Due to the complex nature of die-struck lapel pin manufacturing, novice designers and buyers often struggle when trying to comprehend the separation between base metal and paint. This creates frustration not only for the artist, but also the supplier.
Nobody wants to change your art or limit your creative vision. However designing pins, medals and coins requires you to understand metal finishing and the limitations associated with our manufacturing process. After all, making pins is very different from printing a business card. Furthermore, designers leave a lot of creative options on the table because they are unaware of the possibilities the base metal adds to the design.
In this article we've taken 3 pin designs and separated them the elements so you can see how we structure the design.
Coloured base metal is a relatively new development in our industry driven by artists and creatives. The gold/silver/bronze base metal options created a lot of issues with the artistic pins. It's also the hardest for people to "see" in your head when designing. We feel this is a super cool example because the artist used complimentary pink metal and pink enamel. Once you understand this example, you are on your way to "expert" status. We also have a video that shows you how they colour the metal.
This is a traditional looking lapel pin with classic antique gold electroplate.
This is a trendy yet simple logo pin design. This is a classic example of why you need to make text metal,instead of a colour. When you surround text with paint, it makes the design much easier to read.
Be sure to download our cheat sheet with offers you dozens of "best practices"