Lanyards are something that are now seen in almost every walk of life. Many staff members and visitors wear them, and they can be a great way to promote your business. Not only can they serve a useful function, such as carrying identity cards, but they can also be personalised in any way that you like, giving you the chance to show off who you are and what you do to anyone who might see the lanyard or even take it home.
There are some great ways to maximise the promotion opportunities that a lanyard can offer, so here we have put together our top tips that you can use when it comes to designing your business lanyards.
1. Choose your colour carefully
The straps that make up a lanyard can be almost any colour under the sun, so it is important to choose wisely. You might want to use the main colour of your brand, but there are other tactics that you can employ when it comes to choosing your shades.
You might want to vary the colour of your lanyards to differentiate between people. For staff lanyards this might denote who works in each department, but for events, it can help to show who has paid for certain access, such as a VIP, or who can claim certain things. This can help to promote the options that you are offering, as visitors who see the other lanyards might be tempted to upgrade.
It is also important to think about the psychology of different colours and how they fit in with what you do. For example, would you be better suited to natural colours of green or brown, do you need a passionate red, or the light blue of peace and creativity. You should avoid just picking the colour that looks good and think carefully about what it means, as this can say a lot about your business.
2. Think about the space
Once you know what the background of your lanyard will look like, you then need to think about what else you put on it, and this will largely be dictated by the space that you have available. Whilst the sizes of lanyards can vary, the majority will be between half an inch and an inch wide, meaning that you do not have much to play with.
You therefore need to be very selective about what you put onto your lanyard if you want to be sure that it will be both eye catching and easy to read. You also need to think about the length of the lanyard, so you know how many times your design will be repeated or if you want something that goes all the way around.
As the space on a lanyard is fairly limited, it is usually considered best to keep it simple. If you try and fill such a small space with too much, it might become difficult to see what it is, and the impact will be lost. A straightforward and clean design will translate well into this kind of space and will still look modern and professional.
3. Be font sensitive
The font that you choose for your lanyard is also very important, as this will affect its readability. A script-like style might look pretty, but it can sometimes be hard to read, meaning that your message, business name or web address could get lost in translation.
When creating a design for the first time, it can be easy to get a little carried away, and this can over-complicate things. Remember that less is more and try to avoid using more than one or two fonts, as this will make it easier to read and look more professional. If your logo has a specific font in it and you want to include a strapline as well, try to do this in the same font or with one in a contrasting style to help make the distinction between the two.
4. Provide some contrast
Contrasting colours can be really effective in making things stand out, so go for things from opposite sides if you really want your lanyard to be noticed. If you text or logo has a gradient or different light and dark areas, then try including an outline to help it stand out from its background.
5. Think about your audience
When designing your lanyard, it is important to think about whose neck it will be hanging around. Understanding whether you are designing a lanyard for a festival goer, or a corporate business event will help you to come up with a design that suits the wearer and the context, making it something they are happy to be seen in.
You also need to think about what the purpose of your lanyard it before you consider designing it. Are you intending it to be for a specific function, is it meant to be promotional or are you fundraising for something? When you understand what they lanyard is there for, you can plan a design around it.
6. Be different
Most lanyards have a coloured background with a business name and a website, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do something a little bit different with yours. Depending on the purpose of the lanyard, you might want to include something witty, or even a question that gets people thinking, as this can make your lanyard a collector’s item, meaning that it hangs around desks and homes for much longer than it might ordinarily have done.
7. What will it hold?
Most lanyards are there to hold badges of some sort, but yours doesn’t have to. It could hold something useful for your event, like a bottle of hand sanitiser, a USB drive, a flashlight or even a whistle. The possibilities really are endless.
A lanyard might seem like a simple thing, but the design of it still needs a lot of careful thought. When you get this right, it can be an extremely important tool in your marketing strategy.
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