Mythical badges and where to find them
A full set of brand-new emblem badges, including a collection of mythical creatures badges, will arrive in the Girlguiding shop in September. But how will they get there? We go behind the scenes to find out how badges like these are created, step by step. Look out for the creatures as you go!
Step 1: Discussion
When it’s time to create a new badge, the first step is to brainstorm ideas.
‘Badges are such a huge part of Girlguiding – they inspire the girls and give them opportunities to discover new things,’ explains Sam, Merchandise Planner.
‘We want to be sure we’re keeping up to date with what’s happening in girls’ lives – and in the wider world – so every month, we have a meeting where we’ll talk about our ideas for new products or updates to existing ones. Emblem badges form an important part of the girls’ identity within each unit and give a sense of belonging, so we want to be sure they’re kept meaningful.’
Dragon The earliest images of dragons resemble snakes. Some think dragons appear in most cultures because of our primal fear of snakes, which were major predators of our ancestors. Dragons are usually said to live in caves, mountains and forests, all places that would have been fraught with danger for early humans.
“As a girl-led organisation, it’s important that we regularly check in with them to make sure we’re hitting the nail on the head with our badge designs”
Amelia, Programme Manager
Step 2: Research
The next step is to involve the girls and members and give them a say. ‘As a girl-led organisation, it’s important that we regularly check in with them to make sure we’re hitting the nail on the head with our badge designs,’ says Amelia, Programme Manager. ‘We want to be sure that any changes we make are reflective of how the badges are actually used in grassroots guiding. ‘We agreed that the emblem badges needed an update, so we did some research with the members to find out what new topic areas they’d like to see. We went to Girlguiding events throughout the country, asked the girls some questions and offered a number of theme areas. The girls made lots of great suggestions, and after a vote, we tallied the results and shared them with Priya, Marketing Lead. At this point we could see mythical creatures was the favourite of all the topic areas and was capturing their imaginations the most.’ Amelia also notes that although the mythical creatures badges are a new focus of interest from the girls, the original badges are being reimagined, too. Priya says, ‘We sent a survey out to units to make sure we had enough information to make badges that would really resonate with the girls. From this, we discovered that dragon, mermaid, phoenix, unicorn and woodland folk were the most popular. We also asked whether they preferred fabric or metal badges. From these results we also discovered that units use emblem badges in lots of different ways, so to keep them flexible we decided to make the new ones available to all age groups.’
Mermaid
The idea of mermaids in the West may have come from the Sirens of Greek mythology, which were originally half-birdlike, but became half-fishlike in the Christian era. Historical accounts of mermaids from Christopher Columbus, for example, may have been sightings of manatees or similar sea mammals.
“It’s crucial that the badges are accessible and are open to adaptation in whatever way volunteers want to use them”
David, Design Lead
Step 3: Design
The research is given to the design department, who start dreaming up how the badges will look. After reading the brief, David, Design Lead, knew that his key challenge was to make sure the badges appealed to girls of all ages. ‘It’s crucial that the badges are accessible and are open to adaptation in whatever way volunteers want to use them,’ he says. ‘I went back through old catalogues and found badge designs from the 1920s and 1930s. These were the very early woodland folk – they were made out of sticks and very angular. I wanted to design something modern while keeping the essence of these iconic designs that were so rich in history. ‘Using a pencil and paper, I sketched out some angular shapes, which made me think of origami and 3D graphics. I took this idea on to the computer and devised some images using gemstone shapes. I had a gut feeling that it looked right. I shared the new designs with the rest of the team and made tweaks on their recommendations so we could arrive at a set we all agreed on.’
Phoenix In Ancient Greek folklore, a phoenix bird lives for at least 500 years before dying in a blaze of fire. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. It’s a powerful symbol of renewal and the concept of time.
“We’re an organisation that cares for the planet and for people, so we’re very careful to only work with companies that have the same ethos”
Sam, Merchandise Planner
Step 4: Production
When everyone is happy with the final designs, it’s time to send them to the manufacturers to make samples. ‘When we go into production, we use fully audited factories. This means they’ve had checks to make sure they’re following guidelines around pay, living wage, health and safety. We ask for photos and accreditation to prove the information so we know that staff are being looked after,’ says Sam. ‘We’re an organisation that cares for the planet and for people, so we’re very careful to only work with companies that have the same ethos.’ After the manufacturers finish making the first batch of samples, they’re sent to trading for approval. Beth, Buying Manager, says, ‘We look at the samples and make sure the colours and designs are consistent with how we agreed them with David. ‘For the emblem badges, some colours weren’t quite right and the artwork needed some tweaking. We also had four different versions of the metal badge delivered, so we chose the one that had the best quality, clasp and colour for the price we wanted. We let the manufacturers know what our tweaks were and then they were free to start production.’
Unicorn In European folklore, the unicorn is often depicted as a white horse with a long horn and is described as a wild woodland creature that is also a symbol of purity and grace. Its horn was said to have the power to make poisoned water clean and heal the sick. In medieval times, the tusk of the narwhal whale was sometimes sold as unicorn horn.
Step 5: Delivery
Now that the final badges have been produced, they’ll be boxed and shipped to the warehouse, ready for launch. ‘This is the exciting bit when we get to tell the girls and members that the badges will be available to buy from September and will appear in the next catalogue in January 2021. We can’t wait to see the girls’ reactions,’ Sam says.
Woodland folk The dense canopy of a forest is the perfect setting for mythical creatures to frolic, so it’s not surprising that fairy tales containing woodland folk are more common in countries with large swathes of forest, like the UK or Germany. From pixies and sprites to elves and gnomes, all play on our view of the forest as a wonderous, enchanted place full of the unknown.
Which emblem badges will your unit choose? Which mythical creatures will your girls want to be? Whatever they decide, the new cloth and metal badges will be available to purchase from girlguidingshop.co.uk from September. Don’t forget that 100% of profits go back into guiding when you buy from us directly.
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