Morale patches have been deeply connected to military history since before World War I. Initially, they were used to identify units and squads based on their unique designs. Now, morale patches are more free form and incorporate jokes, humorous images, and unique emblems.
Morale patches are, as the name indicates, designed to build morale, improve spirits within the ranks, and create a sense of comradery. They can also be traded, collected, and kept as memorabilia.
If you want to design your own morale patches, this can be a daunting proposition. You have to find the right design that is cool, unique, and also funny. Then, you have to make sure it translates well onto a patch.
To help you get started, we put together this overview, so read on to learn how to do it!
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Identify Your Inspiration
Whether you’re going for serious or funny morale patches, it all starts the same way: a great idea. Do you have a specific food, icon, motto, or concept in mind? Once you have the essentials of your design, you can start to play with it.
Try playing with photoshop to visualize your design. If you’re not a tech wizard, you can draw it out. Your images don’t have to be perfect, but just get a sense of what colors, shapes, patterns, and images work together. Try a few layouts and see what design would make the best morale patches!
Balance
A surprising amount of people neglect balance when they design their morale patch. Balance the design so it’s not too busy in any one area.
In addition, don’t overwhelm the design. If there’s too much to look at, your viewer will overlook all the details that you added! You don’t have to go minimalist, but if something doesn’t explicitly contribute to the design, omit it for a stronger image.
PVC Patches
You can also get PVC morale patches, instead of the classic embroidered ones. These offer a sleek, newer vibe to your patches, however, there are a few considerations.
PVC patches work best with regular shapes like circles, squares, and triangles. You can go for more unique shapes, but they don’t transfer quite as well as you’ll want.
There are no limitations when it comes to PVC patches, as they are able to accommodate more detail and bright colors. You can also go for any size you want, but we recommend about three inches across.
We also recommend a border, as it will make your PVC patches more striking.
Pick a Fastener
Morale patches with velcro fasteners are the most common, as they’re easy to stick onto any jacket. You can also choose snaps or hooks, but we recommend velcro for easy sticking and removal.
Start Designing Your Moral Patches Today
Now that you know the essentials of designing morale patches, you can get started! You don’t have to be a professional designer to make custom morale patches, you just need a solid concept and a bit of creativity! Start designing your patches today!
If you enjoyed learning about morale patches, we have lots of advice and guides on our blog so check it out for more!
