School Badges & Name Badges

School badges recognise leadership, celebrate achievement and connect students, staff and former students to their school community. From prefect and house badges to staff name badges and commemorative pins, a thoughtful design can become part of a school’s identity for years.

For school administrators, P&C committees and uniform coordinators, ordering starts with a few practical decisions: what the badges will represent, how many you need, your budget and when they must arrive.

At Mayer & Toye, we can guide you through design, production and presentation to find an approach that suits your school.

Choosing the right school badges

Leadership and prefect badges

School captains, vice-captains, prefects and house captains need badges that clearly identify their roles. Consider whether each position needs its own design or whether a consistent style with different wording will suit your school.

If you plan to use the design annually, leaving the year off the badge allows spare stock to support future cohorts.

House badges

House badges help students show their affiliation at assemblies, sporting events and school activities. Keep the house name, colours and emblem easy to recognise at the small size of a wearable badge.

Achievement and colours badges

Custom badges can recognise academic success, sporting achievement, participation in the arts or contributions to school life. Our school badge portfolio includes house, academic and college colours designs.

Before ordering, agree on the award criteria and who will manage stock throughout the year.

Staff name badges

Staff name badges help students, families and visitors identify members of your team. Prepare a list of names and titles exactly as they should appear, together with your school branding requirements.

We can discuss suitable personalisation and attachment options, as well as arrangements for additional badges when new staff join.

Anniversary and Old Boys’ or Old Girls’ Association badges

Custom badges can celebrate a school anniversary, reunion or membership of an Old Boys’ or Old Girls’ Association. Featuring the school crest, association name or commemorative dates, they give former students a lasting connection to their school.

Consider whether you need an enduring membership design, an event-specific keepsake or separate badges for each purpose.

Planning quantities and getting value from your budget

Start with the number of recipients, then consider an allowance for replacements and future use. List quantities separately for each design, leadership role and house colour.

For many custom badge projects, around 50 units is where economies of scale begin to make production more cost-effective. This is a guide rather than a fixed minimum—we’re happy to supply smaller quantities where the cost fits your budget.

If a smaller custom run exceeds your budget, we can guide you towards more cost-effective options, such as printed metal badges or a simpler design. Tell us how many badges you need and what you’d like to spend, and we’ll help you find a suitable approach.

If your budget allows, ordering more can mean paying less per badge. Larger runs can spread setup costs across more items. Ask us to quote several quantities so you can compare the unit price and total spend.

For designs used every year, a larger order may offer better value than buying only enough for the current cohort. Balance the saving against available storage and the likelihood of changes to the design. Extra stock is most useful when the badge remains relevant in future years.

Keep approved artwork, order references and specifications together so future staff can reorder accurately. Record the size, colours, finish, wording and attachment, and ask us to confirm current reorder costs.

Stamped enamel or printed metal badges?

The best production method depends on your school’s design, quantities and budget.

Stamped enamel pins use raised metal outlines and enamel colour fills to create a traditional badge finish. Printed metal badges can offer a cost-effective alternative, depending on the design and production requirements.

Print technology can also help reproduce fine lettering and intricate details. Our badge portfolio includes designs combining hard enamel with UV-printed text.

If your crest contains a small motto or detailed symbols, we can recommend an approach suited to the finished badge size. Ask us to compare suitable options so you can assess appearance, unit price and total cost.

Before approving the artwork, review the design at its actual size, checking readability and colours.

Presentation that makes recognition memorable

How an award is presented can make it even more meaningful. Mayer & Toye offers a full range of presentation options, from backing cards carrying a message alongside a pin to presentation boxes for special honours.

A backing card can explain an achievement, share your school’s values or include a message of congratulations. It gives context to the badge and reminds the recipient why they received it.

For a distinguished academic award such as a Dux Literarum medal, a black velvet presentation box embossed with the school crest creates a fitting keepsake—one to treasure and hand down through generations.

