By Karen Buscemi
Branding items with your logo has been around for quite some time. Maybe as far back as dinosaurs serving as walking billboards. No? Think about all that real estate on the side of a brachiosaurus! Even if that's a ridiculous example, getting visibility for your logo is so important that many large companies spend millions to have their logos on display at sporting events and on players' uniforms.
You, however, don't have to empty your bank account to get visibility for your brand. Thanks to a wonderful resource called merchandise, or "merch", your logo can be seen on a daily basis.
Thanks to a wide range of price points, there is merch available for every budget. And even though it's pricier, technically you could order just a few pieces to start and add more as you need it.
How To Make Your Logo Stand Out On Merch
Make It Colorful: The more colors you add, the more expensive embroidery and screen printing get. This is where heat transfer vinyl (HTV) shines. You can have every color of the rainbow and the price is the same as one color.
Go Extra Large: With screen printing, size doesn't matter, number of colors do. So this is a great opportunity to do a bold, graphic, oversized version of your logo. If you're going big, you want creative, eye-catching art, not just a giant logo plastered on the chest.
Pick Less Typical Locations: Everyone has a T-shirt with a logo at upper left chest, and there's nothing wrong with that, but what about putting your logo on an embroidered patch and then sewing the patch onto the arm of a quarter zip? Or the name of your company in HTV running down the arm of a hoodie? Putting a smaller logo or tagline on the back of a trucker cap means people see your brand coming and going. Going with the unexpected will get more of a reaction because it's something different.
Go With a Specialty Heat transfer: Certain heat transfers really raise the bar in branding. Some of my favorites include leather, suede, PVC, hologram and metallic. These transfers absolutely get your attention, which is exactly what you want from branded merch.
Put Your Logo on Something Unexpected: T-shirts, polos, hoodies and hats are the most popular products to brand, but less expected items can get you more of a reaction. Think jeans jackets, denim shirts, leggings, travel bags and soft coolers.
I hope these ideas got your creative branding juices flowing. If you need branded merch, Detroit Sewn can do it all. We are your one-stop source for premade sewn products and many creative ways to brand them for eye-catching gear that is true to your brand. Shoot me an email at info@detroitsewn.com and let's get started!