries?
Tote bags are designed to be sturdy and can handle a variety of items, including heavy groceries. Made from durable materials like canvas or thick cotton, they can support significant weight without tearing. The reinforced handles and spacious design make them ideal for carrying bulkier items. Whether you’re packing books, groceries, or daily essentials, a well-made tote bag can accommodate your needs, making it a practical choice for daily errands.
Is it possible to wash a tote bag with a custom design?
Yes, most tote bags with custom designs can be washed, but it is essential to follow specific care instructions to maintain the quality of the print. Generally, it is recommended to wash tote bags by hand or on a gentle cycle in cold water to prevent any damage to the design. Avoid using harsh detergents or bleach, and air dry the bag to preserve the integrity of the print.
With proper care, your custom-designed tote bag from Gelato can remain vibrant and in good condition for a long time.
Are tote bags practical for shopping and everyday use?
Tote bags are incredibly practical for shopping and everyday use due to their spacious interior and sturdy construction. They provide ample room for groceries, personal items, and other necessities, making them a convenient alternative to plastic bags. Their durability ensures that they can withstand daily wear and tear, and their customizable designs allow you to carry a bag that reflects your style. Whether for a quick trip to the store or an all-day outing, tote bags offer functionality and style.
Are tote bags suitable for carrying laptops or books?
Tote bags can be an excellent option for carrying laptops and books. The spacious design allows for easy organization of books, notebooks, and other essentials, making them ideal for students, professionals, and anyone who needs to carry their work materials. Ensure that the tote bag you choose has strong construction to safeguard your items.
