When you hire someone on at your company, one of the first things you’re going to do is have an ID badge created. This will serve as their identification in the company, but done right, it can be so much more.

Employee ID badges can become a powerful tool for crafting the sort of corporate culture you want. The difference lies in how much care you put into your ID card design. Read on to learn about components you should include on your employee ID badges.

1. Your Logo

One of the most important things you should have on your company ID badges is your company logo. This does a couple of things; for one, it helps make your company’s ID cards more customized to . This makes them harder to replicate or replace with a generic ID card.

But it also helps to build a sense of belonging in your company. It may be subtle, but every time your employees see a coworker wearing an ID badge with that same logo, it’ll make them feel like they’re all part of the same larger group. Of course, it’s important that your company has a solid logo design for this to work to its best effect.

2. Employee Picture

Another crucial part of the employee ID tag is am employee photo. For security reasons, this makes it harder for anyone to impersonate a new or less visible employee. But it also makes your company seem more personal.

If everyone’s face is on their ID tag, it sends the message that you care about them as people, not just employee numbers. We all know that ID photos tend to be awful almost no matter what, so consider offering your employees the option of submitting their own photo for the ID. That way they can choose a picture they like and feel more positive about seeing their ID badge every day.

3. Data Encoding

These days an ID badge isn’t just a means of confirming that a person is who they say. It’s also an important way to control who has access to which areas of the building and what information. All of this access can be encoded in an ID card so that your employees only have to keep up with one thing. 

Many ID cards, whether for businesses or for college campuses, carry RFID chips in them. These can unlock doors, pay for meals in the cafeteria, register their attendance at events, and allow them to check out certain documents or materials. Putting these in your ID cards will make life at your company more convenient for all your employees.

4. Signature

Oftentimes ID cards will hold an employee’s signature. In addition to a photo and the RFID chip, this is another security measure. It’s hard to copy a person’s signature convincingly, and having a sample of the employee’s handwriting on hand can discourage intruders.

The signature also helps to make the card feel more personal to employees. It’s subtle, but signing the card makes it feel a little more like they have ownership over this part of their employment. It can help build employee investment in the company as well as personal morale.

5. Personal Information

On the subject of making employees feel personally acknowledged by the company, many ID cards these days will include some personal information about the employee. This can be a fun addition or an entirely practical measure.

If you want to take a more fun angle with it, ask employees to provide a fun fact about themselves that they’d like their colleagues to know. This may include their passion for Star Wars, the fact that they like to go fly fishing, or that they have a dog named Peanut at home.

You can also include more practical information, like certifications and specialties, on an employee ID badge. Not only does this help you keep up with who has which qualifications, but it gives the employees an incentive to work for those certifications. The pride of being able to add a new qualification to an ID card is a powerful motivator.

6. Color Coding

If you have a variety of divisions in your company, you may want to color-code your ID badges. This can be helpful in building team rapport in the same way as a logo does. But it can also be helpful in identifying at a glance what sort of work a particular employee does.

From a security standpoint, having color-coded badges adds another layer of protection. If you work in an industry that might have a serious threat of an intruder, the color-coding is one more puzzle they’ll have to figure out. If they’re wearing a blue IT badge and claiming to work in R&D, you’ll know something is wrong.

7. Mission Statement

If you have any space left on your ID cards, it’s a good idea to include your company’s mission statement. Like your logo, it helps to set your ID badges apart from others.

Including your mission statement where employees see it every day can go a long way towards building the sort of business you want. That focus will be subtly embedded in every interaction your employees have, and your corporate culture will start moving towards the direction of that mission statement. Think of it as positive subliminal messaging imparting to your employees what your company is all about.

Create the Best ID Card Design

Creating an ID card design shouldn’t be a matter of slapping a photo and a name on a laminated card. As their name should suggest, ID badges help to create a sense of professional identity and belonging. You want to make sure your ID badges send the right message to your employees.

If you’d like to get the best ID cards made for your employees, check out the rest of our site at Best Name Badges. We offer everything from reusable name badges to engraved name tags to desk nameplates. Check out our photo ID badge options today.