Enamel Pin Design Best Practices

Your unique designs deserve to grace the jackets, hats, and bags of pin collectors worldwide! So now what? It is time to plan your attack. From concept to production-ready art to final delivery, let’s discuss the best practices behind the creation of enamel pins.

Potion pin sketches by Liz Masters for LizzieMPress.com

CONCEPT

What kind of pin do you want to make? Humorous, adorable, creepy, elegant? The possibilities are endless. Keep a sketchbook of ideas. Check out what is already circulating on Etsy and Instagram. The pin community is friendly and loves to share.

Once you’ve nailed down the subject matter, it is time to flesh out a few ideas with a series of thumbnails. Conceptualizing is the most exhilarating stage.

A few parameters to keep in mind while sketching are size, color, and detail level. Pins are small, so designs with clean lines and limited color palettes work best. Construct crisp silhouettes. But otherwise, go nuts.

Now that you have devised some fresh ideas, pare down your favorite concept to something production worthy. There are several factors to consider before building the finish.