Include presentation in your initial brief so we can recommend options that complement the award and fit your budget.

When should schools order badges?

Work backwards from the date the badges need to be in hand, whether that is a leadership assembly, awards evening or the beginning of term.

Our normal turnaround for a new job is 3–4 weeks from design sign-off. Allow additional time for artwork preparation, revisions, school approval and delivery. If you need backing cards or presentation boxes, include these requirements when discussing the schedule.

Tell us your required delivery date in the first enquiry. If time is tight, we’ll check what is achievable.

Preparing your school crest and artwork

Send the best artwork your school has available. We prefer Illustrator files and also accept editable PDFs. Images that require redrawing incur an additional artwork charge.

Alongside your crest or logo, provide:

• Exact wording for each badge or award.
• School and house colour references.
• Preferred size and shape.
• A photograph or sample of any existing badge you want to match.
• The intended uniform or garment.
• Any message or branding required for cards and presentation boxes.

Check spelling, mottos, dates and small details carefully. A crest that works on a letterhead may need adjustment to remain readable on a badge.

Selecting finishes and attachments

Think about how the badge will be worn. A student leadership badge on a blazer may have different requirements from a staff badge worn on a shirt each day.

We can recommend a finish and fitting suited to the badge’s size, weight and intended use. Let us know about any school requirements concerning uniform care, comfort or attachments.

Record the selected fitting alongside your approved artwork for future orders.

School badge ordering checklist

Before requesting a quote

• Confirm badge types and quantities.
• Check previous orders and existing stock.
• Gather crest artwork and colour references.
• Prepare exact role wording or staff names.
• Specify your budget and required delivery date.
• Ask for quantity pricing and suitable enamel or printed options.
• Include backing cards, messages or presentation boxes.
• Identify who will approve the quote and design.

Before production

• Review the final artwork at actual badge size.
• Confirm dimensions, colours, finish and attachment.
• Check names, award wording and presentation artwork.
• Confirm agreed costs and delivery arrangements.
• Save approved specifications for future orders.

Request a school badge quote

Whether you are planning leadership badges, topping up house badges, ordering staff name badges or developing an association or anniversary design, start with a clear brief.

Request a quote from Mayer & Toye and include your artwork, quantities, budget, presentation requirements and delivery date. For an existing design, include a photograph or previous order reference.

We’ll help you choose a design, production method and presentation that suit your school and the occasion.

Frequently asked questions

Can we order fewer than 50 badges?

Yes. Around 50 units is a useful guide to where economies of scale begin to improve value, rather than a fixed minimum. We’re happy to discuss smaller quantities and suggest alternatives if the proposed production method exceeds your budget.

Is ordering more badges better value?

It can be. A larger run may reduce the cost per badge, although the total spend will be higher. Compare quotes at different quantities and consider whether your school will use the extra stock.

Are printed badges cheaper than stamped enamel pins?

Printed metal badges can be a cost-effective alternative, depending on the design, quantity and finish. We can compare suitable options using your school’s artwork and requirements.

Can we add a message or presentation box?

Yes. Options range from backing cards with an accompanying message to presentation boxes for distinguished awards. Include your preferred wording, school crest and budget in the enquiry.

Can we reorder an existing school badge?

Provide the previous order reference and confirm whether you need the same specifications. Identify any changes to wording, colours, size, finish or attachment when requesting your quote.

What if our school only has an old crest image?

Send the clearest version available. We can assess whether redrawing is needed and include any artwork charges in the quote.

Can staff name badges be individually personalised?

Include names and titles in your enquiry. We’ll discuss a suitable badge format, personalisation method and arrangements for future additions.

Will we see the design before production?

Yes. Production begins after final design approval. Check every detail and obtain the necessary school approvals before signing off.

Who owns the artwork and tooling?

Ask us to confirm the applicable terms, including artwork ownership, tooling retention and arrangements for future reorders. Keep this information with your school’s purchasing records.