Well,
I searched and didnt really find exactly what i did.. i dont doubt someone has already thought of this but i may be wrong.

I wanted the front grill badge on my MCS so i searched on the sites. I was shocked to see that the holder itself cost $20+shipping then i had to spend over $40+ for just the badges

Then i thought to myself, "why dont i just make my own?!"


First thing i did was go to the hardware store, picked up a 2 3/4" washer, painted it flat black, and then added a smaller washer on the back so the screw can be set behind the badges.(to not make it bulge). Then i simply screwed it onto the front grill...TADA i have a badge holder.

So i went online found badge pictures, printed them out on photo paper. Then i glued a little thicker paper on the back of the badges, just to give it added support. I then laminated each badge individually to protect them from the elements. Lastly, i cut out strips of magnets and added them on the back of the badges. Then simply stuck them onto the homemade holder. This all cost me about $20. I now have 15 badges that look great! I saved well over $100...

i feel like i can get in trouble for this

pics to come soon...its dark out

 

LOL nice. I kinda like that idea. I got a badge holder for winning a contest and was waiting to get some badges. But I am going into graphic design next semester so i might just make my own.

 

lmao yes i figured it was that easy but i am far to lazy and not mechanically inclined enough so i will leave it to the pros

 

so you'll leave it to guys like me ey


Its very easy! I found great images of actual badges...tomorrow i will attach some pics to show my collection

 

Very cool! I'd love to see pics of both your badge holder and badges.

I'm not much of a do-it-yourselfer either, so I leave the badges up to the pros like MotoringBadges and Cooperflags. I do love to hear when resourceful people find solution to making their own badges.

BTW, you should post your badges here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ollection.html

 

So you copied the work of others cause you didn't want to pay the "high" cost?

 

ya, basically. Whats wrong with that? theres people here that have DIY intakes that look almost identical to the M7 or DDMs. Whats wrong with this?

 

copy right?

 

I'm not sure that's an accurate analogy. You didn't draw up your own image that looks similar to a previously designed image. You've mentioned that you directly copied and reprinted the image.

I'd imagine that next to all of the badge designs have been copyrighted to prevent having them copied. And, honestly, it's not fair to the graphic designers who are trying to offer their skills and time to the owners in the MINI community. If you appreciate the work they've done, it's really not too much to ask that you shell out the ~$5 that it costs to purchase a badge.

(If you got permission from the artist, that's a different story.)

 

Uh oh, can of worms, be carefull O.P. Sometimes it's better keep some DIYs to ones self. May want to re-think posting pics of your "custom" badges. I'm not disagreeing with your DIY just passing along cautionary advise. Very important to get permission or pay for licensing, even on something "small" as badges. Won't be "small" to people who sell these for a living. Trust me, I know and understand, I've been on both sides.

 

i thank you for the advice...i did not copy the exact images i made my own badge images. Just had them be 3.25 inches in diameter so it would fit on the holder i made.

i photoshoped images to make them my own. i dont see anything wrong with that. i took a non copy righted picture and just made it fit on a 3.25 round piece of metal.

 

thats exactly what i did. i drew up my own images that looked similar to the originals

 

And you aren't selling these so no problem.

 

lol thanks

 

Kudos on the badge holder.

But not sure if you should be taking badge pictures off the internet, printing them and cutting them out and gluing/laminating them....Most times the photos in web sites are copy protected, and like downloading black market music off the net, probably illegal and then.....there are the moral issues.

 

ya i know...thats why i made my own creations

 

Oh, if that's the case, AWESOME I thought you were saying you just copy-pasted badge images you found. Making your own is really cool

 

thanks man...i feel really good it took 3 full days!

 

LOL, love the way the OP changes his story.

So i went online found badge pictures, printed them out on photo paper.

i photoshoped images to make them my own. i dont see anything wrong with that. i took a non copy righted picture and just made it fit on a 3.25 round piece of metal.

thats why i made my own creations


Nice.

 

I don't think you should just print out other peoples copyrighted badges, you might ask first if the person doesn't sell them, or just make some up-its pretty easy to do with non-copyrighted images.
You might also find that the laminated badges don't hold up so well without a wide border. try some avery waterproof label paper. its cheap and very durable. I use the 5524 3.3X4" and cut the magnet at the same cut as the paper. I have seen circular weatherproof labels as well, but they are more expensive, and you have to cut the circle on the magnet anyway. I used a 3" washer from ace and a rubber washer on both sides to prevent scratches.

 

hm good set up there...but i used 5mil laminate and its pretty durable, atleast for now

i didnt change my story sorry i worded it incorrectly. Why would i care what a bunch of people in a forum think of my doings? You guys analyze everything

 

Cause it's ilegal?

What's the difference from what you did to walking into a store and shoplifting the same things?

 

There are many artists/photographers/designers on this forum who make their living making art and selling it. At the least, it's often seen as a lack of respect for the hard work that goes into their art when the work is used without permission.

I'm sure this doesn't apply to you, since you state that you are creating your own art. However, by stating in your original post "So i went online found badge pictures, printed them out on photo paper.", it implied that you were using art without permission. I think that is what is getting folks upset.

 

You can do what ever you want as long as you do not profit from the efforts of others. ( You can copy it for your use, you just can't sell it.)

It's up to those who own a copyright to defend it.

Did you ever wonder why they don't sing "Happy Birthday" in restaurants anymore?

 

That's not really true. That's like saying it's alright to illegally download music as long as you're not going to sell it.

A copyright gives the owner the EXCLUSIVE rights to reproducing the piece of work.

This is true, but it would be nice to think that in a small tight-knit community such as the MINI community, one would have enough respect for the work of other fellow motorers that they wouldn't steal the work of others.

(I'm not aiming this at the OP since it sounds as though he actually did his own work).