When hosting a trade show or conference, an event badge can play a significant role in how attendees remember their experience. If you’re planning an event this year, put some extra effort into creating a winning badge that will help brand your event. Color-coding badges to easily identify speakers, exhibitors, volunteers and attendees not only makes it easier for event participants but also for security personnel to see, at a glance, that people are in the right areas at all times.

When creating a badge for your trade show, think about how to make it stand out, easy to read and, most of all, attractive enough for attendees to want to display it after the event is over. You’re not just making badges, you’re helping make memories, so let’s look at what goes into creating a great trade show badge.

There are several ways to design your badge, from using free or low-cost templates available online to working with a graphic designer (working with a designer can help make sure the fonts, colors and placement all follow good design rules). You’ll also want to bring in a few extra sets of eyes to review the badge designs before you print them. Make sure that all the text is proofed more than once (and by different people) to spot typos as well as grammatical and punctuation errors. Then, follow these five tips to create a custom event badge that makes a lasting impression.

1. Think Big: Badges come in all sizes, but they’re going to work best when you go big. Not only are they easier to identify from farther away, but they also give you more real estate to play with and more opportunity for including different elements. Make your badges at least 4” x 6” — and don’t be afraid to go bigger.

2. Prioritize Your Information: Regardless of how big you make your badge, there’s still a finite amount of space, so choose your information wisely. First names, in particular, should be large and easy to read, since that enhances networking and helps attendees recall one another’s names.

3. Make It Colorful — and Memorable: This is no time to be shy. Bold colors are your friend when it comes to creating a great event badge; use the same designs and colors found on your event brochures for branding consistency. Certain color combinations are more eye-catching than others, so work with your designer to make sure that you’re getting the maximum amount of “pop” to your design.

4. Consider Adding Sponsors: If sponsors are part of your event, add extra value to their sponsorship by including their logo on your badge. Several sponsors’ logos can be integrated into the overall design of the badge, or, if you have different levels of sponsorship, you can choose which levels will include placement on the badge. Then, use that as an incentive for upgrading their support.

5. Let It Work Overtime: As long as you have space, there’s no reason to limit your badge design to the front; the back of a badge can be put to work as well. Consider including a map of the trade show floor on the back of your badge, or include a QR code that links to a schedule of events. 

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