The first use of American military lapel pins dates back to 1860 during the Civil War. These lapel pins were used to identify soldiers by their unit numbers on the battlefield.
From there they have been worn by senators, special organization members, fraternity and sorority members, law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, and members of political parties.
Today the modern lapel pin is a fun and fashionable accessory that is customizable for a variety of interests and hobbies. A custom lapel pin is a great expression of individuality.
Creating a custom lapel pin is an enjoyable process that takes your ideas and brings them to life. Want to know more about how to make your own custom lapel pin? Keep reading this guide for more details below.
When creating a logo or design for your custom lapel pin, you need to consider how the overall concept will transfer to a lapel pin format. For lapel pins, you must take into account the image itself, as well as the font you use.
If possible, stay with a simple design image with not too many fine details in it, as they will be difficult to see. They may not convert over as well as they do on paper.
You should also consider the size of the image you are using. If your image is too small, it will look muddled and indistinct. This defeats the purpose of making a custom lapel pin if others cannot even see the image.
Choosing an appropriate font is as equally important for any text your custom lapel pin may have. You want a clean font that is easy to read. Avoid any fancy or overcomplicated fonts that will look messy or illegible.
Don't use too much text, either. Using long portions of text will require your text size to shrink in order to fit it all on the pin. Stick with just one word or a few short words to maintain its readability.
The next step in the design process is choosing the type of lapel pin you want. There are five types of lapel pins to choose from.
A soft enamel pin can be die-struck or die-cast during the manufacturing process. Soft enamel pins differ from hard enamel pins due to the texture that results from filling the enamel beneath the metal ridges of the design.
The soft enamel pin is heated up to 400º Fahrenheit, creating a high-quality custom lapel pin with a textured surface and a more natural appearance.
Soft enamel pins are cost-effective options that can provide an affordable option for purchasing large groups. You can customize soft enamel pins in an array of colors, shapes, and sizes.
Hard enamel pins are the highest quality lapel pins you can get. A hard enamel pin is created by polishing the enamel flush with the metal for a smooth appearance. This is in addition to what goes into making soft enamel pins.
The result is a high-quality custom lapel pin with exceptional long-lasting durability and a beautiful finish. This high gloss finish enhances a pin's vivid coloring and won't fade with time.
A die-struck pin is an all-metal pin with an image or logo stamped into the metal. These pins can be made from brass, iron, copper, or other metal types. There is no color involved other than the color of the metal used.
Die struck pins have a striking appearance because of their raised features. Texturing and polishing add to their distinct features.
An offset printed custom lapel pin is ideal for creating a unique design. It uses state-of-the-art technology to print your design directly onto the metal. Once the design is printed and the color is set, a trimming tool shapes the design.
To provide protection and durability, an epoxy resin dome is applied to the custom pins. This also improves the image's quality.
Quick pins are suitable for when you need stock pins shipped out in a hurry. You can have your Quick Pins order in less than a week.
Quick pins are available in 3 sizes including a 1.5″ round or square pin, a 2″ square pin, or a heavyweight 3″ cast pin.
The right metal color, in combination with your design, can also complement your custom lapel pin's overall appeal. You have so many different metal colors to choose from, so you're certain to find the one that best suits your needs.
Whatever metal color you choose, your custom lapel pins are sure to shine.
The next step is deciding which backing you want. Depending on your budget and needs, there are several different options for your custom lapel pin to choose from.
Once you have selected your preferred custom lapel pin backing, you can decide if there are any other enhancements you would like to add to your custom lapel pin.
You can choose from other options that can enhance your custom lapel pin's look. These options can include:
To give your pins a glow-in-the-dark appearance, add glow enamel for a fun effect. Glow enamel costs just 20 cents per color.
Adding glitter to your custom lapel pin will really make it shine. It costs 10 cents each for one glitter color or two glitter colors for just 15 cents.
Add crystals to your pin to glam it up or make it stand out. The price is an additional 10 cents per crystal.
Blinkers are small lights that you can add to your pin. They are powered by an attached battery pack on the pin's back. One blinker costs $1.25 and two lights are $2.24.
