Building a better name badge
Cindy at AE on the Verge hit one of my hot buttons with this post about the unreadability of name badges. I don’t know when the super-long lanyard became standard, but it does make it downright impossible at times to see the badge. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not real comfortable with staring intently at someone’s chest to try to catch a glimpse as it plays peek-a-boo with a jacket.
Mike offers the “socially optimized badge, which is a step in the right direction, but still not there yet. I like one of his commenter’s suggestions to just do away with the badges and print everyone’s name and affiliation on show t-shirts–not only does this get rid of the badge problem, but it also makes it easier to figure out what to wear (sort of like school uniforms, eh?). But somehow, I doubt this will fly for most conferences (though if the shirt is cool enough, who knows? I loved the shirts Canada was giving away at PCMA this year, and am kicking myself for not stopping by to snag one for myself).
I’m up for ideas on badge reform–what can we do to make a better name badge?
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:06 am
Chuckling at this bec. I teach all the groups I train the word ‘pupik’, Yiddish for belly button .. which is where many badges on lanyards reside. Thus, I suggest that people raise the lanyard so it hits just above one’s breast area - it is the perfect place to read it.
1) Make the type MUCH bigger .. tho’ as an aging Boomer w/ aging eyes, I think all should wear sandwich boards with our names .. so that badges are easier to see.
2) Clips(unlike pins) do not damage clothing - why did we move away from them except for sponsorships-on-lanyard opportunities? Clipped on one’s right side, a badge is much easier read. I’ve been able to clip on badges to clothing w/o lapels.
3) Get the cool magnetic ring that you, Sue, told us all about some years ago and for which I can’t find the URL. Unless one wears a pacemaker, it should not be a problem and they are GREAT conversation starters.
Hope others have great(er) ideas.
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:09 am
I like Seth Godin’s take on it (took some digging to find this) http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/02/name_tags.html
January 28th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
The easy solution is to go go RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). There is a small chip imbeded in the badge that you can “scan” from 2-3′ away. With the right software it eliminates the need to “scan” anyone’s chest or other areas, creating that often uncomfortable feeling.
January 29th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Well I agree with part of his article on badge size, one of the problems is that you are dealing with sponsors who want their name BIG on the badge. Also, some conferences are building a Brand Name. So they want it larger.
If you are in a single hotel and the only group then conference name is not as important, but if you are in a large convention center with 4-10 different groups going on you want to be able to keep others out and your people in easily.
Another thing is that some groups want Name, Job Title, Company, City, State and some other code on the badge. It gets harder to fit all of that in on 72pt or even 48pt font. Absolute Minimun is 24pt for the name. It will be interesting to see how big the badge font is at MPI-PEC this weekend.
Last thing does anyone make 4×6 badge stock and holders? and trying to print them out would be very interesting.
January 31st, 2008 at 11:27 am
I am following this conversation with great interest. Laser Registration has been working on this exact issue! We are rolling out a new standard format for all of our conventions and tradeshows. We are slowly introducing new name badges that include several changes such as increasing the badge size (4×4) as well as the font and layout.
It is great to see this discussion - changes are on the way!
February 8th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Name badges and the ubiquity with which they are poorly executed have been a major pet peeve of mine for the 20 years I’ve been in this arena. The badges at MPI’s Professional Education Conference in Houston recently were an example of a “worst practice” for sure.
One day I am going to write a tune called “Name Badge Blues.” The rhythm is already in my head, I just have to get the words down. In the meantime I have a document called Name Badge Rant where I collect my complaints. Sadly, nearly every meeting I attend provides additional content for it.
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