38mm printed badges
Some recently printed badges related to STEM produced for Dublin City University.
38mm Printed Badges for DCU
Floppy Disk Beer Mat
We're loving these awesome floppy disk beer mats from Trouble Brewing. It's an excellence example of how to use design and print to stand out and start a conversation.
Eye-Catching Conference Badges
BadgeMaking.ie didn't produce these badges for the TypeCon 2016 conference in Seattle but they caught my eye on the Identity Designed blog. It's a very nice example of badges being used as a striking element within a visual identity.
Badges to Encourage Communication on London Underground
In an attempt to encourage people to talk to each other on the Tube an American in London has been giving away badges in Underground stations. Jonathan Dunne's badges are printed with the words 'Tube Chat?' and have received a mixed response.
It's definitely an interesting use of a badge and shows how badges could be used to encourage a particular behaviour in real time and not just to display a message. However not all Londoners share Dunne's enthusiasm for chatting with strangers on public transport. A number of parody badges have been produced in response with messages like "No chat please, we're British".
The History of the Smiley Badge
Smiley badges donated to the V&A by Michael Costiff
The badges pictured here are in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. They were donated by Michael Costiff who ran the Kinky Gerlinky nightclub.
The V&A website says:
The smiley face icon has a history within subcultures since the 1970s, when it was associated with the anti-Vietnam hippie culture. Its peak in the British popular consciousness came later, when Rave culture developed in the late 1980s. This was a subculture that adopted the image as symbolic of the euphoria associated with the dance music, clubs and parties and their associated drug Ecstasy. It was recognised as emblematic of this scene in wider society through the symbol’s use in tabloid newspaper headlines, warning of the dangers of raves and drug taking.
According to Wikipedia the first printed version of a smiley face was a sticker applied to receipts by the Buffalo Steam Roller Company in Buffalo New York in 1919. However no pictures of this could be located online.
"WMCA Good Guys" Sweatshirt
In 1962 the New York radio station WMCA produce a promotional "WMCA good guys" sweatshirt featuring a smiley face on a bright yellow background. Thousands of these sweatshirts were given away to listeners.
Harvey Ross Ball - Designer of the Smiley Badge
A year later in 1963 The State Mutual Life Assurance Company of Worcester, Massachusetts merged with the Guarantee Mutual Company of Ohio. Morale was low among employees and the company hired designer Harvey Ross Ball to design something to boost morale. Ball's solution was a yellow smiley face which was printed on badges.
In 1972 the smiley was first trademarked by Franklin Loufrani who used it to highlight the good news parts of the newspaper France Soir. He invented the word "Smiley" and founded the Smiley Company.
Smartphone Tripod
I bought this cool smartphone tripod in Tiger for just €5. It's a great little gadget that I'll be using to make a few badge related videos to post here. One of the features I really like about it is that the smartphone holder can be removed and attached to an ordinary tripod. By removing the holder you can also use this tripod with a regular camera.
It's a great little bargain that I would definitely recommend.
A phone mounted on a photographic tripod
A Badge For Mirror Selfies
A clever illustration of a badge idea by Lucas Price (via broadsheet.ie)