Designing a custom lapel pin should be a fun and enjoyable process. From concept art to the finished product, let MetalPromo help you with every step of the creation process. Our product quality and honest customer reviews speak for themselves.
We offer free U.S. shipping, free artwork design and revisions, and we'll even beat our competitors' prices. We even have metal business cards, keychains, and custom challenge coins. Our talented design team can't wait to bring your ideas to life.
Contact Us today to receive your free custom lapel pin order quote.
Organizations love to celebrate special events and staff with custom lapel pins. With a wide range of customization options, lapel pins are one of the most versatile and customizable options. With the right manufacturer, like MetalPromo, ordering lapel pins and ensuring that they are high quality is easy. Here is what you need to know about ordering lapel pins.
The quality of your lapel pins will directly correlate to the manufacturer that you work with. The best way to make sure that your lapel pins will be high quality is to do your research on the manufacturers.
At MetalPromo, we manufacture all of our lapel pins in-house. This allows us to ensure that each product is produced with the highest standards in mind.
We have experience producing pins for thousands of customers. Through all of that, we have never strayed from our focus on customer service and quality. Every order is given the attention that it deserves to make sure that all of our customers are happy.
Not only that, but we also keep our production in-house so that there are never long wait times from shipping overseas and we can keep tight control over production quality. The result is higher-quality lapel pins that you can be proud of.
We try to make ordering lapel pins as easy as possible. The entire process is collaborative so that you won’t have to worry about how the process is going and when you will get your pins. Here is a look at our ordering process.
Metal Promo’s customer service team is happy to help you place an order. We have years of experience working with customers to deliver excellence with their lapel pins. Our team of lapel pin experts can answer any questions that you have about lapel pins and lapel pin manufacturing.
You can call our customer service team at 877-312-9794. We will start the process over the phone by collecting more information about your pin design and how many you want to order. This will give us a better idea of the cost, which we will quote for you once the design is finalized.
With MetalPromo, you can work with our professional designers to create a one-of-a-kind design for your lapel pins. Our team of designers can help you create a simple design or a highly detailed design for your lapel pins.
Lapel pin designs can be customized in a variety of ways. Some customization options include:
If you have any ideas or inspirations for lapel pin designs, definitely bring them to the call. Our designers can help you create a custom design from scratch or they can help you modify an existing design.
With custom lapel pins, you can choose almost any shape and size. The most popular styles are round, square, rectangle, and diamond. You can also use geometric shapes like triangles or octagons.
Round lapel pins are the most common and most traditional style of lapel pins. Square shapes are also popular and are often used for organizations with a modern style. Diamond lapel pins are a unique style and are often used for organizations with a vintage or retro style.
Custom lapel pins can be designed with any combination of metal finishes and border designs. Adding a new metal finish is called plating, and it is possible to plate pins in a variety of options. Brass, gold, and black nickle are common choices.
If you are ordering custom lapel pins, there is a good chance that you will be ordering a soft enamel pin. Soft enamel lapel pins are created with a process that coats a metal base with colored enamel paint.
After the pin is completed, it is baked at high heat to remove the excess lacquer. This creates a beautiful, brilliant, and colorful pin. Alternatively, you can have a hard enamel pin made using a similar process.
Hard enamel is a process for creating custom lapel pins that overfills the enamel on the pin, then has the excess polished away. This makes the enamel and metal outlines from the design even in height, giving the pin a harder, more uniform surface.
Hard enamel pins often have brighter, more vibrant finishes. In many cases, they are considered an upgrade over soft enamel pins.
After your design is complete, our designers will send you a proof to approve. You will receive both a digital proof and a printed proof of your design. You will want to make sure that the design is exactly what you want, so make sure that you thoroughly review all of the details.
If there is any text on your design, make sure you check that it is correct. Make sure that all of the colors are accurate as well. If there are any details that are incorrect, just let us know, we will gladly make the necessary changes.
Once your design proof is approved, it is ready for production in our factory. Lapel pins take about two to four weeks to create and to be delivered.
The last step in the process is to finalize your order. Since we have a completed design, we can give you an accurate quote for your order. Once you review the quote and make the payment, we can begin manufacturing your pins.
