ID Badges

Ultimately all badges are ID badges, but in recently decades, the concept of detailed personal identification has become more important than ever before. The custom badges we use today probably evolved from name badges, the simple plastic or paper badges we wear at conventions, parties, and as employees at Dairy Queen, whereupon our name is scrawled after the ubiquitous "My Name Is...". Some of us even have our own personal collections of name badges and name badge holders, gleaned from years of low-end jobs and conference visits.

The use of ID badges has undergone a boom as companies, schools, government agencies, and similar entities have fallen increasingly in love with the concept of identification. Not that this is a bad thing: not only has security been greatly increased in facilities all over the world, a vigorous industry has sprung up to provide every type of ID and name badge supplies you can think of, from company ID badges to school teacher badge holders.

Standard identification badges, especially company ID badges and school ID badges, are the much-maligned rectangles of plastic mentioned earlier, mostly the size of a credit card or thereabouts. Generally they're worn in specialized ID badge holders that are see- through, so anyone who wants to can examine your bona fides. This is especially common for photo ID badges, which invariably include a bad picture of the bearer that, to any reasonable person, shouldn't count as ID at all. Sure, we all have bad hair days, but how is it they always fall on the days when we're getting our pictures taken for our driver's licenses and employee ID badges? Do they have special "ugly" cameras that they use? Or is it just some vast right-wing conspiracy to make us all look bad?

On to part six :: Security Features of Modern Badges :: Back to Index