What’s your favorite mug? My favorite was bought from a woodland charity and had the words “For” and “Sake” on it, with a little picture of a fox between them. If the relatively PG joke has gone over your head, don’t worry. It’s nothing they wouldn’t get away with in the latest children’s movie.
The point I’m making is that it makes me smile as I sip my coffee every morning and that’s what mug designs should do. This is especially true for the custom mugs that businesses get for their employees to use in the office. After all, they work hard and a little giggle over their morning cuppa will boost their mood before they write their reports or fix the printer (again).
Depending on the size of your business, you could even get several smaller orders of mugs for each department, which are tailored to them. Think “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” for the IT department or “For the love of spreadsheets” for the accountants.
Not only do personalized mugs make great gifts for employees, but they also improve how someone feels about your company. It serves as a happy little advertisement that’s giving them a caffeine boost when they need it most. This means that their brilliant presents for clients and customers as well. (If you’re looking for somewhere to get affordable branded mugs with low minimum orders, try National Pen.)
What should your mug say?
The ideal mug slogan needs to fit your company, so there’s no way I could tell you exactly what to put on your mugs. However, I will offer some advice for finding the slogan that will work for you.
1. Take your time
It might take a while to find the right one, but you’ll have fun going through all the options that you come up with. Take your time spitballing slogans, write down your bad ones to workshop them, and maybe even choose a bad one because it makes you laugh.
2. Choose your words carefully
As this is a business product, you’ll want to make sure that the slogan is positive, inclusive, and professional. It’s not to say that you can’t make jokes anymore, but rather that you want to make sure that your company is still presented in the best possible light.
I’m sure you know this, but it’s best to stay away from any jokes to do with race, religion, gender, sexuality, mental health, etc. In addition, it’s a good idea to stay away from any jokes about the workplace, i.e. “I don’t mind coming to work. It’s the 8-hour wait to go home that irritates me”. It’s funny and we’ve all had days like that, but it doesn’t indicate that your company is a good place to work for if employees don’t enjoy their time there.
3. Be original
Just like with any copy that your company produces, originality is key. You don’t want anything that you put on your mugs to seem tired or overdone, just as you wouldn’t with anything on your website. It’s not to say you have to reinvent the wheel, but just don’t opt for something you’ve seen over and over again in the homeware section of every supermarket. It might be as simple as rephrasing the slogan or changing the design aspects (font, images, colors).
4. Centre the recipient
We all enjoy different things from music to movies to mugs. Don’t think too much about what you would like in a mug that you’re giving to employees or clients. It needs to appeal to them so that they use it. You could even ask for their opinions in the design process, or make it a social media contest.
5. Use branding
Of course, all of your mugs should feature your brand identity, including your company name, logo, and slogans. These can always be put on one side of the mug, while the mug design that you’ve been working on can be put on the other. This will fulfill the “happy little advertisement” goal that we mentioned above.
As you can see, it’s easy and enjoyable to design mugs for your employees or clients. All you need is some imagination and time. Have fun.