What are your mic flags made of?
Awesome Mic Flags are made of ABS plastic with a high-density foam core. Each mic flag is strong and lightweight.
Are your mic flags screen printed or is a sticker applied?
Your design is printed on a polycarbonate sheet and applied to the mic flag.
Can I use fancy gradients in my design?
Absolutely. You can design your Awesome Mic Flag faces however you like. Use solid colors, gradients, patterns, etc. What you design is what will print.
What sort of detail can be printed?
Designs can be pretty detailed, but the question is how will it appear on your broadcast or podcast.
We recommend printing your design on paper and then viewing it at a distance. Consider how far the camera will be from your subject before designing details that will get lost.
What sort of artwork do you accept?
Ideally we would love for you to use our print-ready templates to layout your design and then export them as a print-ready PDF.
However, we also accept JPEG/JPG and PNG files with the understanding that we may have to manipulate these to fit in the allotted space.
If you design in Adobe Illustrator (AI), Adobe Photoshop (PSD) or Affinity (AF), we accept those files as well.
Or if you just want to submit your logo as an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file, we can place it on a colored background for you.
What if I provide the wrong type of artwork file?
If there are any problems with what you provide, we will let you know. If files are unreadable, not in the correct format, or consist of a design that cannot be replicated for some reason, we will work with you to make the modifications to get things in order!
What if I’m not a designer and need some help? Can you create my design?
If you have a logo, we can do some simple layout work to place it on a solid or gradient color at no extra cost. (You can make note of color requests during Checkout.)
If, however, you desire a custom background or some sort of stock photo design and need Awesome Mic Flags to develop it, we will be able to offer you our Awesome Designer Package for a fee of $150. This will cover the costs of any royalty-free images needing to be licensed as well as the time a graphic designer will devote to creating you a unique design. We can discuss what you need and complete a second Checkout for the cost of the Awesome Designer Package if necessary.
Am I limited to designing within the square/rectangle face or can elements protrude beyond those bounds?
You need to design both inside and outside of the bounding line. By that we mean you need a 1/8″ (0.125″) bleed on all sides. So if you are designing for a 2.5″ x 2.5″ square, set a bleed of 0.125″ so that the final design is 2.75″ x 2.75″ and ensure your design is safely within the 2.5″ area.
We will take your design and center it when developing your proof. So if your design’s bleed is larger, that’s fine… it’s going to get discarded anyway.
Why no 3-sided square-faced mic flag?
While we can make any shape and size, we would encourage you to consider the 4-sided square mic flag. For some reason 3-sided square faces look weird on TV, and we don’t want weird.
Aren’t the 4-Sided Square and the 4-Sided Podcast Mic Flags the same?
They are similar in shape and size but offer some important differences.
Both designs offer a 3″x3″ face; but the tops and bottoms of the mic flags are different. The 4-Sided Square Mic Flag has 1.75″ (44mm) holes on the top and bottom faces; the 4-Sided Podcast Mic Flag has a 2″ (50mm) hole on the bottom, but the top face features a 2.5″ (64mm) opening contoured specifically for large podcast microphones rather than “stick” mics.
Another difference is that the 4-Sided Podcast Mic Flag has an additional “horizontal” orientation. While handheld mics are in the “vertical” position, podcast mics can be used in the “horizontal” position which necessitates the faces of the mic flag to be rotated 90 degrees to look right.
What’s the best way to begin?
If you are an art director or creative with knowledge of graphic design, you are the one your organization needs to participate in the ordering process. Use our print-ready templates for your design, of provide at-size/with-bleed files.
Not sure what size works? We will be glad to consult with you regarding sizes that will work with your logo.
Do I have to pay for my order before production begins?
Yes. You will pay for your order at the end of Checkout. We will take the files you upload and prepare a proof for your review. Once you approve the proof, production begins. If you decide you’re not entirely satisfied with what you submitted, we can modify the proof with changes you provide until you sign off on it.
If you are concerned about paying for an order without knowing whether your logo/design will work on an Awesome Mic Flag, please contact us to discuss. We will be happy to review your artwork and offer improvements or give the big thumbs-up that everything looks good.
Will your mic flags survive a hurricane or a war zone?
Awesome Mic Flags are pretty awesome, but they aren’t made of metal or diamond, so over time they will degrade. Granted, if your reporters take good care of them and don’t use them to bludgeon the other production equipment, the mic flag will last longer. If something happens to the printed faces, contact us to see about purchasing some Awesome Replacement Decals.
What about fading?
All printed materials will eventually fade, but an Awesome Mic Flag used indoors should not fade within your lifetime. If used outside 24/7 and in the direct sun, you’ll probably see fading after a decade of exposure. But now that we think about it, your brand will probably change before our mic flags fade.