Published Aug 26, 2022 by Rick Cundiff
When it comes to the look of your custom patches, size matters! Text size, to be specific. You don’t have to wear the biggest patch around, or have the tallest letters, but you do need to be sure your message is legible.
If you want your patches to look your best, it’s all about proportion. It’s a question of both attractiveness and legibility. The name, message or logo on your patch matters to you, right? You want it to be seen and recognized.
That’s why text size is such an important aspect of patch size. If you try to squeeze too many words onto a small patch, first, it will look messy and crowded. At worst, your text won’t be readable at all. And that defeats the entire purpose of your patch.
We make our custom patches in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from two inches up to 15 inches. We do get asked occasionally if we can create patches smaller than two inches. In some cases, we are able to. But most of the time, the physical limitations of the embroidery or weaving gets in the way.
It’s simple. Embroidery thread (and weaving thread) has a certain minimum physical size. There’s no getting around that barrier. Woven patches use a smaller thread, so they can put more detail into a smaller space. But even then, there is an ultimate limit to how small your design can be and still look acceptable.
A good rule of thumb is this: In order to maintain quality and legibility, all text should be at least 1/4 inch in height. That’s the equivalent of 14 points in a standard block font.
While it’s less likely, you can have fonts that are too large as well. Choosing a font that’s too big for the overall patch size will limit your art options, and can overwhelm the design. As we noted earlier, it’s all a question of proportion. To ensure your patches look their best, keep the design balanced.
If you’re not certain which patch size or font size is right for your design, our experienced staff can help you choose the perfect look. Just let us know. We’re here to enable you to design the perfect patches for your needs!
