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Are you designing a nameplate or badge for a laptop or desktop computer? Update your brand logo with a change in color or texture. Here are some options for inspiration.
Aluminum offers a variety of textures and processes to set your brand apart from the competition. Some examples include:
Emboss Deboss Brush Spin Metallic Tint
No matter which graphical element you choose, it will uniquely identify the brand and end product.
Samples of nameplates are a great way to explore and better understand options available for designing a nameplate or badge. Northern engraving offers a Nameplate Materials and Processes Guide with numerous samples on metal and plastic substrates to assist you in the process.
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The above nameplate was designed for an IBM manufacturing system in the 1980’s. The nameplate is an aluminum substrate with an embossed IBM logo and one overall color application. It is a very simple design, yet very recognizable in terms of the company brand.This version of an IBM is not what we normally think of in terms of computers or processing systems. The 7540 was developed in 1983 for manufacturers to enhance their speed and accuracy. IBM made a programmable tool to handle weights of up to 55 pounds. When paired with an IBM personal computer, the manufacturing engineers could create programs to make the 7540 work through IBM’s custom robotic programming language.When we think of personal computers today, a laptop or iPad often come to mind. IBM created the first personal computer over 25 years ago, and what a long way the world has come since that time.
Request a Nameplate Materials and Processes Guide to begin exploring the options available to you in creating your product branding.
Technical finishes add a layer of dimension to nameplates, badges and labels. They can be created by combining several processes, including selective brushing, engine turning or printing. The resulting texture adds richness and a tactile quality to a printed surface. When varying or contrasting colors are utilized within a technical finish, a greater sense of depth and dimension is created, as shown on the above nameplates.
Mixing metal finishes gives your nameplate a unique look. Copper, gold and silver are some of the most popular, and can be combined in a variety of ways. Adding a one side bright aluminum substrate under the metal finishes adds to the luster and enhances the color. This series illustrates options in combining natural metal colors.
This article is the first in a series of articles illustrating options in integrating finishes into your nameplate design. All can be customized to meet your product branding needs.
A variety of processes are available to create tone-on tone silver nameplates. The result is a premium look that coordinates with many products. This series combines aluminum in high or low gloss with metallic inks, brushing and spinning. The logo is embossed to further differentiate it from the background finish. Which one catches your attention? Can you think of other nameplates that rely on a tone-on-tone finish to stand out?
Samples of nameplates are a great way to explore and better understand the options available to you in designing a nameplate. Northern engraving offers a Nameplate Materials and Processes Guide with numerous samples on metal and plastic substrates to assist you in the process.
This week I was looking through our nameplate samples and came across these multi-color old Apple nameplates. I instantly thought it would be fun to share them here. It's not the first Apple logo but it is widely recognized as the predecessor to the white and silvery chrome design in use today.
The Apple logo is one of the most recognized corporate logos in the world. These multi-color Apple nameplates where printed with seven spot colors and embossed.
Aluminum nameplates manufactured for Axon reflect the high quality and advanced features inside the tactical computer used by law enforcement to bring the power of video to their side. The nameplate is cut out around the letters focusing on the Axon logo. Engine stripe adds movement to the logo and is layered with a transparent grey tint. Embossing completes the simple eye-catching design. The circular logo is treated in similar processes to complement the main logo.
Request a Nameplate Materials and Processes Guide to begin exploring the options available to you in creating your product branding. Custom color matches, texture and assembly are only some of the options in creating your nameplate.
One of the key facets of a great brand is that it delivers on consistency. The manifestation of the brand or the way in which the promise and values are communicated occurs in many ways. Product branding with nameplates and labels is one of the vehicles for delivering a brand's message. This can become complicated when the brand covers a wide variety of products designed and manufactured throughout the world. HP meets the challenge with consistent aluminum badging for its consumer products ranging from printers and laptops to cameras and TVs.
A consistent image is represented with one logo available in multiple sizes to be used on the line of HP products. This logo uses the singular ID process to precisely align individual metal elements in the HP graphic. The aluminum is decorated with an engine stripe to enhance natural highlights and shadows in the metal. The silver nameplate coordinates with and is easily integrated into products in any color. A further economy with this approach to branding is the reduction in the total amount of part numbers. This in turn increases total volume by part number. Tooling and inventory costs are minimized while allowing price breaks for the higher volumes.
Request samples of this series or other nameplates in multiple sizes to see how a logo can be translated across multiple sizes consistently.
When it's your 25th anniversary... you celebrate it with style. This is exactly how Hewlett Packard commemorated the anniversary of the laserjet printer with an anniversary edition badge designed for the printers.
The first step in the process was the design of the logo and graphics. Once the graphic design was complete the next step was to choose an overall color scheme for the nameplate. HP wanted a high-end look, selecting silver and black for the badge. A visit to Northern Engraving along with creation of concept drawings and prototypes helped to facilitate further discussion on the many options available. The variety of elements in the 25th anniversary graphic allowed HP to integrate several processes into the nameplate creating an eye-catching jewel. The many silver finishes in the aluminum nameplate create an elegant tone on tone look with the use of a printed matte black accent. The manufacturing processes used to create the high-end badge include:
Spin: selectively applied with a maskDiamond cut: fine zebra cutLitho printing: halftones and graphicsBrush: selective diagonalEmboss: multi-levelAdhesive: selective foam with tab
The final aluminum badge conveys a premium brand image. Multiple graphics and processes are combined to compliment rather than compete with each other. The short skirt on the perimeter of the nameplate finishes the part, hiding the raw aluminum edge. A tab on the adhesive facilitates assembly to the final product.
What processes would you use to create an anniversary edition badge?
A common question that arises during the design phase of a nameplate is: how can I hide the raw edge of aluminum on my nameplate? This is especially a concern when the nameplate is a very dark color and is being applied to a dark colored substrate. In this case, the exposed silver edge of the aluminum is objectionable. There are several options to consider:
Hiding the aluminum colored edge of the nameplate was a challenge during the design of the new Dell Adamo nameplate. The solution involved a combination of approaches. First, there was a slight recess in the product where the nameplate was placed. However, space was limited and the depth of the recess was limited. The next step involved putting a slight rolled edge on the part. The silver edge was turned back slightly to help minimize the visible aluminum edge. A third step involved making the overall transparent tint of color slightly lighter. The original design called for a near black tint of color. The laptop is also brushed black. The two black areas highlighted any silver edge. The final design direction used a dark grey tint of color for the nameplate. This helped visually to minimize the appearance of silver.
A second version of the aluminum nameplate was created using the same tools. This was an economical option for differentiating the product in the marketplace. This version featured the same mechanical processes for the decoration of the nameplate. The Dell logo is highlighted with an emboss and spin. The spin is a circular brush which adds visual movement to the logo. The background is brushed. Both nameplates created a premium look for the brand.
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