50 trading pin design ideas

Shapes

1. Home plate with the team name across the top.
2. Baseball diamond with bases as small enamel squares.
3. Jersey with the team name and year as the number.
4. Baseball cap in team colors with the logo on the front.
5. Softball with red stitching around the edge.
6. Shield or crest for a classic look.
7. State outline with your town marked by a star.
8. Pennant with the team name.
9. Hockey puck or lacrosse helmet silhouettes.
10. Bow shapes for cheer and softball teams.

Mascots in action

11. The mascot swinging a bat with an oversized head.
12. The mascot sliding into home in a cloud of dust.
13. The mascot pitching, with the ball in glitter.
14. The mascot wearing sunglasses for a summer tournament.
15. The mascot holding the tournament year on a sign.
16. A cartoon version of the team's coach (with permission).
17. The mascot's face only, oversized, with glitter eyes.
18. Two mascots: your team's and the host town's, shaking hands.

Season and tournament themes

19. Tournament week pin with every day of the week as a small icon.
20. Scoreboard showing your best win of the season.
21. Bracket with your team's path to the final.
22. Road trip map from your town to the tournament.
23. Championship ring shape for a title season.
24. Age group badge that moves up with the team each year.
25. Rain delay pin with an umbrella and the date, for the game everyone remembers.
26. Opening day pin with the first pitch and the season year.
27. Cut-out window around the mascot; see cut-out pins.
28. Glow-in-the-dark stadium lights; see glow pins.

Effects

29. Glitter background in team colors.
30. Glow-in-the-dark ball or stars for night games.
31. Rhinestone on a softball bow.
32. Translucent sky behind the logo.
33. Antique silver plating so neon colors pop.
34. Cut-out windows in a stadium design.

Local pride

35. Your town's landmark: a lighthouse, a bridge, a water tower.
36. Your state's animal or flower.
37. Local food your town is known for.
38. The skyline of your city.
39. Your area code or ZIP code as the jersey number.
40. Mountains, beaches or lakes from your area.

Fun and humor

41. A pun on your team name.
42. A cartoon hot dog or ice cream in team colors.
43. "We drove 900 miles for this" with a car and the miles.
44. A team inside joke (keep it kind).
45. A superhero version of the mascot (original, not a copyrighted hero).

Classic and collectible

46. A vintage baseball card design.
47. A retro patch-style circle with the year.
48. A two-pin set that fits together like a puzzle.
49. A numbered limited "special" pin; see numbered pins.
50. A pin designed by the players themselves, cleaned up by our artist.

Tips for turning an idea into a great pin

• One main idea per pin; see how to design an enamel pin.
• Team name and year large and readable.
• One or two add-ons, not five.
• 2 inches gives room for most ideas; see trading pin sizes.

Send your idea, even as a sentence or a photo of a sketch, on the quote form. Or start from a ready-made design on baseball trading pins, softball trading pins or cheer pins.

Ideas by sport

Hockey: crossed sticks behind the logo; a puck heading into the net; a goalie mask painted in team colors; a frozen-pond scene with glitter ice; your city's flag on a jersey.

Soccer: a ball in the crest; a goal net with the ball in the corner; a stadium silhouette; boots and the jersey number; the flags of every country your club has played.

Lacrosse: crossed sticks with a glitter ball in the pocket; a helmet in team colors; a field-shaped pin with the team name on the midline.

Cheer and dance: a big glitter bow; a megaphone with the team name; glitter pom poms; a trophy with the competition year; rhinestones on stars.

Volleyball: a ball flying over the net; a spike silhouette; the club logo on a beach scene for sand teams.

Basketball: a ball dropping through a hoop; a sneaker with the team colors; a court-shaped pin with the team name at center court.

Choosing between ideas

If your team cannot decide, put three ideas to a vote and ask us to proof the top two. Seeing them as real proofs, with prices, usually makes the choice obvious. Kids are good judges; the idea they get excited about is usually the one other teams will want too.