They are made in one of our factories and every pin goes through an extensive quality control process. That way, every pin that you receive is in perfect condition. That’s the value you can expect from MetalPromo every time, high-quality pins that match your design in a relatively short time frame.
Start the order process today by calling our offices at 877-312-9794 so that our customer service team can help you start your order.
Congratulations! You're celebrating five years as a company. Or, maybe, you're receiving a much-deserved award. Or perhaps you're finally being initiated into a club you've put a lot of hard work into.
No matter the event, lapel pins are the perfect accessory to commemorate the occasion. But how do you know the type of lapel pin to choose? Read on to find out!
Lapel pins have a history in the United States dating back to the Civil War. However, the techniques used to make the pins have existed for thousands of years.
Ancient Egyptians used enamel to decorate pottery and jewelry, with evidence of this was found buried with mummies in tombs at the time. Researchers agree that the Ancient Egyptians founded this cloisonne technique, and from there, other Western countries as well as China and Japan incorporated it into their own decorations.
As for the United States, all soldiers in the Civil War, whether from the Union or the Confederacy, wore lapel pins to differentiate between the sides. Then, by World War I, pins became signifiers for different honors and awards in the military.
In recent history, pins have made a comeback in the fashion world. Since 2014, there has been what some have called a "pin revival," as indie artists began to manufacture pins with hundreds upon thousands of different designs.
You can find pins with the traditional flags, plants, foods, emojis, cartoon characters, words, and phrases - just about anything you can imagine. The fashion craze even led to New York City's first Pin and Patch show, where around 2,000 people came to view a gallery full of them.
Soft enamel is one of the most popular styles of lapel pin. The most notable feature of a soft enamel pin is the raised metal edges that create a unique texture.
All pins start with a mold, but with soft enamel, we add an outer layer of metal to the base. You may also add color to the metal plating depending on the pin's design.
Next, we fill in the metal mold about halfway with enamel. This is what makes the edges of the pin raised. Afterward, we bake the pin in an oven to set the enamel.
Unlike soft enamel, hard enamel pins are smooth to the touch. This is because, in the manufacturing process, we overfill the mold with enamel.
You color the enamel and then bake. We repeat this process for each color in the pin design. Then, we polish the layers down so the design is smooth with no raised edges.
Last comes the electroplating. We place shiny metals over the design to give a hard enamel pin its glossy finish.
Die struck pins have the most classic look. These mono-color pins are cast with copper or brass. These softer metals allow for more detailed designs to be stamped into the mold.
Die struck pins are made through the same process as hard or soft enamel pins, they simply don't use enamel paint. This makes the production process faster than other types of pins.
Offset printed pins allow for the most color and detail in your design.
First, we cut a piece of metal into the shape of your lapel pin, but the metal is left completely smooth. Then, we apply a base color to the pin. The design you choose is offset printed with a UV printer and adhered to the base. Finally, we apply an epoxy coating to keep the pin scratch resistant and looking shiny and smooth.
These lapel pins also have a quick production time because the metal requires no etching.
Quick pins are just what they sound like - pins that are manufactured and shipped out as fast as possible. These pins are suitable for any type of event and can get to your doorstep in less than a week.
We offer free shipping on our quick pins so there is no added stress on needing your custom orders fast.
There are many lapel pin options to choose from - so how do you know which is the right product for your event? Most of the time, it comes down to the complexity of your unique design and your personal preferences. But we do have some tips to narrow down the options for you.
Soft and hard enamel pins are the most popular options. They are made in similar ways, and they both allow for vibrant colors and the same amount of detail. However, if you prefer a textured feel, soft is the better bet - hard enamel will always be smooth.
Soft enamel is cheaper than hard enamel to produce, but hard enamel is available in smaller sizes.
Die struck pins are perfect for achievement or award pins, as they look like little trophies you can wear. With their recessed, sandblasted backgrounds and polished and raised surfaces, these pins keep things simple, classy, and official.
Offset printed pins are the fastest to produce and have the cheapest costs. If you need your pins as soon as possible, this is the way to go. They are also perfect if your design is complex and contains a lot of colors.
