20 Great Button Badge Design Ideas - Part 4

In the final part of our guide to button badge design we look at identity, membership, and using 'cuteness' in your design.

#16 Come on You <insert sports team>

Showing support for a team is an impulse that many of us share. Whether it be football or basketball or synchronised swimming, wearing the team colours in badge form is a great way to cheer on your favourites.

And of course the rationale works the other way too. If you run a club or are involved with a sports team and you want to foster a supportive fanbase, then a great approach is to use badges! Whether you use them to raise funds for the club through sales or give them away to reward your supporters, badges will be ever popular among recipients.

If you really want to maximise interest for your team, you might want to consider ‘collectability’. Fans love collecting – why not have a different badge for each of your star players, or badges to commemorate specific important fixtures? Your fans will enjoy the challenge of completing the collection, while your club maximises revenue: a rare win-win situation.

#17 Too Cute

Can something be too cute? If candyfloss is your thing, can it be too sweet?

One way to make sure your badges are super popular is to pump up the cuteness. Not simple to define, but think of babies, animals and baby animals, and you will be in the right zone.

Human beings are simple creatures at heart, and something within us all can’t help responding to a pair of big eyes, a fluffy coat or a wagging tail. And if you are a cynical marketing hack you can exploit this to your advantage. Think of puppies in toilet roll commercials or talking babies advertising sugary treats for adults.

#18 Punk is not Dead

The punk involvement in the history of badges is well documented.

In 1976 as the first wave of the punk explosion was starting to be felt, London based manufacturer Better Badges was started by Joly MacFie, a former member of Hawkwind and a mover within the countercultural currents of the time. Initially working from the kitchen table of Python Eric Idle, MacFie began what would become an enduring connection between pin badges and punk.

Better Badges sold its first punk badges at a Ramones show at the Roundhouse in London, after which a regular stand was taken up at the venue. The principles of the new badge making outfit sat squarely in line with the ethos of punk, with the badges serving as a diy communication method outside of the constraints of traditional media. The company was a part of the punk movement as much as of the bands themselves. Employees at Better Badges included a young Neneh Cherry.

Over the ensuing 7 years Better Badges made millions of badges as an established part of the punk and post-punk music scenes. To this day the relationship between punks and badges remains strong!

In 2016 an exhibition showcasing the output of Better Badges was held at 80 Washington Square East, NYU, and was previewed in the guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2016/dec/14/punk-pins-badges-1970s-music-patti-smith-clash

#19 Members Only

Identification is still a primary use for button badges. The range of sizes available allow them to hold organisation or company logos, and because each badge can be personalised they can also work as low-cost name badges.

When designing a name badge, an important decision to make is the balance between the prominence of the logo and the prominence of the name.

Think about the practical usage of the badges – is it more important that wearers are identified as part of the organisation, or is it more important that their name can be easily read? The answer will differ depending on the specific situation.

Generally when used for identification a larger size of badge is preferable. The most popular choices are 70x45mm rectangle or 58mm diameter circle.

#20 Be Square

Not all button badges are round these days. If you want to think outside of the box, you can starting thinking square!

The circle is the traditional shape of the badge, but there is no need to be constrained to a round shape when square button badges exist. Switching to a square allows for a whole new design aesthetic.

The square shape is particularly popular with artists, who often find it easier to translate their original designs to a square than to a circle. But squares are for everyone, let your imagination run free!