Have you ever taken a closer look at the badges placed on the uniforms of military people?
They are a kind of enamel pins and have their own significance. After seeing them, the thought of having one might surely have popped into your mind. These days, these emblems are used for various purposes. You can apply them for decorating clothes, supporting a team, or even for promotional purposes.
And you know what’s impressive is that you can also design one on your own. And for this mission, we are here to guide you. In this article, we will discuss all the necessary steps to consider for designing an enamel pin badge. So keep reading.
Create To Attract: How To Design Enamel Pin Badges
Whenever we sit to craft something, there are a few things that we must have to keep in mind.
And the same is the case with creating artwork for these emblems. You have two options: first, to bring your imaginary custom badges to life. And the second is to take inspiration from the internet. For both, you have to pass through some stages. So, let’s explore what they are.
Construct The Artwork Of Your Badges
The first thing you must do is compose an artwork on a designing software.
So, research to gather some inspirations and merge them to create your personalized artwork. Or you can draw the idea that is on your mind. But make sure to take care of a few things while designing one.
Keep It Simple
As we all are aware, these pins are a small canvas to work on. Thus, adding many elements to them can make a mess.
So, it is suggested to keep your design simple. Use a few lines to showcase your idea, and opt for fewer shades so they don’t mix up.
Choose Bold Lines And Strong Colors
As these decorative pieces are smaller in size, adding lighter colors and lines wouldn’t make the artwork prominent and appealing to the eyes.
Thus, it is recommended to use the bold lines and fonts. You can play with contrasting colors and brighter pigments to make your artwork captivating from a distance.
Avoid Shading
As you will be working on a small canvas, you won’t get the space to add shading to it.
And with a few colors segmented with bold lines, it is impossible to add. Thus, it is advised not to do that as you wouldn’t get the expected results and to save the manufacturer’s time.
Now that your artwork is ready, it’s time to choose a material for your badge.
Pick The Material Which Suits You
There are various materials from which enamel pins are made, like gold, copper, silver, iron, and even plastic. So you can choose the ones which come under your budget. But all of these types are categorized into two main kinds: hard and soft pins. Let’s have a view of the difference between them.
Hard Enamel Pins
These emblems possess a smooth and hard finish. They consist of thin metal lines to separate the colors. These enamel pin badges are made of die-struck iron metals produced by heating under high temperatures. After that, they get polished to create a smoother appearance.
Soft Enamel Pins
These pins are distinct from the hard ones as they possess textured surfaces. As a result, you can add more details to them. And what’s amazing is that they cost less. They are also made up of die-struck iron metal, but they are electroplated and sometimes pass through epoxy coating. Due to this reason, they have a thinner look than the hard ones.
These are the two types from which you can select one according to your needs and pocket. Now it’s time to choose the back of your enamel pins.
Decide The Pin-Backs You Want
When it comes to the selection of your badge backing, you have various options to choose from. Each of them have their own properties and qualities. For your ease, we have listed a few of them below.
- Butterfly Pin-Back ( are secure and comes in silver and golden color)
- Rubber Pin Back (has a comfortable texture and comes in various color options)
- Locking Pin Back ( comfortable, smooth design, a little expensive but worth it)
- Safety Pin ( handy ones and are cheaper in price than others)
You can pick from any of them, but keep the longevity, price, and other various elements in mind. After you select the perfect backing for your pins, it’s time to examine which size will suit you.
Select The Right Size
By this time, we are sure that you have your design in your hands, so it’s vital to choose its size as well. For this element, you have to keep the purpose of designing the enamel pin badges in mind.
Whether you are designing them for pasting on a cap or on the front of your shirt, you have to keep the size of it according to that. For instance, just like you, pick a smaller size of embroidered badges for the collars and bigger ones for the back or arms. The same is the case with these pins as well.
- Smaller badges are of the size between 0.75-1.25 inches
- Larger ones can be bigger than 1.25 inches
But the cost of these pins depends on their size, not on the artwork. So, if you are thinking of ordering in bulk, then go for the smaller size. Till now, your enamel pins design is ready to submit to the manufacturer.
Conclusion
This is all it takes to hope to get an enamel pin badge and to actually have it.
We have covered every step precisely so you will not miss any essential element. By designing your own artwork, you will get two benefits: it will save your manufacturing costs, and you will get the design of your dreams. So whether you want to use them for promotion or for decorating your garments, they will do their job perfectly.
Additionally, it is recommended to choose a reliable and experienced enamel badge manufacturer who can offer you the same results as you want. Or else, what’s the purpose?
So what are you waiting for? Bring out your imagination to live and show off your cute and funky enamel pin badges.