If you travel regularly, you’ve probably noticed just how many travel companies use both custom embroidered patches and direct embroidery for branding purposes. Developing a strong brand identity is vital for any business, but especially so in the very competitive tourism industry.

Whether its staff uniforms, or products you plan to sell like travel bags, jackets, hats, or other travel accessories, branded goods can help your travel business stand out. You’ll find that well-known luxury travel agencies, adventure tourism companies, and even smaller boutique travel gear stores all add embroidered branding to their clothing and merchandise.

Whether you already have a popular travel brand that’s known worldwide or are a simple travel blogger looking to create brand awareness, consider adding embroidered branding to your business model to gain attention.

Custom Patches vs. Direct Embroidery: What’s Best for Your Travel Business?

You have two choices when it comes to embroidery, and they include direct embroidery or bespoke patches that you can add to clothing and merchandise. Let’s explore these two options to let you decide what may be best for your branding.  

Custom Patches: The Dynamic Choice

Travel companies have found custom patches to be really appealing and versatile thanks to the varied selection of available choices including embroidered, woven, PVC, and leather. There are simply endless ideas for custom embroidered patches to make your travel brand stand out from the crowd and get noticed.

Custom patches can be sewn or ironed onto all kinds of merchandise you plan to sell, as well as staff uniforms. Patches allow for flexibility if your branding changes or if you want to give your staff options to move patches between clothing.

Flexibility and Durability

Custom branding patches offer several advantages in terms of flexibility and durability. The durability of custom patches is well-known as they may be fashioned using thicker fabrics and complex embroidery because they are created separately from the clothing or products you are looking to place them on. Therefore, they are not directly tied to the lifespan of the products you plan to use them on.

For starters, custom patches can easily be affixed to a wide range of products which you may already have in stock, meaning you don’t have to replace or purchase all new inventory. This versatility will allow you to use the same patch design across different types of travel merchandise to maintain consistent branding.

Patches can be sewn, ironed on, or applied with Velcro, making it easy to transfer patches from one item to another, which is particularly useful if you want to update your uniforms or reuse patches on new garments without having to re-embroider everything. This makes them a cost-effective option.

Patches are most often made from strong materials that can endure rugged environments, frequent washing, and heavy wear, which is ideal for both travel industry staff who regularly work in outdoor settings and avid travelers who often visit travel destinations where they may face extreme weather or climate conditions.

Because customs patches are created separately from the items you plan to put them on, they are by nature more resistant to wear and tear. Even if the underlying fabric or material gets damaged, the patches themselves often remain intact and can be easily transferred to a new item, thereby saving you the cost of having to order new embroidery.

And unlike direct embroidery, patches can often be removed without damaging the items they are affixed to. This comes in handy if your company’s name or logo changes, or if a patch becomes worn out and simply needs replacing.

Cost-wise, custom patches provide a money-saving solution to branded merchandise, especially when it comes to ordering products in high volume. Generally speaking, making a patch is less expensive than straight embroidery. New patches can also be designed for special campaigns or events without having to order new products or alter the ones you already have in stock.

Branding and Aesthetic Beauty

Patches make popular giveaways or souvenirs for clients and customers, especially at travel trade shows or tourism industry conventions. You can hand out branded patches at all kinds of events, in welcome kits, or free with certain purchases to further promote your travel products or services. Travelers often like collecting patches from destinations or travel experiences and readily add them to items like their personal luggage, backpacks, and hats.

Custom patches can revolutionize your travel company’s goal of trying to maintain a consistent and identifiable brand. Produced individually, they provide greater control over the final appearance, therefore guaranteeing consistency throughout your items.

Patches are also often nostalgic since they can remind travelers of badges and emblems collected during their travels, therefore making them a perfect option for travel companies hoping to build a close relationship with their clients.

You could also create special embroidered patches for specific events or campaigns, such as celebrating your company’s or brand’s anniversary or launching of a new product or service. Distribute them as collectible items or attach them to limited-edition merchandise.

Best Strategies for Utilizing Custom Patches for Branding

Utilizing custom patches for branding within the travel industry can be a highly effective strategy, especially if you make the added effort of targeting specific groups of travelers. For example, if you run an outdoor adventure travel company that books trekking or kayak tours, you may want to create custom patches that feature symbols and themes related to adventure. This can include using elements like mountains, wildlife, landmarks, a compass, paddles, or adventure slogans.

Travelers who prioritize sustainability often seek eco-friendly options, so to target this group of travelers you’ll want to make sure your patches as well as your products are made of sustainable or recycled materials. Be sure to highlight this in your marketing or product labels.

You could also choose to donate a portion of proceeds from sales of certain patches and the products they are used on to environmental organizations and be sure to let your customers know of this.

Travelers who are more interested in honoring or displaying the cultures and history of the places they visit or wish to visit may be seeking products with patches that reflect these destination-specific cultural or historical elements. Examples include New Zealand Maori designs, French Fleur-de-lis, Egyptian hieroglyphics, or the Turkish naẓar.

Offering customers the ability to further personalise custom patches with their name or specific destinations is another good marketing strategy. Solo travelers in particular may appreciate the ability to showcase their individual journeys.

Be sure to create trendy, eye-catching patches that will entice people to want to share products with your patches on their social media platforms. Consider vibrant, bold colors and designs that appeal to travelers who are readily active on social media for free added promotion.

Direct Embroidery: The Perfect Choice

Unlike custom patches that are created separately and affixed to a product, direct embroidery involves stitches an emblem or logo straight onto clothing or products. Direct embroidery can be a perfect option for adding logos to travel company uniforms and travel products where permanence, professionalism, and durability are your main concerns.

