5 Best Back-to-School Swag Items: What’s Trending and Where to Get Them

5-minute read

School is back, and so is the need for some unique gifts and promo items for staff and students! Creating your own custom swag items is a perfect way to bolster a sense of school spirit, promote different school programs, and even aid in fundraising efforts. Whether you need to stock up on custom merch for your students or create something special for a school event, here are the top five most popular and practical swag items you’ll need!

1. School Lanyards

Lanyards top our list of must-haves for students and faculty alike. They’re perfect for carrying ID cards and keys, making them one of the most practical swag items on our list. But they pull double duty by promoting your school’s colors and fostering a strong sense of team spirit. They are highly visible when worn around the neck, clipped to a backpack, or even when they hang out of a student’s pocket when they walk the halls.

You’ve got plenty of options to choose from when designing your own school lanyard. Our woven and polyester options are perfect if you’re looking to keep things simple; we can add any text you need along with high-quality logos and colors. If you want to take things up a notch, our photo lanyards give you the flexibility to create highly detailed, colorful designs with almost limitless potential.

2. Custom School Pins

Schools use custom lapel pins for all kinds of different programs. We’ve designed years of service pins, graduation pins, and school mascot pins, among all kinds of others. They are a popular option for fundraisers, but we’ve also helped clubs and sports teams design lapel pins for specific events and for trading. If you’ve already ordered custom lanyards, you’re likely going to see them adorned with your school pins in no time!

The sky's the limit when it comes to creating your own pin design. Our team has years of experience helping schools decide on the best type of pin, whether it’s soft enamel, die struck, or cloisonné. All you need is a logo to get started, and you’ll be amazed what the end result will be!

3. Key Chains

Custom key chains are another practical option for school swag that students and staff can use every day. They offer anyone at the school a means of sharing their school pride wherever they go. Even parents and alumni appreciate keepsakes from their schools, and the added functionality makes them even more desirable. We’ve seen schools use keychains for keeping track of USB drives, digital keycards, and, of course, keys. 

Similar to lapel pins, when getting started on a key chain design you first need to decide what type of material is best for your needs. Metal keychains are durable, and can be cut into custom shapes and sizes. But if you want something that shows off your school colors with a little more animation, PVC might be your top choice. Our PVC keychains are created with unique molds and layered colors to create a fun, flexible design that’s sure to capture your school’s spirit.

4. Custom School Patches

Schools around the U.S. have a storied history with patches. These days, many people look at them as a nostalgic callback, but custom patches have been riding some popular trends as well. Letterman jacket patches are still a popular staple, but students and faculty have been ordering patches to stick on backpacks, hats, and all kinds of other surfaces. The designs vary as much as the uses we’ve seen, but some popular ideas include creating fun patch designs to honor academic accomplishments, special events at the school, or for clubs and teams.

There are a lot of options to consider when you set out to create your own patch design. Woven patches are best for fine detail and lettering. They also offer a vibrant spectrum of colors to help you really capture your school’s identity. But the nostalgia factor of embroidered patches is hard to beat in some cases. It really just comes down to what style you prefer best!

5. School Challenge Coins

To round out our list of school swag items are custom challenge coins. Like some of the other options we’ve listed, challenge coins are an amazing option for schools looking for a custom product to help in fundraising and promotional efforts. Each one is crafted with particular care, and captures an incredible image of your school’s mascot or crest. Oftentimes, challenge coins are offered as a prestigious award for academic integrity and excellence. We also help schools design coins to celebrate milestone achievements, anniversaries, and retirements. 

As a limited-edition collectible, an award for achievement, or as a means of fostering a sense of belonging among your students, challenge coins are an incredible option for anyone in the market for custom school swag. If you’re not sure where to begin on a design, that’s okay! We have plenty of options for metal plating, and designs come in all shapes and sizes. Take a look at some of our past projects and see if you feel a creative spark for your own design!

Ready to Create Your Own School Swag Items? We’re Here to Help!

It’s never been easier to get started on a custom design of your own for any time of custom school swag. Lapel pins, coins, key chains, lanyards, and all of the other items we create are amazing tools for building school spirit. Not only that, they also provide a unique means of engaging with students, parents, and alumni, and give them the opportunity to support your programs and events. 

While we’ve included our top five choices for back-to-school swag, there’s so much more you can create. Just send us a couple  of your ideas, a logo or two, and we’ll help you design something that is sure to make this school year special!