Branding is one of the most impactful visual marketing tools available to organisations, and a great way to maximise brand exposure is through the use of wristbands. Whether they’re silicone, tyvek, fabric or vinyl, wristbands are a great way to extend a company’s message at any event. However, where some elements of branding might work for outdoor signage or billboards, the same branding will not necessarily work for wristband. Here are some of the most common wristband branding mistakes that you’ll want to avoid.
8 Wristband Branding Mistakes
1. Unclear visuals
It’s important to remember the shape and size of a wristband when considering the branding you want printed. If you have quite a complex design, it might not come out quite as clear when printed on a wristband so it’s important to do a test run and ensure visual clarity when branding. You might also find your branding overlaps with that of a competitors’ when printed smaller on a wristband, and you don’t want unnecessary confusion or complications.
2. Ineffective logo
For all branding, your logo needs to be easily identifiable and not too complex. This is particularly important when printing a logo on a much smaller scale – such as on a wristband. If your logo is ineffective, then you are not going to get the necessary positive exposure for your brand.
3. Following trends
While trends do garner a lot of hype and media attention, they are short-lived and will become ‘untrendy’ as quickly as they became ‘trendy’. So, while certain expressions, emojis, songs or hashtags might be all the rage now, you’re taking a big risk printing them on a long-lasting wristband as wearers are unlikely to reuse the wristband with a dated trend.
4. Thinking too locally
We live in a global age and, even if your organisation is particularly community-based, you can isolate your business by thinking too locally and targeting a smaller market. Consider aspects such as language, cultural sensitivity, global interpretations and general inclusivity when branding a wristband.
5. Poor colour choice and contrast
The colours chosen for big signage will not necessarily work when printed on a smaller wristband. It’s also important to consider things such as colour contrasts as colours that are too similar might lead to unclear visuals on a wristband.
6. Too much too soon
It’s understandable that you want to print as much as possible about your company on a wristband but this is not always possible. Instead of the desired effect, you’re likely to overwhelm the eye and confuse people rather than exposing them to your brand. Consider adding elements such as social media handles, hashtags, websites or QR codes to direct people elsewhere for more information. You can drive traffic through competitions as well.
7. Time of the event
One of the biggest branding mistakes with wristbands is not considering the time of day for the event. While a blue or red wristband might be impactful in the daytime, if you are hosting an evening event, the visuals will be completely lost. You could consider elements such as glow-in-the-dark or glitterbands for more effect.
8. Duration of the event
Another branding mistake for wristbands is choosing a material or branding scheme that works for a short while, or only at day or night. For an event lasting several days, you will need to invest in hard-wearing wristband materials and branding that is effective at all times of the day.
Lastly, consider investing in a professional wristband designer and partnering with a reputable wristband supplier to avoid these and any other wristband branding mistakes.
