A Guest Article by Melanie Bunch

Many companies choose to give their employees a Photo ID rather than a basic name tag. This can be a great idea for many different professions, as it creates a level of security, professionalism, and confidence for the customer.

But there are many details to consider when submitting photos of your employees to be used on the Photo IDs. Here are some tips to get your employees looking their best on their badges, making your company look even better.

1. Create a set of standards for the photos used.
The best way to do this is simply to designate a camera, an employee, and a place to take all photos for the IDs. This will ensure control over the quality of the image (more on that below). If you allow employees to submit their own photos, you will have a varied range of images, which may not all represent your company as professionally as you would like.
If you DO decide to allow employees to submit their own photos, make sure they are following the rest of the tips listed below.

2. No “selfies”.
Photos used for identification should be taken by some one other than the person in the photo. Self-taken images do not appear professional, and frequently are not at a good angle, or do not show enough of the person for good identification.

3. No filters.
Photos submitted should avoid using Instagram filters, or similar processes that alter the focus, color, or overall look of the photo in some stylized fashion. Unless that is a look you want to apply to your Photo IDs company-wide, no single individual should have it.

4. Content of photo should be professional.
The photo used should contain only the person who the ID is for – employees should not be posing with pets or other people, even if they are partially cropped out. The employee should be wearing clothing that would be appropriate for their job, or standard business attire. The background should not be too busy or distracting, a blank wall or photo backdrop is ideal.

5. Image should show the employee well.
The employee’s face should be adequately lit in the photo, so that the details of their face are easy to see. Keep in mind that the photo will most likely be produced relatively small, so dark photos may lose the shape of the facial features entirely. Photos should be in focus.

6. Do not crop the photos.
Name Tag, Inc. will handle all cropping of the images as we produce the Photo IDs. Photos are all cropped to the same standards, creating a uniform look across your company. If a company submits photos which have been pre-cropped, there are sometimes issues with image quality, and the shape of some of the individual photos. Allowing Name Tag, Inc. to crop all photos to the dimensions your company’s badge was designed for ensures that every employee gets the best-looking ID that they can have.