A man in a suit and tie wearing a name badge that presents professionalism.

Employee uniforms say a lot about the company that issues them. Namely, how much effort is put into branding and personalization speaks volumes about the company’s investment in brand image, employee appearance, and overall customer experience.

If you take up the initiative to improve branding and create a more professional employee image you can design a roster of employee uniforms that are sized appropriately, cut and tailored from high-quality fabric, and completed with standardized accessories and custom plastic badges. Here are our best tips to ensure you are satisfied with the end result.

1. Make sure each employee is measured and fitted properly

Let’s start with the basics. This is one of the most important things you can’t overlook if you’re trying to create the impression of high-quality, personalized employee uniforms. No matter how nice uniforms look, if they are not sized appropriately, it will hurt the overall image.

To do so, you’re going to have to go beyond “large,” “medium,” and “small.” One size does not fit all, remember.

Even though it’s more expensive, consider having employees fitted for their uniforms before you issue them. That will give your employees a more professional look.

Also, if you do go through the trouble of tailoring employee uniforms to each individual, consider issuing two or three to each employee. That way, if one of your employees has your uniform at the cleaner, he or she will have one or two alternatives to wear on rotation.

2. Select high-quality fabrics

Heavier, high-quality fabrics are more expensive and sometimes harder to care for, but they make a huge difference both in how customers will perceive your brand and in the longevity of the garment itself.

Higher weight fabrics with a greater thread count, regardless of what the material is, will last longer. There’s nothing wrong with staying away from ultra-premium fabrics and materials - so long as you choose the quality that will last.

For instance, you can still purchase affordable cotton fabrics (which are renewable and sustainable, by the way) that will give off the impression of professional quality and which will last a long time with proper care.

In other words, buy smart but don’t skip expenses. Your investment now will pay off in the long run.

3. Combine the design and color of the uniform with your company logo

While you’re working on designing your employee uniforms, remember to align the color of the uniform with your brand’s logo, marks, or other imagery.

This will give your uniforms not only a more customized look but a much more official appearance.

Consider using contrasting trim, cuffs, or collars that highlight your brand's colors or imagery, which will create a lasting impression on your customers while offering your employees a more professional appearance.

4. Customize the uniform with embroidery, prints, or other embellishments

Remember also that colors alone are not the only way to create a formal, professional, standardized appearance.

Work closely with the provider of your uniforms to create a more professional tailored appearance by adding customized logos in the form of high-quality, long-lasting embroidery or prints.

Emboldening your employee uniforms with logos, imagery, patterns or other identifying features will make them look much more appealing, standardized, and put-together.

5. Create a standardized “issue“ of accessories

Something that may be overlooked (but shouldn’t be) is the inclusion of official accessories with an employee uniform. Remember, everything your employees use and carry, from their hat to their shoes and everything on their “toolbelt” is by extension a part of the uniform.

Consider how professional wait staff at restaurants sometimes carry special tools to clear tables, or how mechanics and auto shop crews sometimes carry multi-tools or tire pressure gauges.

Allowing your employees to carry whatever they feel is best is one recipe to throw off the image of the uniform.

Instead, if it is determined that your employees have a specific set of tools that they should carry for the job, either provide them for your employees or issue guidelines on what they can carry and where they should procure it.

6. Complete the look with branded accessories like lanyards, hats, or custom plastic badges

You should also take efforts to customize the remainder of the employee uniform’s accessories, such as hats, belts, gloves, bags, glasses, and other outerwear.

If you issue lanyards or name badges to your employees, you should take the time to create custom plastic badges and provide branded, personalized name badges that will enhance the customer experience and provide a more cohesive appearance for your professional uniforms.

For instance, here at Imprint Plus, we offer custom plastic name badges that can be personalized with names, logos, badge accessories, and more. Our custom plastic badges are available in a number of sizes, colors, custom shapes, and materials, and with your choice of pin or magnetic fasteners.

Made from quality materials, available in intricate designs and shapes, featuring high-quality, full-color printing with superior ink adhesion, and offering unlimited text, our custom plastic badges are the perfect piece to serve as a finishing touch on personalized, professional corporate uniforms.

Custom Plastic Badges and More

In addition to being a valuable component of a branded uniform, custom-printed badges, ID cards, or name tags can increase security and improve communications with customers as well as between staff members.

Take a look through our metal name tags, plastic ID badges, and badge accessories for more information, and get in touch with us at 800-563-2464 if you have additional questions.