Have a question about a nameplate or badge?
The Nameplate FAQ page covers common questions in the following areas.
Current Articles | RSS Feed
A vintage guilloche enamel compact was the inspiration for this detailed design. Guilloche is a decorative technique which involves engraving very precise intricate lines into the surface of metal.
We translated the character and movement of this surface onto aluminum with etching. The starburst and spun effect are created by etching very fine lines into the surface of aluminum. The decorative embelishment is domed to add to the jewel-like effect of the part. The dome acts as a lens magnifying the movement in the insert.
Pure Turquoise Custom NameplateTortoise Shell Plaques for Cosmetic PackagingAluminum Fragrance Cap Insert
Request a Nameplate Materials and Processes Guide to begin exploring the options available to you in creating your product branding.
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments
Looking for that perfect color combination for your product branding? The possibilities are endless when it comes to colors and processes. However, the neutral color palette of silver and black and their myriad variations stand out as a favorite whether on home electronics, furniture or automotive badging. This high contrast combo offers a long list of options available to you in creating the right look for your product that meets your budget.
This article explores a few of the possibilities in bringing together black and silver in your design. The first five options are all on flat nameplates (note: the Samsonite nameplate does have a formed edge but the graphics are flat). Flat nameplates minimize your investment in tooling and may be combined with a stock die option to further cut costs. The final three options combine black and silver decoration on aluminum with embossing, debossing and forming.
The Hon nameplate is a wonderful example of simple tasteful design on a flat nameplate. The high contrast color combination is further emphasized with contrasting gloss levels.
Metallic silvers and the sandblast look they create are a popular option in nameplates and a perfect match for black graphics. The Blessing nameplate highlights the sandblast effect with a bright aluminum border.
The beauty in many of these nameplates is their simple design. The Samsonite label shown here is no exception. A soft touch finish is applied to the black background and bright aluminum graphics. The result is an almost anodized look and feel.
The durable etching process is used to create a sophisticated look in this furniture nameplate for Concept Seating. The brushed aluminum background is in high contrast to the etched graphics.
A low gloss texture is screen printed on high gloss black to create this pattern in the background of the Promega nameplate. The graphics are engine striped to add depth and movement.
Embossing is used to further define the bright aluminum graphics against the high gloss black background on the Cobra nameplate.
The Boston badge shown here illustrates how using a brushed aluminum background changes the look of the part. The graphics are debossed or recessed.
A spin is used in the Jaguar logo on this steering wheel button to add movement to the embossed graphics. A piano black backrground is an elegant contrast to the aluminum graphics.
Request a Nameplate Materials and Processes Guide to begin exploring the options available to you in creating your product identification.
Northern Engraving offers a diverse range of decorative processes on metal and plastic substrates. Typically, our customers use these options to create product identification in a wide range of markets. Occasionally a customer uses the same processes in an unexpected way. The knob insert shown here is one example of a non-traditional use for the doming process.
The cross-stitch designs are lithographed on aluminum using process color to achieve subtle detail in the designs. Adhesive is laminated to the back of the parts for assembly to the knobs. The doming process is the final step in the manufacturing of these parts. During this step a liquid polyurethane is applied and cured into a crystal clear lens.
Request a Nameplate Materials and Processes Guide to begin exploring the options available to you. Custom color matches, texture and assembly are only some of the options in creating your unique design.
Cosmetic appliqués are used on beauty and makeup products to connect with consumers on products ranging from lip gloss and nail polish to fragrances and powders. Custom designed appliqués draw on the diverse range of decorative options available on aluminum to create attention grabbing looks. Vivid colors, faux finishes or complex forming can be used to create unique product branding.
This aluminum appliqué is manufactured in three colors which coordinate with the lip glosses. Custom color matches are the first step in the development of the parts. A common stamping tool is used for each of the parts. The pressure sensitive adhesive laminated to the back of the appliqués facilitates assembly to the cap. The appliqués differentiate the product on the shelf.
For additional examples of aluminum inserts and labels for cosmetics see our cosmetics appliqués page on the market section of our site.
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.
This video features a series of etched hearts on aluminum. The designs were originally used on an aluminum match box cover. Multiple brush directions are combined with bright aluminum to add movement throughout. The surface dances with highlights and shadows. The beautiful design is one of my favorite match box covers. It truly embraces the beauty of aluminum. The processes used to bring this surface to life are the same processes available to you in designing your product identification. We love working with aluminum and you just might too!
1 Comments Click here to read/write comments
A unique use of aluminum decoration is illustrated in this CD package which in 2001 was the Grammy Award winner of Best Boxed Recording Package: Various Artists – Brain In A Box – The Science Fiction Collection. The 6.5-inch square, metal-lidded cube is brilliant packaging design.
The aluminum cover is printed using process color to capture the detail and graphics in the buttons, gauges and dials. A bright aluminum background is layered with a printed texture adding to the overlay both visually and tactilely.
This creative design relies on litho and screen printing to achieve attention getting results. Additional processes available to be integrated into metal package inserts are brush, spin and emboss. How would you use the decorative processes available to you on aluminum in a package design?
Aluminum Inserts and The Grateful Dead Nameplate Archive: Miles Davis Metal CD Spine
Request a Nameplate Materials and Processes Guide to begin exploring the options available to you in integrating aluminum, steel, brass or plastic substrates into your packaging design.
The ultra-slim MoGo Talk is a Bluetooth headset that from a design perspective is a beauty. The stainless steel trim piece is designed to blend in almost seemlessly into the headset blurring the boundary between nameplate and trim. Graphics are printed on a brushed background. Embossing adds dimension while a rolled edge finishes the part.
The stainless steel part goes beyond a typical nameplate application integrating product branding into a decorative trim piece. Processes and materials used in nameplate manufacturing are often used to create authentic metal trim pieces for consumer products. Integrating product branding into the trim is an attraction option on many levels. Aesthetically the product identification does not look like an afterthought when manufactured as part of the trim. Combining branding and trim into one piece minimizes the number of components for assembly on the final product.
Six Options for Integrating a Nameplate into Trim
This series of aluminum match box cover designs was inspired by colorful vintage cigar labels. Each cigar label is a mini masterpiece designed to entice buyers into choosing a particular brand. Cigar label art has been collected by many for over a hundred years. Translation of the colorful and ornate artwork onto metal was a perfect match.
The design above is reproduced using process color to capture the full range of color in the original label. The naturally reflective surface of the metal is used to add depth to the metallic accents. Printed texture adds further detail.
The pattern on the back of the match box plays off of the embroidery in the lady's jacket. Our interpretation of this motif results in an eye-catching finish with movement created through selective brushing and printed texture.
The elegance and simplicity of this design continues to be one of my favorite. The jewel-like quality of this piece is an excellent example of aluminum decoration. Transparent tints of color are printed on brushed and bright aluminum. Selective gloss levels emphasize key aspects of the design. Printed texture adds to the piece both visually and tactilely. Holding the match box in your hand and moving it slightly highlights details as the light catches them.
The back side of each of the match boxes is as equally interesting as the front. Designing the front of the matchbox involved interpreting the existing artwork onto metal. Designing the back involved identifying an element in the original design to be translated into a pattern. We wanted the pattern on the back to have as much depth and movement as the vintage reproduction on the front.
The match boxes are manufactured using the same processes used to manufacture nameplates for product identification. The designs illustrate the level of detail available in nameplates. They also illustrate the flexibility of the product to be used for packaging and point of purchase materials. What ideas does this give you for using the versatility aluminum on a project?
Request nameplate samples to begin exploring the options available to you.
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.
All Posts