Building your Brand Image one Gift at a Time
Believe it or not, but the Christmas Shopping season is upon us. In full force!! Apart from giving our clients and team members gifts to show our appreciation, the number one reason why we do gifts is to cement our brand image in the minds of our clients and team as strongly as possible. What branding techniques will you be using on your corporate gifts this year? Do you know the difference between the insane amount of branding techniques there is to choose from?
We know you are super bright and know all there is to know about branding techniques for corporate gifts, but just in case you have missed some, we have decided to reshare the different options. PS: If you do not see the specific branding technique that you want to know about, we suggest you sign up for our newsletter cause we will be sharing more branding techniques in our following newsletters.
Belly Bands
Belly bands are a creative branding technique used in corporate gifts and packaging to enhance brand visibility and communication. They are essentially printed paper or card strips that wrap around products, boxes, or packages, serving multiple purposes in branding and marketing.
Digitally printed heavyweight paper is cut to size and glued to the edges to form a type of product sleeve referred to as a belly band. Full-color belly bands provide a unique way to improve brand visibility and work in tandem to enhance other forms of product branding.
An attractive and creative addition to items such as notebooks, belly bands offer prime space for optimizing brand information and provide a platform to communicate a marketing message in a novel and high-impact manner. Perfect for adding a finishing touch, belly bands can also be used for business applications such as vouchers and invitations.
Debossing
Debossing is a sophisticated branding technique commonly used in the corporate gifting sector to create a lasting impression. This method involves pressing a design, such as a logo or text, into the surface of a material, resulting in a depressed imprint that enhances the tactile and visual appeal of the item.
Debossing is characterized by its ability to create an indented effect on various materials, including paper, leather, and fabric. The process typically involves several key steps:
- Creation of a Die: A custom metal plate (die) is engraved with the desired design.
- Application of Heat and Pressure: The die is heated and pressed into the material, imprinting the design onto its surface.
- Cooling: After removing the die, the material is allowed to cool, ensuring that the debossed design remains permanent.
This technique not only provides a unique aesthetic but also adds a tactile dimension that can make corporate gifts feel more luxurious and thoughtful.
Hot Foil Stamping
Hot foil stamping is a sophisticated printing technique that utilizes heat and pressure to transfer metallic or pigmented foil onto various surfaces, making it a popular choice for corporate gift branding. This method not only enhances the visual appeal of products but also reinforces brand identity through its luxurious finishes.
Hot foil stamping involves the application of a thin layer of foil onto a substrate (such as paper, plastic, or leather) using a heated die. The process creates shiny graphics and designs that can include logos, text, and intricate patterns. This technique is widely used across various industries, including retail, hospitality, and e-commerce, to elevate the presentation of items such as business cards, packaging, and promotional materials
CO2 Laser Engraving
CO2 laser engraving involves using a high-powered CO2 laser to precisely burn a logo or design into the surface of various materials, effectively removing the top layer to reveal the underlying layer.
This process not only creates a permanent mark but also allows for intricate designs to be replicated with great accuracy. It is a permanent and classy way to brand certain organic materials like glass, leather, and wood.
Sublimation
This method involves transferring dye onto various substrates using heat and pressure, resulting in high-quality prints that are integrated into the material itself.
Sublimation printing is a process where solid dye is converted directly into gas without passing through a liquid state, a phenomenon known as sublimation. This gas then permeates the surface of a substrate (like fabric, metal, or plastic) and solidifies, creating a permanent design that is resistant to fading, cracking, or peeling.
The typical temperature range for this process is between 350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Full-color digital printers fitted with sublimation ink are used to print logos or artwork onto special transfer paper. From there, the paper is automatically cut to the correct size and shape and placed onto the surface of the product being branded.
The product is then placed in a press, which applies heat, causing the inks to migrate from the paper onto the product. The flexible characteristics of the product are not affected, as sublimation ink is actually a dye, so there is no ink buildup on the finished print—it looks like part of the item. This branding method is ideal for producing multicolor images with gradients, half-tones, and shading. Unlike screen printing, where a setup charge is incurred per color printed, only one setup charge is incurred for sublimation printing, regardless of the number of colors in the logo.
What is the best corporate gift branding technique to use?
Have you ever heard the expression ‘how long is a piece of string’? When it comes to the answer of what is the best branding technique to use for corporate gifts, there are a variety of pieces of strings and it all depends on the specific product that you have to brand and how long it has to last.
If you are branding high-quality mugs, for example, I would definitely suggest going for laser engraving as opposed to print. Although print generally last long if you look after it, it is not as hard wearing as laser engraving.
The absolute beauty of it all is that you don’t have to figure it out all on your own. We are here to help you! Give us a call today. We would LOVE to help you build your brand even higher!