We hope that with this guide, you understand the difference between all the lapel pins available to order.
We here at MetalPromo are always available to help you choose the best custom design for your special event. Click here to receive a pricing quote on your order today!
In today’s world, it’s not enough to have a killer app and offer customers excellent service. You must find ways to stand out from the rest of the pack and become memorable for potential customers.
With so many businesses competing for attention and recognition, you need to find ways to make your brand unique. One way is by sending out branded swag at conferences and events or even creating your own event to market your services.
Proper branding is essential in any business, especially when launching an event or conference company. From websites and logos to branded clothing, company swag has become crucial in building brands easily recognizable by consumers.
In this blog post, we take an in-depth look at current trends in event management software (EMS), event technology hardware solutions, such as screens, video conferencing solutions, virtual reality (VR) headsets, and company swag trends in 2022.
Branded conference swag is a great way to promote your brand and make people stand out at events. This doesn’t just apply to business owners, either—anyone attending a conference can use these items to show their support for the brands they like!
Besides helping you to stand out at events, company swag can also help you to build your brand and make your company more memorable. If your logo appears on a high-quality tote bag or lapel pin, people will be able to recognize your brand whenever they see it in the future.
When you’re trying to build a new brand, getting lost in the shuffle can be easy.
Made from various materials, lapel pins can be used for events, conferences, sporting events, and more. They come in multiple colors and designs so that you can choose many styles.
Classic company logo pins design is the pinback button. These are budget-friendly and can be created with different colors, fabrics, and designs.
Another popular lapel pin is the clutch or locking pin designed to stay on your clothing. These lapel pins are great for more significant events to ensure your pin stays in place.
A lapel pin is an excellent tool to make a statement.
Tote bags are another classic piece of swag. They can be used for everything from grocery shopping to taking books back and forth to school.
They come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, so you have the option of using them for different types of events. Tote bags are a great way to show off your brand and help customers keep their groceries fresh and their books clean and safe.
If you plan to give out tote bags at an event, make sure you have your brand name and logo visible so people can see them. Tote bags are excellent for various events, including conferences, fundraisers, and trade shows.
They’re practical and can be used again and again.
New technology is changing the face of event marketing and company swag trends in 2022. With new innovations and inventions hitting the market, many new tech items can be used as promotional items.
Here are a few examples of new technology items that can be used for swag.
Virtual reality headsets: Virtual reality headsets are a great way to get customers to experience your brand in a new and unique way.
They can be used to offer company tours, walkthroughs of your products, movie trailers, and more.
Augmented reality: Augmented reality can be used for a wide range of events, including conferences and product launches.
You can use augmented reality to give customers a unique and engaging experience that helps them to better understand your brand.
Artificial intelligence: Artificial intelligence speakers can be used to play messages, give updates, and more.
They are a great way to keep your customers informed and engaged with your brand.
Internet of Things: The Internet of Things can be used to create a unique and engaging experience for customers at events.
You can create games, offer prizes, and use IoT devices.
These can help serve water, coffee, or even alcohol at events. This can be especially useful if you’re hosting an event that lasts a few hours.
There are many drinkware options, from mugs to tumblers and more. You can choose different drinkware types depending on the event you’re hosting.
For example, you may want to choose paper cups if you’re hosting a significant event that will last a couple of hours.
If you’re hosting a short event where guests will leave shortly after, you may want to select plastic logo-branded cups.
Wellness products, such as fitness trackers, nutrition supplements, and more, are great for event swag. They are also something that many attendees will use in their daily lives, making them an excellent marketing tool.
There are many wellness products you can hand out at events, including vitamins, fitness trackers, nutrition supplements, health bars, and more.
You can also choose to hand out wearable devices, such as health and fitness trackers, that can be useful for people in their daily lives.
From conferences to trade shows, there is a wide range of apparel items that you can choose from. You can choose many types of apparel items to create custom company swag.
You can choose from shirts, jackets, bags, and more. You can also choose to create custom apparel with your company’s logo and name.
As you can see, there are many options for company swag. From augmented reality tech items to lapel pins, there are tons of company swag you can try out.
