Custom metal pins are a good way to promote your brand or product. Nowadays, most businesses, especially startups, use custom-designed products such as metal pins, badges, caps, and t-shirts for marketing. Promotional products are cheaper and give creatives the freedom to work their magic.
Metal pins are cheap and durable. They are also good collectibles for people who like saving their stuff. If you are a business owner or creative, designing custom metal pins is an excellent idea. In this guide, we share handy tips to consider when making custom metal pins.
Develop a Design
The first step is to come up with a design idea. This step will involve choosing the right colors that you want on your metal pins. Also, choose the right font that will complement the design and colors.
Remember, you have little working space. It is essential to keep the design clean and avoid putting too much information. Using a mix of different colors and colliding fonts will make the design noisy. Moreover, it would not be noticeable and most people will not get the message you are trying to pass on.
You can hire a professional designer to help you develop the prototype. The designer will also help you choose the right colors and font based on the best UI/UX practices. Another option is to look for a metal pins manufacturer with a team of in-house designers.
The in-house designers will help you during the design stage or fine-tune your existing design by adding a professional. One good thing about choosing this route is that it is free, which is a plus if you don’t have enough cash to hire professional designers.
Don’t stick to one design, especially if you want to reach a wide customer base. You can also get inspiration from Rocket Badge metal pins that are present in the market. However, add your company’s or brand’s touch to the design.
Choose the Right Metal
When choosing the right metal for your pins, consider cost and durability. Various metals can be used for making pins and badges. Zinc alloys, copper, iron, and aluminum are the most commonly used metals for making pins.
From our research, we found out that zinc alloy is the go-to choice for most metal pin manufacturers. On the other hand, iron is also a good pick for designing metal pins with a 2-D design.
We recommend going with zinc as it gives you more room to explore all creative options. Zinc is perfect for developing metal pins with 3-D designs. Moreover, it is easy to shape because it is soft and very malleable.
After the design, you can choose from the various polishing options to add a touch of class to the pins. Besides that, the metal can be either micro or electro-plated to add extra color.
Choose a Good Manufacturer
Everything from your design to the metal of choice can be perfect, but shoddy workmanship will ruin everything. Take time to find the best metal pin manufacturer in your city or state. Make sure you read reviews from past clients.
In addition, check out some of the brands they have worked with before. This information will give you a clearer picture of what to expect. In addition, ask for a quote before you engage the manufacturer for their services.
Don’t forget to review the contract terms. Focus more on the delivery times and payment terms. Most companies will offer a full refund if the delivery is late or the quality is substandard.
Get a Sample
The manufacturer will develop a few prototypes for you to review. At this point, we encourage you to involve your clients or employees before giving the green light for massive production. If you notice any issues with the pin, you can send it back for corrections.
This stage is essential if you have a wide target market. Create multiple designs that will sync with the demands of your customers. For example, designs influenced by cartoon characters can be timeless and will resonate with people from different age groups.
Bottom Line
Custom metal pins can be used to market your brand. The tips shared in this guide will help you make the best metal pins in the market. You can use the pins for promotional events such as trade fairs.
It is also important to have a budget set before you start making the pins. Also, know how many pins you want, especially if you are making them to celebrate a specific event, say an anniversary. Size is also important. Making the pins too big may make them look awkward. On the other hand, small pins will limit the space you have for placing your logo and other necessary information.
