The Cheshire Budo Federation sticks with Best Badges

Ju Jitsu was developed in the 16th century as a method for training soldiers in hand to hand combat.  Close combat made the weapons Japanese soldiers had traditionally used ineffective, and the heavy armour soldiers used to protect themselves added to the difficulty.  16th century Japan may seem far removed from the English county of Cheshire, but as martial arts developed away from the military arena the positive results of learning Ju Jitsu made it popular worldwide, and with people from all walks of life.

David Flaherty MBE founded The Cheshire Budo Federation to support adults and children who wished to learn Ju Jitsu.  The Cheshire Budo Federation also runs martial arts clubs in Shropshire and Herefordshire.  David is a 9th Dan Black Belt in Ju Jitsu.

When David wanted to buy some embroidered badges to represent the Cheshire Budo Federation he contacted us here at Best Badges.  David had some strong design ideas for his embroidered badges and sent us a Word document showing us an outline for the designs.  Making sure we used the correct colours was important to David, and the Cheshire Budo Federation so David asked us for advice on which colours would be most effective.

Our designers quickly drew up some draft designs detailing which colours and threads would work best for his design concepts.  David was delighted with the suggestions and production on the Cheshire Budo Federation badges started immediately.

When David received his first batch of embroidered badges he contacted us and ordered another batch straight away.  Since his initial order David has returned to us multiple times and we are proud to have made multiple designs for The Cheshire Budo Federation over the last few years.  David has told us on several occasions that he is happy to recommend us to anyone who needs embroidered badges.

We pride ourselves in simplifying the order process for all our products.  There are no complex artwork specifications you need to decipher when ordering embroidered badges, or any of our other products.  We started making badges over fifteen years ago, and one of our founding principles was not to bewilder our customers with complex artwork demands.  This is still at the core of everything we do.

We have developed and made embroidered badges for many Martial Arts clubs and Dojos over the years.  If you have an idea for an embroidered badge you would like for your own organisation please get in touch for a chat.  We’d love to help you make your design ideas a reality!

Click here to view our range of embroidered badges…

You can find out more about Cheshire Budo Federation at http://www.cheshirebudofederation.co.uk/

Calling all Guiding fundraisers - we’ll help design your badges for free!

Many Guiding groups raise money for charities, and fundraising badges are a brilliant way to help with these campaigns. Badges are very easy to order, and when it comes to designing the perfect patch, we’re here to help.

When Emma from the 1st Helston Brownies contacted us looking for a badge to accompany the ‘Forget Me Not challenge’ for the Alzheimer’s Society she already had a great design idea.   Emma was aware that the badge had to look really great, and had to be at a cost low enough to maximise the amount of money that would be raised for this great cause.  The fundraising efforts would be part of Emma’s Queen’s Guide Award, so it was important that the badges were really effective.

Emma sent us the design as a pencil drawing of the forget-me-not flowers, with lettering above and below, and the Guiding trefoil positioned by the unit name. The trefoil needed to be matched to the official Guiding blue colour of PMS 2718c.  The challenge name and unit name both needed to be prominent in the design.

From the drawing, our designers quickly created a formal design proof and sent it to Emma for her comments.  The proof is a picture showing exactly how the final badges will look, including colour references for each of the threads. To accommodate the perfect pantone colour matching, our designers recommended woven badges.

When Emma at 1st Helston Brownies saw the proof she had the opportunity to give feedback and to address any ideas for improvement. We offer unlimited artwork changes for free, so the design can always be adjusted until it exactly matches what our customers have in mind.

When the final proof was signed off we set to work making some woven badges that would be a real asset to the Forget Me Not Challenge, and to the 1st Helston Brownies.

The finished badges were a great example of how well a badge can support a fundraising initiative. Everyone here at Best Badges and 1st Helston Brownies agreed, the badges were a brilliant success!

