7 Common Lapel Pin Design Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Having the right design for your custom pins requires knowing what not to do. Here are common lapel pin design mistakes and how to avoid them.
Lapel pins have been in existence since the 13th century when they were first seen in use by the Byzantine Empire. For centuries, we associated lapel pins with military organizations.
Now, all sorts of organizations are creating custom lapel pins. Lapel pins can be as bright or subtle as you want them to be. They can be used for everything from fundraising to marketing to boosting organization pride!
The question is, can you go wrong with your lapel pin design? There are some lapel pin design mistakes that you’re going to want to avoid–and we’re here to help.
Read on for seven lapel pin mistakes and how to avoid them.
1. Not Going Custom
If you’re looking for lapel pins to use as a fundraising item or to promote your branding, it may seem tempting to go with a pre-designed lapel pin that you’ve found online. However, this isn’t the best choice if you want your organization to stand out.
Coming up with your own design (or collaborating with one of our artists) gives you the opportunity to truly represent your organization. By creating something unique, you create something memorable. Plus, a pre-designed lapel pin won’t capture the essence of your branding nearly as well as one that incorporates your branding into the design.
2. Overcomplicating Your Design
Once you’ve made the choice to custom design your lapel pin, it’s time to start thinking about aesthetics. What should it look like? One thing you want to avoid is overcomplicating your design.
Overcomplicated designs tend to have too many small images or too much text. Remember, lapel pins are usually about one to three inches wide or tall. You want the design to translate well to this small size and maintain legibility and clarity.
If you have to reduce the amount of imagery or text on your design, don’t worry. We recommend sticking to your organization name, the relevant year, and possibly a slogan if it’s only a few words long. Your design may not be as detailed as you originally wanted, but we guarantee that it will still represent your organization well.
3. Not Thinking About the Message Your Color Scheme Sends
Did you know that there’s a psychology to color? When you’re putting together a simple design, it can be helpful to think about color psychology and how your color scheme can send a message.
Color psychology can get a little complicated. A quick, good rule of thumb is to remember that warm colors (like red and yellow) tend to evoke feelings of excitement and happiness while cool colors (like blue and purple) tend to evoke feelings of calmness and professionalism.
4. Using Too Many Colors
Just like you don’t want to crowd your design with too many images or too much text, you don’t want to overwhelm your design with too many colors. Whether you’re going with a printed or enamel-filled lapel pin, you may want to limit your design to four colors or less.
When you’re creating a design out of metal, it’s best to use single tones. In other words, shading may look great when you design your pin on the computer or on paper, but it won’t translate well to the pin, itself. Instead, you’ll want to choose single tones and pick colors with high contrast so that your lapel pin pops.
5. Not Thinking About Sizing
Lapel pins come in a variety of sizes, and sizing truly does matter. Choosing the wrong size for your lapel pin can mean that fewer people will actually wear them–or be able to see your design.
Typically, the more complicated your design is, the bigger you’re going to want your lapel pin to be. That being said, size is a big part of pricing. If you’re making your lapel pins on a budget, it may be best to opt for a smaller size with a simple, pared-back design.
6. Not Thinking About Purpose
As we mentioned earlier, lapel pins can be used for a number of reasons and on a number of occasions. Just like any other swag or marketing material, you should think about the purpose of your lapel pin as you put together the design.
For example, if you’re marketing with lapel pins, you’ll want the design to reflect your overall company. Create brand recognition by including your logo and company name on your marketing lapel pins.
However, you may be using your lapel pins to commemorate a specific occasion. If that’s the case, you may want to include the year and the name of the occasion or event in question.
At the end of the day, purpose does dictate design. It’s often best to start out by brainstorming the purpose of your lapel pins before you start designing them.
7. Choosing the Wrong Lapel Pin Company
A good design can easily be ruined by the wrong lapel pin company. Custom metal products are growing in popularity, which means that more and more lapel pin companies are cropping up–and not all of them will suit your needs.
We offer a variety of sizes, materials, and attachments to ensure that you get exactly what you’re looking for. We also work with you to create the perfect design and offer free revisions to make the process more affordable. At MetalPromo, our goal is to make your vision come to life.
Avoid These Lapel Pin Design Mistakes and Create a Timeless Momento
Lapel pins are a great way to celebrate or commemorate your organization. By avoiding these lapel pin design mistakes, you can create a timeless memento that everyone will proudly wear!
If you’re interested in our custom lapel pins here at Metal Promo, get started with us by requesting a free quote. We’re transparent about our pricing so that you can make an informed decision.
