Any business which has a face-to-face business model with their customers is in need of a company uniform. You must not look at these as protocol or a necessary evil but as an extension of your brand. When done well, uniforms inspire a sense of belonging in those who wear it.
People who look professional and feel professional will end up acting professionally. Not to mention that a good company uniform also establishes authority and trust. This is done in 3 main steps:
Step 1: Uniform Design Brief
Whether you’re writing the brief yourself or following its indications, here is the information you should be looking out for:
- Consult the employees who will be wearing it. What do they want? What do they need? The answers might surprise you.
- It is important to keep the client’s perspective in mind since, after the employees, they will be the second group of people to interact the most with the company uniform.
- The type of industry will have a big influence on how the final garments will look. It’s not the same to design workwear for a fast-food restaurant than for a spa in a five-star hotel.
- A brand guideline will tell you everything you need to know about a logo, the exact colours it uses, where and how it can be positioned and how it should never be used.
Step 2: Research
Once the brief has been designed, you need to do some research.
Mind Mapping
This is an easy, intuitive process that can lead you to develop ideas from a core concept. Mind mapping should be the first step in your research process as it can guide the rest of your decisions. It will also help you come up with many, many thoughts.
Reference Material
It will be your best friend and your safe place to go back to when you get blocked during the design process. In order to gather good reference material, you must look for examples of brands you admire and others that have done it before you.
Mood Boards
Unlike reference material, in a mood board, you can find inspiration from much more varied sources. From materials to a cartoon character, anything goes.
Step 3: Sketching Ideas
There’s only so much we can do with a company uniform but that doesn’t mean it can’t stand out and that’s where the details come in. Pay attention to:
- Buttons
- Embroidery
- Patterns
- Trims
- Hems
- Collar
Contact us to find out how we can assist in the design stage of your uniforms.