People understandably love stuff that is free and promotional pins have a long history of being given away as effective branding tools for businesses and many other organizations.
The problem is that many of them just end up sitting in the bottom of a promotional bag and are lucky if they are not forgotten
This is where design becomes important. To persuade people to wear your trading pins and badges, display your badges and even trade your badges they need to have a creative, attractive design to promote your organization or business.
Promotional trading pins should never be just accessories. They have the potential to be powerful marketing tools. They need to have a story to tell and deliver a clear message in an instant. But because people don’t fancy being treated as walking billboards even if the badge is free. Badges like anything people want to flaunt have to have cachet. They need to be a distinguishing mark or seal.
To get started, think about the message you want to convey. Is it an event or cause you are promoting? Do you want to get your business name out there?
It’s important to have a clear idea of what you want people to think when they see your custom pins, and how you can make them unique so they become sought after collectables.
Who do you consider is the audience you need to target? Pinpointing the audience will give you a much better idea of the style of design that is going to appeal. Think jaunty for a jazz audience; solid and respectable for a legal conference.
If you represent a non-profit that stands for a particular cause the organization probably has a color palette and symbols that it uses already. However, with business imagery that is characteristic of the sector and the products and services are going to be much more relevant.
An ice cream parlour, for example, needs a pin design that incorporates the confection in a variety of colors to represent the flavors the business offers.
When you begin to implement ideas in a pin design remember that as well as communicating a message, the pin needs to be an attractive, eye-catching accessory.
The cleanest, high-quality looks with the sleekest and smoothest designs in full color do well when based on cloisonné pins. These start with a colored metal sheet stamped to create a raised outline. The areas that are recessed can then be filled with powdery colored resins that resemble glass.
However, if your promotional pins are to be used as giveaways and you have to work with a tight budget, a better choice may be to use soft enamel. Recently this style of custom pin has become to make a significant comeback and the benefit of this style is that it enables full-colored design with a stand-out textured look.
Of course, when you just want a simple design for your message then a die-struck pin may well be best. This style of stamped pins uses a plain metal surface that is polished or made to look antique and delivers a metallic look that would be ideal as an award or a medal.