Name badges have become an essential part of work and social life. Whether people are attending a convention, a social get together or an office function, name badges are sure to be found. Besides allowing others to instantly know who you are, they provide several other functions. Firstly, because everyone has a small piece of personal information about everyone else, that is their name, everyone feels a little more open to other people. In a way it acts as an icebreaker. One person can go up to another and because they know the other person's name, it's almost as if they have already been introduced.

Name badges are also used in many work situations. These are usually when the employee or staff member has frequent interaction with the general public. It helps to be able to know the staff member's name instantly as this often makes the service they are providing more friendly and caring. Nurses are a good example. In this situation the name badge once again provides a feeling that the nurse is already known and is therefore perceived as likely to be more compassionate. This is useful given the purpose of the nurse is to take care of the patients which often involves calming them down or giving them reassurance.

There are many types of name badges available from the very cheap and easily obtainable to the more expensive, customized and durable. Usually what type is used will depend upon the environment in which it will be used. For instance, if someone is having a party or a small social meeting it is likely they will buy several sheets of blank, self adhesive, paper labels and a marker pen from a local newsagent. Then it's a simple task of writing everyone's name on separate labels, peeling them off and having everyone stick their name tag on the front of their clothing. This method is inexpensive but the name tags don't last any longer than the function for which they are used.

From there we go to three by two inch blank white cards. Again these have the person's name written or printed on them but the person is also provided with a clear plastic name badge holder. The name badge holder will have both a pin and a clip to attach it to clothing and the card with the person's name slides into this. Again this is a relatively cheap method of providing name badges. Both the card and badge holder can be purchased from a newsagent or office supplies store at wholesale and the name badge holders can be reused.

From there it is possible to buy a huge variety of name badges. They can come in all colours from pink to blue to green. They can come in a variety of materials including leather and vinyl. Metal name badges with brass and stainless steel have become popular with the name of the person engraved in the metal. It is even possible to get magnetic name badges. A magnetic name badge works by placing the name badge on the outside of the item of clothing, whether it is a shirt or dress. A magnetic fastener is then placed on the inside of the clothing against the name badge. The magnetic force between the two keeps the name badge in place. The advantage of this method is it keeps the clothing free of holes caused by the pins that are normally used for attaching name badges. Although another method is to attach the name badge to a ribbon or lanyard placed over the neck. But by far the most common name badges are plastic name badges because of the huge number of size, color and shape variations that can be created from plastic. A perfect example of this is the retractable badge holder that allows an id badge or other useful implement to be pulled away from the body without detaching it from the body. This is perfect for employees who need to swipe their id card several times an hour or the waiter who needs to have a bottle opener attached to his belt.

Although name badges can be bought singly, name badge suppliers prefer large orders. These normally occur when a large corporation or government body buys custom name badges for their employees in bulk. These personalized name badges will usually have the logo of the company or government body along with the name of the person and can made up of any of the above types of name badge depending on what is most suitable for the working environment.