You see them every day and you may not even be consciously aware that you see them. They have been around for quite a while and are only increasing in popularity. They are the ubiquitous lapel pin.
Lapel pins are small and often colorful adornments worn by many people on jackets, hats, shirts, backpacks, and more. No longer are these types of personal decorations limited to the jewel encrusted precious metal brooches of the wealthy aristocratic class. Lapel pins are for everyone.
Using a pin to affix a decoration to a garment is not a new idea. For centuries, people have adorned themselves with everything from simple thorns to beautiful and rare shells, gems, and metals. But now, modern manufacturing techniques allow lapel pins to made cheaply and easily in great quantities and in virtually any form. This is great because lapel pins are everywhere and are only becoming more popular.
More Than Jewelry
A lapel pin can communicate many things beyond their base aesthetic appeal. They can show support for a cause. They can signify membership in an organization. A lapel pin might be a badge of achievement or a recognition of service. Lapel pins let individuals express themselves in unique and highly specific ways. You can show your sense of humor with a lapel pin or display your feelings. Often, they are simply a way to let other people know about your interests or hobbies. The immensely customizable lapel pin is quite a versatile way to communicate to the people around you. And another great thing is that because of their size, it’s easy to wear more than one!
Who Are They For?
Artists and Entrepreneurs
These are an item that have massive appeal to artists and people with an entrepreneurial spirit. For artists and designers they are a fantastic medium for displaying ideas and spreading creative joy. Turning a talent into a marketable product is fun and exciting. It is a low cost method for spreading brand awareness and letting your fans show their loyalty to your craft.
Since so many people are eager to grow their personal collections of great lapel pin artwork, these become highly desirable products for merchants and resellers too.
Pros:
- — Small. You can carry a deep inventory across a wide variety of designs and not occupy much space. An additional benefit of their size and weight is reduced shipping costs in both materials and postage.
- — Inexpensive. The more you order, the more you save! A primary cost component of lapel pins comes in creating the custom cast for each unique artwork. Lapel pins see significant drops in price for quantity increases in the production run. You can apply a substantial markup and these lapel pins will still be very affordable for your customers.
- — Variety. From stamped metal, to 3-D relief, to cloisonne enamel, there are a huge variety of ways to bring your artwork to life.
Cons:
- — Initial Investment. For an independent artist the initial cost can be a limiting factor. Since you will probably want to have multiple designs in your shop, you will need to have a way to finance your venture. One way to alleviate startup costs is to offer pre-orders or have crowd-funded designs.
- — Variety. Since there are virtually limitless options to what you can create, you will have to make some hard decisions on which designs make the cut.
Business and Organizations
Over that last couple decades, awareness pins for social causes have been very popular. A metal lapel pin is more attractive and durable than a ribbon and can be worn every day. And for organizations that need a more complex shape than a ribbon, a custom lapel pin is the perfect solution.
For businesses, lapel pins can be used within your company to boost morale and recognize excellence. They can also be used to promote your company to the world. Pair a pin with a product as a value-added supplement, or put your logo on a lapel pin to give away to visitors at trade shows and in your office.
Mysterious Affiliations and Secret Syndicates
Groups like The Illuminati need a subtle way to recognize other members in public without being too conspicuous. A lapel pin with a cryptic image or symbol is an excellent way to identify your peers before engaging them with the secret handshake or coded passphrase.
Our Lapel Pins
Are you hyped to start designing your very own lapel pins? So, maybe reading this has convinced you that lapel pins are right for your needs. The next step is to decide what kind of pin you want to create. We have many options from which to choose. The following will give a summary of each type of pin with a link to the page where you can order your pins.
We offer:
- — Value Die Struck Custom Lapel Pins
- — Custom Lapel Pins with Hard Enamel Color Fills
- — Polished + Matte Boulevard Series Custom Lapel Pins
- — Classic Raised Metal with Epoxy Lapel Pins
- — Antiqued Custom Die Struck Lapel Pins
- — Full Color Graphic Die Cut Custom Lapel Pins
- — 3D Custom Shaped Lapel Pins
Value Die Struck Custom Lapel Pins
These custom shaped lapel pins are our most economical choice to get you started. They provide unbeatable value in a 100% custom shaped solid metal pin with soft enamel color fills. Color fills are genuine enamel and are Pantone color matched. It is no surprise that these are our most popular choice with their combination of quality and value. The lapel pin is created to match your exact design specifications.