Direct embroidery provides a clean and professional appearance that is well-suited for high-end uniforms, such as those worn by travel agency staff, airline employees, or luxury tour guides. The stitched logo integrates seamlessly into the fabric, giving a refined and cohesive look.

Since logos are stitched directly onto products with direct embroidery, it removes the potential issue of it coming off like custom patches. Therefore, this option becomes a potentially better choice for travel uniforms that will be washed frequently or subjected to heavy wear. Direct embroidery is ideal for long-term use because it remains intact even with repeated laundering.

Patches may sometimes fray around the edges or peel off if not applied properly, whereas direct embroidery remains more tidy and secure. This makes direct embroidery great for travel clothing and gear that will be subject to harsh weather or rugged travel conditions and regular handling like rain jackets, hiking daypacks, beanies, gloves, etc.

Budget Issues with Direct Embroidery

Direct embroidery is generally more expensive than custom patches when it comes to travel company logo and branding designs. This cost difference is primarily due to the intricacies of the embroidery process, the time involved, and the type of materials used.

Direct embroidery’s process of threading designs directly onto products requires specialized machines and usually involves additional production time and cost. The cost of direct embroidery is typically based on the number of stitches required to create your logo or design. Designs that are more complex and detailed that require a higher stitch count or those that contain many different colors will also be more costly to produce.

The initial cost to digitize your logo for embroidery can be expensive as well. This may be a one-time cost, but if you are looking to create a variety of designs, these setup costs can quickly add up. If you only need a few items, the per-unit cost of direct embroidery will likely be significantly higher than opting for custom patches.

Branding and Aesthetic Design

Creating appealing direct embroidery travel gear and uniforms for travel companies involves combining branding consistency with a stylish, functional design that resonates with both employees and customers. To make the embroidered gear and uniforms stand out while effectively promoting the travel company’s identity, it’s important to focus on a few key design and branding elements.

Consistency helps build brand recognition and makes both company uniform uniforms and travel gear you sell more cohesive. Keep logo size and placement rather consistent across all items and select visible spots for embroidery that won’t detract from the comfort or function of clothing and other products.

Stick to your company’s primary brand colors in the embroidery. This ensures that uniforms align with the your overall branding and creates a strong association with your brand. Utilize contrasting colors for the embroidery to make the logo stand out clearly.

Decide whether you want subtle or bold branding. For luxury travel companies, smaller, more understated logos may convey exclusivity, while adventure or youth-oriented travel brands might opt for larger, bolder logos to attract attention.

When incorporating a company name or tagline, use clean, simple font that is easy to read even when embroidered. Avoid overly intricate or script fonts that may not translate well into stitching.

You may also wish to consider going with 3D or puff embroidery to create a raised effect for your logo. This can create a more dynamic, textured look that works well with bold, simple logos or initials.

Guidelines for Direct Embroidery

When using direct embroidery for travel company branding, practicality and design considerations are crucial to ensure the logo and branding elements look great, remain durable, and resonate with your target audience.

For starters, when using direct embroidery for uniforms and clothing you sell, be sure to embroidery designs or logos onto clothing made from materials like cotton blends, polyester, canvas, or denim, which all hold up well under embroidery. Avoid fabrics that are too thin or stretchy, as these can distort the logo or cause puckering.

Direct embroidery has limitations in replicating very fine details. Simplify intricate designs to ensure that the brand logo and symbols are clearly visible when stitched. Reduce shading, complex patterns, or very small text to maintain legibility.

Logo placement is another important aspect of ensuring your brand will get noticed. Popular locations for embroidered logos include the left chest, sleeves, back, and collar. Placing the logo on the front chest is the most common and visible option for brand recognition.

Go with thread colors that will contrast well with the product colors to make the embroidery pop. Dark thread on light fabrics or light on dark ensures your logo will be more legible and stand out. Avoid using similar shades, as your logo may become indistinguishable.

Use proper backing materials to support the embroidery and ensure it stays in place. Backing materials are especially important for heavier fabrics like jackets or bags, which are often part of travel uniforms.

If embroidering on travel gear like jackets or bags, consider using water-resistant threads to ensure durability. This is particularly useful for companies offering outdoor or adventure travel experiences where gear is exposed to rain, humidity, and dirt.

Direct Embroidery or Custom Patches, Which is Better for You?

When choosing between direct embroidery and custom patches for travel companies looking to gain brand awareness through products and promotional items, the decision depends on several factors such as cost, flexibility, durability, and the desired aesthetic.

While patches are excellent for flexibility and durability, direct embroidery may be preferable for high-end or formal branding, such as uniforms for airline staff, where a more polished and permanent look is desired.

Embroidered logos are typically longer-lasting and resistant to wear and tear, especially when applied to high-quality fabrics. The logo becomes part of the garment, making it more durable for long-term use.

With this said, we have already covered how direct embroidery is typically more expensive than patches, particularly for complex or multi-colored designs. It also involves setup fees for digitizing the logo. And once applied, direct embroidery is permanent, making it less versatile for temporary branding or updating logos.

Meanwhile, custom patches tend to be more affordable for large designs or when ordered in bulk, especially for multi-colored logos. They offer a budget-friendly option for companies looking to create eye-catching branding across multiple products.

Patches offer a wide range of materials and styles, such as embroidered, woven, or PVC patches, allowing you to choose the texture and finish that best suits your brand identity.

Patches can be applied to a variety of products and easily transferred between items. This makes them great for companies that want to distribute branded items like backpacks, hats, or jackets without committing to permanent logos.

We hope we’ve been able to shed some light on how you can use embroidery, whether through direct embroidery or custom patches to create travel products and uniforms that get noticed for successful brand recognition that will allow your travel company to grow.