The Anatomy of the Perfect Employee ID Badge

If you’re like most business owners, you probably don’t give a lot of thought to your company’s employee ID badges. Maybe you don’t even require your employees to wear identification cards. Either way, you don’t place a lot of importance on the ID badge, and that’s a huge mistake.

The truth is that identification cards are important for a number of reasons, including workplace safety, customer relations, and even branding. The right ID badges can help improve the safety at your workplace, making it easier to control who does and does not belong in certain areas of your facilities. ID badges are also important for customer relations as customers can easily spot employees when they need help, and it helps the customer connect better with the employee by instantly providing the worker’s name and other key information. You can even use your ID badges to spread important company messages, like a mission statement.

With all that said, how can you make sure your organization has employee ID cards that meet your needs?

Here are some of the components that should be in place in your ID cards.

• Quality card with the right features—First, let’s talk about the actual card itself. There are a few different things you need to consider when choosing the type of ID card you’re going to use. First, what material do you want to print on? Plastic cards are most commonly used for ID badges because of their quality and durability. Second, does the card need to be one-sided or two-sided? A double-sided card can allow you to put important information on the back or to add extra features. Finally, you need to consider what other features you want incorporated in your ID badges, such as barcodes, magnetic stripes, smart chips, or other security features.
• Solid design—Don’t underestimate the importance of the design of your ID badges. Remember, this is a piece of your branding. It needs to look good and reflect the right image for your company. More importantly, the design needs to be functional. Your ID badges should be laid out in a way that ensures simple communication of all important information. It should be easily readable by your customers. You may want to consider using different design features, such as card color, for different departments in your company, depending on the size of your organization.

• Your company logo—Again, your employee ID badges are marketing and branding pieces, so it’s important that your brand is represented clearly. Put your company logo on the ID badge, ensuring that it is consistent in color, font, and other details with the logo used on all other marketing materials. If you’re concerned about forgery of your ID cards, you could use advanced security features, such as a holographic overlay of the logo that is only visible when your card is turned at an angle.
• Employee photo—Including an employee photo on the ID badge helps ensure authenticity and security. This is a common feature on all important ID badges, from your driver’s license to your passport. Security is important, and it should never be overlooked. Create photo IDs for every employee in your company, and make sure they wear their badges at all times when at work.
• Employee personal information—Include the employee’s name and job title on their ID badge so they can be identified more easily by those within your company as well as your customers. Remember, you only have so much room on an ID badge, so you have to choose what employee information you print wisely. Only include the necessary information that serves a purpose.
• Corporate messaging—You could turn your employee ID cards into tools for marketing and publicity. For example, you might include your company’s tagline or mission statement on all ID badges. This is a simple and subtle way to promote your brand and spread your message.

Printing Your Own Employee ID Badges

Now that you know a little more about the basics of ID badge design, the only question left is how you’ll go about printing these cards for your employees. Investing in an ID card printer could be a smart investment for your organization.

With your own ID card printer, you can easily print up a new ID any time you hire a new employee or whenever an employee loses his or her badge. It also gives you the opportunity to easily test different badge designs to see which one works best for your organization.

There are all different types of ID card printers, from single-sided printers to dual-sided printers. Choose the one that fits your needs and your budget. Remember, it’s an investment in your brand and in the safety of your workplace, so choose wisely.

Bill Williams is the President and CEO of SafeCardIDs, an online provider of ID card printers, PVC badges and accessories. To learn more, visit SafeCardIDs.com.
Image courtesy adamagregory

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