If you care about your product, then you should care about the industrial nameplate that you place on that product. Your industrial nameplate is an extension of your product: the brand enhances the product; it doesn’t just mark it.
This is your product, this is your brand—treat it with respect.
Design is the most important facet of industrial nameplates: design for the medium in which you want your nameplate or brand to be rendered. When designing your logo/nameplate you should avoid multiple colors and shades as they tend to look good on a computer screen but limit your choice of materials in duplicating this multiplicity of colors.
Nameplates with something to say:
Printing methods for two-dimensional nameplates are normally determined by order size: silkscreen is common for small to medium quantities; large quantities are often flexo-printed. Options include die-cut vinyl or printed first or second surface )depending on the opacity of the material being printed).
Label stock can be paper, mylar, vinyl, or polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is normally printed second surface and gives good wear characteristics.
Two-dimensional nameplates can be embossed to give a 3D effect. While embossing is normally only .002" deep, embossed nameplates have a little more "pop" than plain two-dimensional nameplates.
Aluminum nameplates can also be screened in multiple colors. Printed aluminum nameplates have better color and more pop than printed labels. You can also add doming to a printed aluminum nameplate for a really great look without a lot of cost.
Doming is one way to add class—as well as wear characteristics—to a two-dimensional nameplate. Embossed and Domed labels can make very classy nameplates that speak to the quality and purpose of your brand.
Make Your Product really Zing! - 3Dimensional nameplates
Three-dimensional nameplates are the ultimate in product identification: they not only present your brand visually but also allow the user to actually touch your brand.
Injection-molded plastic nameplates offer the same aesthetics as zinc die cast with less cost and weight; it can also be chrome plated, just like zinc die cast. Remember that chrome plating is expensive and there are alternative methods of getting a chrome nameplate without the cost of plating. Molded plastic nameplates are for medium to high quantities—when designed properly, they can render superior branding.
Aluminum, stainless steel, and/or brass can be etched for a three-dimensional effect. These metals also can be embossed; however, embossing does not render copy as crisp as etching. Color can be added to the etched (recessed) area or can be left with a no-fill look (frosting of metal from the acids).
