7 Ways to Wear a Lanyard and Make it Look Good

Let’s face it. Lanyards make life easy. While we might not always like wearing one, they are the best way to quickly find your ID badge. They are a great way to keep access keys and cards handy while keeping your hands free. Easy availability for office must-haves like pens or flash drives. Show your co-workers what matters outside the office with photos or personal mementos. A quality lanyard can become your on-the-go tool kit.

Beyond improving office security, lanyards with badges can improve employee morale. Have you met a co-worker once or twice but then forgotten their name? A quick peek at a well-designed ID badge with prominent first name lets you seamlessly “remember.”

Identical lanyards with your company brand logo and colors can also bring individuals together as part of a team. It’s subtle, but when people wear similar company merchandise, it helps to create a sense of belonging. It’s the ice breaker that lets you know you share a common goal, especially if you haven’t worked much with a team member before.

Tips on How to Wear a Lanyard

Let how you wear your lanyard express your personal style. You can also change how you wear your lanyard based on your situation – the organization you volunteer for might give you a different lanyard that you sport differently based on need or norm. Or have family members use several old conference lanyards on your next trip to an amusement park. Options abound!

Here are 7 tips on how to wear a lanyard:

1. Around your neck

You can’t go wrong with this classic lanyard fashion, similar to wearing a long necklace. Whether you’re carrying a flashlight, charging cable or another lanyard accessory, wearing a lanyard around your neck keeps your items hanging close and ready for quick use at any time (and helps protect against losing or misplacing them). If your customized lanyard features your college, event or organization’s branding, what better way to share it among your peers than by hanging it around your neck, front and center?

2. Around your neck – With Your Phone!

One of the latest options for lanyards includes a phone holder. Some options have pouches, some options are silicone straps with a card holder on back. All options keep your most valuable items at super convenient access.

3. From your bag

Try adding a bit of university or company style to your school or work bag. Zipping your lanyard accessories in the pocket of a backpack, briefcase or shoulder bag and letting the lanyard strap hang free lets you keep your keys or keepsakes safe while displaying your lanyard branding. You can also loop your lanyard around one of your bag’s straps to add a touch of functional flare to your tote, purse or messenger bag.

4. As a bracelet

If you make frequent use of your lanyard accessories, tying your lanyard strap around your wrist and wearing it as a bracelet keeps your items as close at hand as can be. Car keys and workplace or classroom entry fobs in particular make great candidates for the “beads” of your lanyard bracelet. Plus, displaying your lanyard around your wrist puts your customized messaging in a highly visible place, allowing you to communicate your brand with every gesture.

5. Through a belt loop

This approach takes its inspiration from the chatelaine, an ornate set of chains that 18th century Europeans used to hang from their waist to carry keys, watches and other useful items. Some fashions never go out of style, especially if they keep the tools you need throughout your day within reach! Simply loop your lanyard strap through one or two belt loops to achieve this functional look.

6. Hanging Out of a Pocket

This is a super popular method if you are a guy in the U.S. Many people have hypothesized why, but it seems to come down to habit — most guys are used to carrying things in their front pockets. They will add a clip for keys which anchor the lanyard in their pocket, then let the ID badge hang out. This meets company requirements for visibility while still giving personal style. The U.S. military has even handed out lanyards, and shown them worn in pockets, as part of recruiting campaigns.

7. Around your hand

For busy individuals who need to make quick use of a lanyard without being tethered to it for the rest of the day, looping a lanyard around your hand offers just the trick. A few wraps around your knuckles keeps accessories secure and easy to use on your way into the office or between classes with the option to quickly stash your lanyard in your desk or on a coat hook once you reach your home base.

While simple in design and purpose, the way you wear your lanyard can be as unique as your personality. Deciding how to style a lanyard is just the first step in making your lanyard your own, however, and the sky’s the limit when it comes to what to put on a lanyard. Check out our recent blog post with 10 things to put on a lanyard.

Have a lanyard tip we didn’t share? We’d love to hear about the different ways you wear a lanyard. Post a comment below!

SOURCES –
5 Reasons Why You Should Be Wearing Lanyards in Your Office, Eileen Conant, Power Home Biz, December 4, 2021
Chatelaine Ornament, Encyclopedia Britannica
Military Recruiting, John Hopkins Military Press, August 15, 2022