On these lapel pins that the enamel color fill sits below the raised metal areas.
Three polished metal plating options are available for these pins: nickel, brass, and copper. Up to four colors are included in the price of the pin.
Custom Lapel Pins With Hard Enamel Color Fills
These are premium hard enameled custom shaped lapel pins, and feature the beauty and quality matched only by the time-honored process of Cloisonné. When we create a custom lapel pin with durable hard enamel the color fill is flush with the metal. This gives your pin a clean, refined look. These lapel pins are very high quality with a premium solid brass base plated with genuine gold, silver, or copper.
At this point you may be wondering about the difference between soft enamel and hard enamel. A quick explanation:
Soft Enamel -- the color enamel is added in a single fill to the color area and then kiln fired to cure the enamel. You will notice how it clings to the barriers in a gentle curve, but still rests below the raised metal.
Hard Enamel -- the same process is applied but the enamel is refilled in layers until the enamel and metal are level enough that they can be polished into a flush, smooth surface. These are also fired at higher temperatures to further harden the enamel.
Polished & Matte Boulevard Series Custom Lapel Pins
Our elegant Polished + Matte Boulevard Series custom lapel pins provide very sharp detail and beautiful contrasting relief with high polish raised areas and recessed areas that feature a textured matte finish. The result is a very clean and distinctive ornate look. These lapel pins are available in the same premium brass base with plating options including silver, genuine gold, and copper. Premium hard enamel colors can be added to our Boulevard pins if your design calls for an accent color.
Classic Raised Metal with Epoxy Lapel Pins
This custom lapel pin is an enhanced version of our Value Die Struck pins. They feature the same custom shaped metal base with metal plating of your choice. They also get the same soft enamel color fills, but they then are finished with a layer of clear epoxy. The epoxy gives the enamel colors a rich saturated appearance and acts as a protective layer. Like the value pins, these are 100% custom shaped and can match your Pantone color scheme.
Antiqued Custom Die Struck Lapel Pins
The antiqued metal custom shaped lapel pins provide exceptionally crisp and sharp detail, accentuated with beautiful contrasting relief. The raised areas are burnished to be shades brighter, and the recessed areas hold a darker antiqued appearance. The contrasting combination results in a very clean and distinctive elegant look. These lapel pins are available in antiqued metal platings that include brass, genuine gold, silver, and copper. Soft enamel color fills are also available for designs that call for accent colors.
Full Color Graphic Die Cut Custom Lapel Pins
Among our most versatile lapel pins, the full color printed pins allow any logo, design or even photograph to be recreated perfectly regardless of colors or complexity — and without the need for fine metal lines around each and every color. We can produce them with a fine stainless steel border or the graphic can go edge to edge. As with all of our lapel pins, they can be made in any custom shape desired. A protective layer of epoxy protects the surface, adds depth and gloss, and completes the look. In terms of flexibility and low cost, these are virtually impossible to beat, and when you want a full color graphic, they are the clear and perfect choice.
3D Custom Shaped Lapel Pins
Our amazingly detailed 3-dimensional lapel pins provide multiple levels of relief and the ability to create bevelled, radiused, and precisely curved features. Like mini sculptures on your jacket, these lapel pins are available in various sizes and antiqued platings to bring out the contours and details of the design. They are stunning in appearance and are simply fantastic for replicating animals, architecture, miniature products and logos in three dimensions.
Get Started Making Lapel Pins
What next? It’s time to start designing your lapel pins! You’ve read all about what kinds of pins are possible so now you can plan your order and start making the artwork. Once you have your design, submit your file to our art team and we can begin the process of creating your lapel pins. Need help with your art? We can do that too. Just give us a call (877) 848-4044 or send us an email [email protected] to get started.