Speaking of lapel pins are you searching for a company that can help bring your company swag ideas to life? Stop what you're doing and get a price quote from Metal Promo before your next event.
Competition is getting crazy. More than 270,000 American businesses exported goods out of the United States. Millions of other businesses were focused inside the United States, selling goods to other Americans.
This makes marketing so important. You have to follow marketing tips that help your business stand out, regardless of what your business is. One way you can make yourself distinct is through lapel pins.
How can you learn how to design a lapel pin? How can you use pins to create solidarity within your company? How can you use them for brand awareness?
Answer these questions and you can find simple yet profound ways to distinguish yourself from competitors. Here are five marketing tips you can follow with lapel pins.
Color psychology refers to how colors can impact a person's mood and behaviors. When you are marketing with lapel pins, you need to consider the impact of colors on the viewer. You want to find colors that will create feelings that reflect well back on your organization.
Red is the traditional color of romantic love and passion. It also indicates dominance and power, making it a good choice for the pins of high-ranking figures. You should bear in mind that red signs indicate hazards, so seeing red may deter some people.
Blue is a color that can summon feelings of peace and tranquility. Yet it has associations with sadness and loneliness.
White and black are not common choices for pins. They can be too stark, and a black pin is difficult to see on a black lapel. But white is emblematic of peacefulness while black can signify boldness and power, so they may be effective choices.
Giving the same pin to everyone in your organization can create solidarity. Everyone is at the same level and feels like they are a unified team. Someone seeing several people with the same pin will be reminded of your organization and encouraged to work with you.
Yet you are not obligated to give the same pin to everyone. If your organization has several groups within it, you can give different pins to each group.
For an authority figure, you can give a pin with an element on it that indicates an authority. You can give a pin with a crown on it to your boss.
If you have an educational organization with multiple grades in it, you can have a number that indicates each grade. People in their first year can receive a pin with the number one on it.
You can also make different types of lapel pins. Soft enamel pins can have a more textured surface while hard enamel pins can resemble jewelry. Choosing the type of lapel pin can make all the difference!
Creating a ceremony out of handing out your custom lapel pins will give your pins a layer of meaning. It can also help with creating brand awareness. Someone who sees the ceremony may want to work with you because they see you care about your employees.
You don't have to be elaborate about your ceremony. You can hand your pin to the recipient with your left hand and shake their hand with your right hand.
But you can get more extravagant. You can give a speech about the recipient before you hand the pin to them. This is a good idea when you are presenting a pin to an important person.
If you want to turn your reward ceremony into a marketing opportunity, you should broadcast it. You can stream it on Facebook and other social media platforms. You can reward loyal customers or volunteers with pins as well.
A pin is a small award. Someone who receives one after years of work may not feel the true weight of the gift. Consider packaging the pin with another object. You can give an important employee a plaque and a pin.
You can place the pin inside a special box. When the recipient is not wearing it, they can place it in the box and store it on a shelf. This has a practical purpose and it makes the pin seem important.
Feel free to sell a few pins together in a small package. You can also sell a pin alongside a hat or another object with your company logo on it. When the customer sees the pin or hat, they will remember your organization.
You can use lapel pins to help with broad and long-term marketing campaigns. Whenever you have a group of employees in an advertisement, the employees should wear your pins.
You don't have to call attention to the pins if you don't want to. A wide shot that shows everyone wearing your pins is enough to show them off. Someone looking at the visual may feel like your employees have solidarity and corporate pride.
Try to incorporate the visuals of your pins in other parts of your advertisements. If your pin has one important color, you should feature that color in your company logo and background choices. When a customer sees the color, they will remember your company right away.
There are several marketing tips you should follow when you are using lapel pins. You should find colors that draw out qualities about your organization.
If your organization has different groups, create a custom pin for each one. Make handing out the pins a ceremony that makes the recipient feel important.
You can hand out plaques in addition to pins. Have the pins be an important visual in your advertisements.
You're not on your own when you're looking for great pins. MetalPromo provides premium pins at low prices. Get your price quote today.
Where Can You Find High-Quality Lapel Pins? A Closer Look
Finding high-quality lapel pins can be hard if you don't know what to look for. Keep reading and learn where to look here.
