How to Choose Custom Name Badges for Your Company

Name badges are very important for just about any company where your staff needs to interact with members of the general public, or with regular visitors and guests. These badges can help break the ice and make those customers and clients more comfortable when speaking with your staff, and they can also help visitors find someone on your staff when they need assistance. Badges can also work as marketing materials, since you may have room to add a slogan, website, or something more than just a name! When you're ready to shop for custom name badges, note a few features to consider so you know you get the right choice for your company and your staff.

Pin versus clip or lanyard

A pinned badge is more secure and stays put, whereas a lanyard or neck chain might get in the way when someone is working; a clip can also get yanked off easily while someone is stacking items, clearing tables, and the like. However, if your staff wears their own clothes instead of a uniform, they may not appreciate having to pin something onto a shirt. A clip or lanyard is then a better choice for them.

Lanyards and chains are also a good choice when your staff may need a security key card, as it makes it easy to incorporate both their name, photo I.D., and security stripe onto one card that they can easily access when entering locked areas.

Material and size

You may think that a laminated badge you make in the office looks a bit cheap, but consider your employee turnover rate. If you go through employees quite often, permanent materials like wood or metal for your name badges can be a mistake. You might be able to reuse badges with common names like John or Rachel, but eventually you'll need to keep making up new badges for employees with unique names. For long-term employees, including officers of the company or management personnel whom you know may stick with you for some time, you might invest in engraved plastic or wood; otherwise, stick to affordable laminate badges that you can replace easily.

Another consideration as to material is if the badge will be a keepsake for the person wearing it. Security and police personnel, emergency personnel, medical staff, and even those who are with a company long-term may want to keep their badges after leaving. In those cases, consider a metal that will hold up to lamination as well as a shape and size that will be good for display.