In a nutshell:
- Template to print to A4 can be downloaded HERE, make sure you print to 100%! You will be able to make badges of two different sizes: 58mm, 32mm.
- Badge King in Auckland is fantastic! You can hire a badge making machine from them and ask them any question. They are really experienced and helpful.
- You can use Apps on an iPad to create these badges, using the template: ExplainEverything, SketchBook, Notability, and Assembly - as long as you can edit the PDF or the image.
- Once the badge design is done and cut to shape, it is super quick to go through the machine - about 20 seconds for one badge. Focus the learning on developing an effective design through drawing physically and digitally in this workshop. Allow 2 hours.
This is a super fun and engaging workshop that your students will want to stay behind and make badges out of anything!
This is a workshop designed to introduce basic graphic design concepts and skills to learners of all ages. It helps learners to develop the working knowledge of the design, and gives them the 'real-world' experience - badges they make and wear!
[Introduction and examples of commercial badges]
[showing different styles of badges. They can have more drawing quality or a more digital graphic feel.]
By this stage learners are well pumped-up and excited about what this workshop offers. "Are we ACTUALLY going to make badges?" - YES.
Referring to the examples, discuss with learners what makes a badge design effective. Use keywords such as colour scheme, composition, repetition, contrast, font etc. to prompt their thinking. Learners are then introduced to the template which I developed using Photoshop, so that they understand how the badge machine works. The Bleed line is the size of the design whereas the Badge dotted line is the face of the badge.
This is because the badge is made of four layers: the metal pin backing, the metal shell backing, the paper design, and the plastic cover. Both the plastic cover and the paper design will be tugged back into the metal backings so they have 5mm overhang in diameter.
[A completed badge by a learner in the workshop, with hand-drawn design. You can see the fold-over on the side-view picture, and the reflective shining plastic cover that gives it a 'professional' look.]
[The key points to take away are how to describe the measurement, and use a limited colour scheme - a maximum of three colours (what I call the power of three!).]
[Some graphic design terms to introduce to the students. I am firm believer in real learning - get used to what people in the industry do early. Once taught, you can need to keep using these terms in your speech so that the students use them, too.]
[This slide shows students an option that if they are simply going to use a picture for the badge, what is the design involved?]
This exercise really gets students thinking about format, size, and composition. Because of the circular shape, it forces them to get away from the rectangular frame that they are used to. The above shows how positioning an image onto the template shows decision-making. The top badge design shows the image covering all areas within the Badge dotted line, this means when the badge is made it will look like a complete image from the front view. Whereas the design at the bottom will have a white gap making the badge look 'incomplete'.
[For those who love to draw, some tips on how to make an effective graphic design.]
It is important that the learners develop some basic drawing skills. The confident ones will draw directly onto the printed template. For the less-experienced ones I demonstrated how to draw (or trace) a design they like using SketchBook. The set-up in SketchBook is very similar to Photoshop so it gives learners some foundation knowledge on image editing software. The Layers bar on the right hand side allows you to put one image at a bottom and create a new layer on top of it. Once you traced the desired information, tap on the eye icon to make the photograph invisible.
Once the design is finished, save it as an image so that you are able to place it onto the digital template. It is vital that the template is saved as a PDF so that it prints true to its size. Here are some design outcomes from the workshop showing a range of methods used.
Then we just have to carefully cut out the design following the Bleed line. The below video shows how easy it is to assemble the badge.
This workshop is proven to be a hit! Have fun developing digital and practical skills from the resources in this post - I look forward to seeing your take on it.
