How to Design an Effective Lanyard for Your Office
Having custom lanyards for your employees is a good way to strengthen your workplace culture and identity, even if you don’t have a uniform policy. In this sense, they have an importance that goes far beyond just holding ID’s, keys, and access cards. They’re part of the “face” your business presents to the world.
1.) Choose the “best-feeling” lanyards you can afford
You want to encourage your employees to wear your lanyards. Going with the cheapest option usually means they end up with something uncomfortable that not only discourages them from using it but builds a little bit of resentment as well. More comfortable lanyards can also send a subtle message to employees that you care about them and that you’re willing to invest in their comfort.
2.) Use visuals that are consistent with your brand.
Lanyards can identify an employee as part of an organization even before anyone gets to see or read their ID badges. This makes it important to make sure that your lanyards are consistent with whatever brand you have. This means that when possible, you should use colors, logos, and fonts that are already identified as part of your organization’s brand. Deviating from your company brand usually means that you end up with a lanyard that is far less effective at reinforcing a unified identity across your entire organization.
3.) Consider different employee use cases
How will employees use their lanyards? This question isn’t asked very often because most of us assume that lanyards will just hold IDs. But the fact of the matter is, different workplaces will ideally need different lanyards.
For instance, if different areas in your premises require an access card, you may want to consider adding something like a badge reel so that employees can easily use their access cards without having to remove their lanyard or go uncomfortably close to the card scanner. Employees that work in dirty environments, such as in factories or outdoor worksites, for example, may appreciate having badge holders or individual plastic wrapping to keep their IDs and access cards clean.
You should also consider what other objects employees may need to keep on their lanyards. Lanyards that are meant for holding keys may be easier to use if they had a breakaway attachment. Employees that are issued phones may appreciate a lanyard with a phone attachment.
4.) Consider hiring an experienced graphic designer
If no one in your organization has any design experience, you might find that the only way to get professional-looking results would be to actually hire someone to do the lanyard design for you.
While it’s not particularly hard to design lanyards, it takes a while to develop an eye for balance and good design. Chances are that you and your employees will have to use the same lanyards for years. You don’t want an amateur-looking design to be around the necks of everyone in your organization for too long if you can avoid it.
