Tips to an Effective Id Badge Design

What’s in an ID badge? They are worn at countless conference events, seminars, socials and even in the workplace for the purposes of identification, a way to put a name with a face to help make engagement easier. A good name badge provides the information necessary for identification and engagement while showcasing a design that resonates with the event. It should provide a comfort to speak with another person and make a connection. So take these things into consideration when designing custom plastic badges and what can make a great design.

A Reliable, Adjustable Lanyard - Before getting to the creation of the actual badge, select a good lanyard that will hold the badge. A good lanyard is designed to hold the tag in a position where it can be easily seen and read. It should not swivel so it is unable to be read - a double-ended lanyard can take care of this - and should be adjustable so everyone can keep the badge at the same height.

Font That Can Easily Be Read - It’s a big mistake to make the font too small so that it cannot be read easily. People don’t want to have to squint to read a name badge. This is going to divert people from starting conversation and defeat the purpose of the badge.

Font That Works for Long Names - While size certainly matters, you want to keep in mind that some people at an event may have a longer name and want it to show fully on the badge. It’s important to make sure that the name badge can fit the length of a longer name with being distorted. So make sure you choose a font that can be sized to fit longer names with no issues.

Job Titles - There’s more to ID badges than just a name. Give people a starting place for conversation. Job titles are a great way to do this. What’s one of the first questions asked after meeting someone?

Usually it’s in relation to a job - “What do you do for a living? ” This takes some of the guesswork out and serves as an icebreaker, a way to start conversation.

Add Some Color - You can stick to the standard black and white, but adding some color to badges can increase quality and make badges even more unique. Badges that allow colors give designers more to work with so you can experiment and add graphics like a company logo or even text that works better in color.

Barcodes and QR Codes - Some badges can include interactive material like a barcode or QR code. Many badges will be protected by a plastic sleeve of some sort, so make sure that if you included some interactive material on your badges that it works through the protective sleeve.

Get Durable Badges - Make sure the badges are durable and won’t break easily, especially if you are using them for multiple days like at a conference. You can get custom plastic badges or heavy vinyl badges to ensure that they can handle the constant wear. ID Shop has many different badges available for your selection so you can a durable, sturdy product.

Buy in Bulk - For bigger events, it is more cost-effective to purchase custom plastic badges or any ID badges in bulk. The same goes for lanyards and protective holders. Buying in bulk will reduce the overall cost greatly.

The Right Size - While badges are typically a standard size like 4” x 3”, you want to make sure that the badge you choose is not too big or too small for the event. Consider the comfort of the person when sizing. If it’s too big, people won’t want to wear it. If it’s too small, it will not serve its purpose if people can’t read it.

Cool Graphic Designer - Finally, get creative. Use graphics, fonts and different placement to make a unique badge design. You can even hire a graphic designer to take the designs and creativity to the next level.