27 Creative and Unique Graduation Cap Ideas We’re Obsessed With (How to Decorate)
This post is all about creative graduation cap ideas.
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After what feels like forever, it’s finally almost here: graduation! Take a moment to pat yourself on the back because whether you’re graduating high school or college, the road to get there isn’t always easy.
To celebrate your accomplishment, have some fun decorating your graduation cap so you can go out with a bang and make all of your graduation photos look amazing! In this article, we’re recommending 27 super cute, creative, funny, and heartwarming graduation cap ideas that are bound to make a splash on your graduation day. We’ll also be recommending some crafting materials items to help you DIY your perfect graduation cap and decorate it exactly the way you want.
Here are 27 creative and unique graduation cap ideas.
GIRLY AND ARTSY GRADUATION CAPS IDEAS
This has got to be one of the prettiest graduation caps we’ve ever seen!
The pink and gold color combo is absolutely stunning, and the butterflies are both beautiful and symbolic.
We absolutely love the idea of including a beautiful and inspirational quote on your graduation cap.
Graduation is all about celebrating your educational journey and preparing for the next step in life, and quotes are a fantastic way to do that.
Recreate it:
Sparkles
Fairy Lights
Feathers
Rhinestones
This has got to be one of the prettiest graduation cap decorations we’ve ever seen!
The pink and gold color combo is absolutely stunning, and the butterflies are both beautiful and symbolic.
We absolutely love the idea of including a beautiful and inspirational quote on your graduation cap.
Graduation is all about celebrating your educational journey and preparing for the next step in life, and quotes are a fantastic way to do that.
Here are some gorgeous fake butterfly decals for your graduation cap:
Butterfly Decals
Feathers
This high school graduation cap idea focuses on a slightly different part of the cap than we’ve been talking about.
An absolutely beautiful, easy, and elegant way to level up your graduation cap is to use a flower crown like in this inspiration image.
You can DIY it yourself, or buy one already made and customize the flowers and colors exactly how you want them.
A cute idea is to get flowers in your school’s colors, whether it’s the school you’re graduating from or the college you’re attending if you’re graduating high school!
Recreate it:
Flower crowns
String flowers
Fake flowers
Glue gun set
An idea like this is perfect for artistic graduates who love to paint, draw, and create.
The peace sign on this graduation cap is super cute, but you can paint anything you want in any style!
The super colorful paisley-inspired pattern on this cap is perfect to take inspiration from if you’re unsure where to start.
Recreate it:
Fabric paint
More paint!
Next in our list of creative graduation cap ideas may be a little bit more time-consuming, but the result is absolutely stunning if you have the patience.
The best part is that you can completely make up your own design or easily find a stencil to use.
The black and gold color combination is a graduation classic, and it looks simply beautiful on this decorated graduation cap!
Recreate it:
Mandela stencils
More stencils!
If you want to stick to a simple graduation cap idea but still want something bold and super cute, try covering your graduation cap in glitter!
Once you’ve done that, you can leave it as is, or add a cute bow for a finishing touch. Either way, the result is super impressive and it’s easy to put together.
This is another visually stunning graduation cap idea.
The blue, gold, white, and black colors look gorgeous together, especially with such a feminine and elegant design filled with beautiful flowers, butterflies, and bows. It’s even lined with beautiful pearls along the edges!
An idea like this is another one that’s perfect to re-create using your school colors.
Recreate it:
Ribbon for bow-making
Pearls
SCHOOL PRIDE, HUMOR, QUOTES, AND EMOTIONS
If you’re graduating high school or college this year, it’s more than likely that you’ve used Quizlet at least once or twice during your educational experience.
We’ve totally been there, and Quizlet is an absolute life-saver when you’re doing some last-minute stress studying for a test!
This is another great way to show your sense of humor on graduation day.
Just because you’re graduating, that doesn’t mean you can’t show off your school pride!
What better way to do so than with a super sparkly and shiny graduation cap with your school’s letters, colors, or imagery.
This is a super cute idea for anyone, especially cheerleaders or other athletes.
For athletes, you can even put your jersey number on your graduation cap to show off your team pride.
Recreate it:
Stencils
more stencils…
lots of stencils!