Here’s what Emma had to say about the process of designing and ordering her badges:

‘I knew exactly how I wanted my embroidered badges to look, but I wasn't sure how to put my ideas into a technical format that badge companies would accept.  I had sketched out my design on paper, but from that point I wasn't sure what to do next.  I was amazed when the guys at Best Badges told me that all they needed was my sketch!  I didn't have to worry about any file formats, there was no need to compromise on my design and above all there was no stress!  We're all really pleased with our badges, and I would definitely recommend Best Badges to any fellow Guiders who have badge ideas they want made a reality!’

Emma, 1st Helston Brownies

Your badge idea is only the start!

If you have an idea for a great Guiding badge then don’t worry about complex artwork specifications, just show us your ideas and we’ll use our expertise to make you a badge worthy of any occasion or achievement.  It’s all part of the service, and helping Guiding groups design brilliant badges is something we really enjoy.

Promotional products - perfect for charity fundraising

Promotional products, displaying your charity logo or slogan are incredibly effective in fundraising campaigns. Whether you give away your promotional items or use them as donation incentives, these are items that can define a campaign.

The profile of your charity can be effectively raised using promotional products.  Everyone can recognise the poppies of the British Legion, or understand the significance of the Help for Heroes wristbands. The RSPB enamel badges have become so popular they are now considered collectables.

But you don’t have to be a household name to get good results from promotional goods.  You don’t even need a big budget.  We’ve put together some tips to help you get the most from promotional items.

1. Use your promotional items to advertise your events

Your fundraising efforts will have the biggest impact if started early. Advance advertising inspires anticipation.  Make a positive impact on your target audience with a batch of badges distributed ahead of the day, or encourage people to ‘Save the date’ of a big event using fridge magnets.

2. Branded items maximise fundraising on the day of an event

People are more likely to make a donation if a token is given in return for the donation.  Offer a free badge in return for a donation and you’ll find people will be more wiling to dig deep.  This method can boost your fundraising much higher than relying on donations alone.

3. Make it unique, make it special

If you make the merchandise unique you can make it collectable – this is a powerful way of encouraging your supporters to continue to donate. Adding a special engraving to the reverse, or including a date with the badges will help to tie the item to a specific occasion. People can enjoy collecting a set of items over time.

4. Promotional goods prolong the giving window beyond your event.

When the memory of a big fundraising effort begins to fade in the memory, you can keep your charity fresh in people’s minds with the merchandise that they have kept from the day. The longevity of your message will be well served. If the promotional item you choose is wearable then each person who has donated will continue to increase the awareness of your cause everywhere they go, and to everyone they meet.

You can also market the products through your website, gaining important revenue.

Choosing the right promotional item for your charity campaign may seem like a challenging task.  We’re here to help you get the best possible return from your investment, so please get in touch with our friendly team and we’ll make sure your fundraiser meets your goals.

What is the best size of button badge?

We offer button badges in 5 sizes for round badges, as well as a 38mm square option. One question we are often asked is “which size badge should we choose?”

Of course the question is largely a matter of personal preference, but there are some key things to consider when choosing the best size for your artwork.

1. Small badges are more subtle but also more fashionable.

The 25mm size badge is considered to be the classic "one inch button", timelessly fashionable so a great choice for brands, musicians and artists.

The small size makes them great for logos and eye catching designs, and it also makes them the most likely to be worn as a fashion accessory.

2. Larger badges are better for communicating a message or promoting an idea.

38mm or 45mm diameter sizes give a little more scope to communicate a slogan or marketing message.

The artwork can include more lettering and more complexity but still maintain visual impact. These sizes are perfect for membership tokens or advertising events.

3. Really big badges can carry lots of information to see across a crowded room.

58mm or 77mm diameter badges allow room for complicated messages, and can also provide a way to promote a message across a room.

These large sizes are popular for staff to wear for corporate promotions, or of course if you are looking to make the biggest possible impact when the badges are worn!

Keyrings – 7 classic ways to spread a message

At BestBadges we have been supplying keyrings for a long time – over a decade in fact!

Over the years we have gradually increased the range to meet the demands of our customers, so that now we have 7 different keyring product groups available. Each type has its own benefits and advocates, but the central theme is that keyrings of all sorts remain a great way to spread word or get your name about!