Although the process of applying enamel inlay to metal artwork goes back thousands of years, it may surprise you to know that the history of the lapel pin isn't that recent either. The earliest examples of work that could be considered quality lapel pins come from somewhere between the 13th and 14th centuries, in China.
Things haven't changed a lot throughout the centuries, either. Many lapel pins still come from China.
But if you want to find the best lapel pins, it's a good idea to know what to look for, and where to look. Read on to learn everything you need to know.
Choose Your Supplier Wisely
There are a lot of enamel pin suppliers out there.. It means you have many options when it comes to ordering your pins, whether it's for your business, your club, organization, or even personal collecting.
But it also means that it can be challenging to know whether a given supplier is the real deal or not. In order to find a reputable supplier, check out their customer reviews to review real customer experiences. Another smart idea would be to check out previous work in their image gallery or on their social media channels.
Know Your Supplier's Policies
Before you submit your order, you should also know all of the policies your supplier has for the process. If you're purchasing custom lapel pins, you should know ahead of time how many revisions to the design you're entitled to, and also what return policies exist.
Many companies won't accept returns on custom orders, so make sure you understand all of the policies and how to make sure you're satisfied with your purchase.
Hard Enamel or Soft Enamel
One key question to ask yourself when you consider your lapel pin purchase is whether you want hard enamel or soft enamel pins. Some suppliers specialize in one method over the other, and some suppliers offer both. The criteria for a high-quality soft enamel pin are different from what you should look for in a hard enamel lapel pin, as well.
Soft enamel products tend to have more texture, because of the way that the enamel is applied and cured. The colored enamel fills in the recesses on the pin so that the colors don't mingle, and the result is that the edges of the design stand out more clearly.
You can feel the outlines and recesses on the design, which is one reason that people prefer soft enamel for certain pins.
Hard enamel receives a gentle grinding over the surface, which results in a smooth finish with no ridges from the outlines of the recesses. For certain materials, like silver and gold, hard enamel is the best choice.
Die-Struck and Die-Cast
Other lapel pin options include die-struck pins and die-cast, both of which can be enamel products. Die-struck pins are made by using a machine to put a huge amount of pressure on a piece of metal, molding it without heating it very much. The pressure forces the metal into the correct shape for the design, and from there the piece can receive the enamel finish.
Die-casting involves melting down the metal and pouring it into a mold, letting it cool before applying enamel or other decorative touches.
For die-struck pieces, look for a crisp, clear definition of the design, and for higher density. Die-cast lapel pins should be clear of blisters, cracks, and flow marks.
Keep Budget in Mind
Budget is always an important factor in any purchase, but it's important to keep mindful of the many upgrade options available when it comes to quality lapel pins. You should have an idea of the range of prices for the type of quality lapel pin you are wanting to make for your pin order.
Upgrade options can really enhance your custom lapel pin. Upgrade options range from plating option, glitter enamel, glow in the dark, and even show stopping blinkers! Just keep in mind that the more upgrades you add to your custom quality lapel pin, the more the price will increase. Another note worth mentioning about pins is that you can actually save money by ordering more lapel pins! Buying 100 pins may estimate at about $3.00+ per pin but if you buy 300 that price drops to $1.95 per pin!
Keep your budget in mind, but understand that quality and durability is more important than the lowest price.
Put a Premium on Shipping
Once you've ordered your lapel pins, you will want to receive them as quickly as possible. So before you pull the trigger, make sure you understand what the shipping options are, and how they'll work for you.
Most quality lapel pin suppliers can offer competitive shipping rates since they do a high volume of shipping and get a discount. Depending on what you want your lapel pins for, choose the shipping type that keeps your purchase secure, while still getting it to you quickly. We, at MetalPromo, offer priority shipping FREE of charge!
Get The Most out of Your Lapel Pin Purchase
By knowing what to look for and where to look for quality lapel pins, you can get the most out of your purchase and know that you'll enjoy your pin for years to come. Lapel pins are a great marketing tool, as well as a handy and creative way to celebrate your organization, a major victory, or any number of other causes.
Check out what you can do with custom lapel pins and more!