Holographic glitter
This next graduation cap idea is for all of our Starbucks lovers out there, which honestly, is probably everyone reading this blog post!
Not only is this graduation cap beautifully decorated with a simple black, green, and white theme, but it’s also super funny.
If you depended on coffee to get through your school day, this is a cute and funny way to commemorate that.
There’s probably no better way to celebrate your family, friends, teachers, and loved ones that supported you along your educational journey than by including photos of all your favorite memories with them on your graduation cap as you receive your diploma.
This is a sure-fire way to bring out all of the feels in you and in the people that mean the most to you.
Fabric glue to glue on your photos:
MOVIES AND TV
If you’re a true theater kid, this next graduation cap idea is for you!
Mamma Mia is an absolutely iconic musical movie to consider if you’re looking for a quote to put on your graduation cap We simply adore the sparkles, stars, and butterflies that this one is decorated with.
If you were part of your school’s drama program, whether on stage or behind the scenes, choosing a quote from a play or musical is a sweet way to commemorate your time as a theater nerd.
Recreate it:
Stars
String stars
If you’re a die-hard Friends fan, what better way to show your passion for this iconic sitcom than to include a reference on your graduation cap.
We’re loving the idea of using the classic naming format from the title of every Friends episode in a unique and clever way like in this photo.
Some cute ideas to play around with are:
“The One Where She Achieves Her Dreams,” “The One Where She Graduates,” or “The One Where She Gets Her Diploma.”
Recreate it:
Friends font stencils
Our next idea is a super hilarious graduation cap inspired by The Office.
This one is super relevant for college graduates that either took out loans or paid for college on their own.
College isn’t cheap, and that’s not always easy to deal with, but this is a fun and lighthearted way to poke fun at a topic like this.
DISNEY
Don’t worry, we didn’t forget you Disney fans!
But according to this graduation cap idea, you may have already forgotten everything you learned up until your graduation.
That’s okay though, because Baby Dory is absolutely adorable, and paired with a funny quote like this one, we can’t think of anything that would make this graduation cap more perfect!
Disney fans, we have another fantastic idea just for you!
If you’re more of a live-action Disney or Disney Channel fan, we absolutely love the idea of referencing one of the most iconic parts of Disney Channel as you graduate.
This is another super sweet way to incorporate some nostalgia into your graduation day if you grew up watching Disney Channel like many graduates of the late 2010s and early 2020s!
If you’re a big fan of Toy Story, this graduation cap is perfect for you! The scene in Toy Story 3 where Andy leaves for college and gives Woody to Bonnie leaves everyone in tears. It encourages us to explore the world, try new things, and welcome new opportunities while holding our roots close to our hearts. This is a simply beautiful and meaningful quote for graduation day.
This next idea is also Disney-inspired, but we wanted to include it because it features one of the most perfect quotes we could find for graduation day.
During graduation, you’ll probably be reflecting on the past and preparing for the future.
Of course, that’s wonderful, but don’t forget to live in the moment and enjoy your special day because you’ve earned it!
For classic Disney fans, a beautiful design to incorporate into your graduation cap is the absolutely iconic Disney Cinderella Castle. This is another design that is a little bit more in-depth, but it’s sure to be super noticeable and memorable at your graduation. We love the idea of incorporating your favorite Disney quote in the design as well to make your graduation day extra special.
This next graduation cap idea is another Disney-inspired one but it’s so pretty and colorful we just had to include it.
Up is a beautiful and emotional Pixar film, and this graduation cap commemorates that with colorful flower decals and features the most iconic quote of the film.
Super relevant for graduates of all levels!
Here are some more cute craft materials to help you create the Disney graduation cap of your dreams:
Rhinestone flowers
Colorful mini bows
That wraps up our list of 27 cute, creative, and unique graduation cap ideas. No matter if you’re graduating high school or college, you’re sure to find an idea on this list that caters to your interests, sense of humor, style, or personality. There’s something for everyone!
Today, we showed you some of our favorite graduation cap ideas as well as suggested some arts and crafts supplies so you can recreate the designs for yourself. Have fun with it, make something awesome, and rock your graduation day! You’ve earned this!
THIS POST SHOWED YOU 27 CREATIVE AND UNIQUE GRADUATION CAP IDEAS.
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