1. Button keyrings

Button keyrings are circular items, with a diameter of 45mm or 58mm. They are hand pressed which means that we can supply any quantity from a single keyring upwards! Button keyrings are the first type of keyring we ever supplied – but they remain popular due to the low price and low minimum order quantities.

The keyrings can be supplied with an optional mirror-back, or at 58mm size with a bottle opener fitting.

2. Acrylic keyrings

Full colour printed and hand pressed, and available in 4 different sizes! These are the most popular keyring type, with artwork showing on both sides of the keyring.

3. Enamel keyrings

To add a little colour to a metal keyring, coloured enamel can be infilled to the items. This means any logo or design can be presented in rich, pantone matched colours.

4. Trolley coin keyrings

One of the original promotional items, the trolley coin is still a brilliant way for a brand or message to be spread. Useful at the supermarket too!

5. Soft PVC keyrings

For brilliantly flexible and tactile keyrings made in multiple levels and 2 or 3 dimensions, soft PVC is the ideal material.

6. Embroidered keyrings

Embroider a logo or design in multiple colours, and then add an eyelet and split ring fitting to create an instant keyring!

7. Silicone band keyrings

As the silicone wristband becomes ever more popular as a promotional medium, it can now also be supplied in keyring form.

What is the difference between hard and soft enamel badges?

People often ask us to explain the differences between the various enamel badge options on our website - so here we go: the definitive guide to hard, soft, imitation hard and printed metal badges!

Soft enamel badges are the most popular type of enamel badges. The material allows for full pantone colour matching and a quality finish at low prices.

In production, the coloured enamel is naturally slightly recessed beneath the surface of the raised metal. The enamel is not soft to the touch, but can be susceptible to scratch or deterioration over time. For a smooth and slightly convex finish, and also for optimum protection against scratch, an epoxy resin coating can be added to the surface.

In contrast, hard enamel badges are made using a higher quality of enamel which will be extremely durable over long periods of time.

With hard enamel  the surface of the badge is polished to a high quality finish, and the surface is highly durable, so there is no need for any resin coating.

Traditional Hard Enamel is a natural substance which has been used in badge making for hundreds of years.

Because traditional hard enamel is a natural substance the range of colours available is limited, and the colours are generally duller than with other materials. The final effect is a very traditional feel.

Imitation (new) hard enamel badges are a more modern alternative for hard enamel. This very popular solution offers the high-quality polished finish and durability of traditional hard enamel, but the enamel can be pantone colour matched. The price is usually lower than hard enamel but higher than soft enamel.

Printed Metal Badges are a slightly different type of badge. No enamel is used in production, instead the artwork is replicated precisely in print. These badges are commonly chosen when it is important to replicate your logo without making any alteration for the die-struck process or when gradients of colour must be included.

What is the difference between woven and embroidered badges?

A question we get asked a lot is “what is the difference between woven and embroidered badges?”

Confusingly, the terms are often sometimes used interchangeably, but in fact they refer to two quite distinct (though similar) types of sew on badge.

The technical difference is that woven badges are made by weaving together fine threads, while embroidered badges are made by stitching thicker threads onto a piece of fabric.

That in itself is not necessarily very interesting. However, the implications are! At least if you are interested in badges they are interesting....

Because embroidered threads are thicker and are stitched onto a piece of fabric, the effect is that the stitching has a raised feel. The raised feel of the stitching means that the end result is considered quite traditional.

To the left is a detail of an embroidered badge showing the raised stitching and traditional feel only possible with embroidery.

By contrast because woven badges are made by weaving threads together rather than stitching to a fabric, the surface of the final badges is very flat and smooth. Additionally because the threads themselves are finer, it is possible to achieve much greater detail than with embroidery.

To the left is detail of a woven badge showing the flat smooth surface and excellent replication of detail – possible because of the fine woven threads.

Because we can also pantone colour match woven threads (embroidery threads cannot be pantone colour matched), woven is a better choice for corporate logos or situations were exact colour replication is critical.

You can order either woven or embroidered badges through the Best Badges website, or email for more information.