Monday, June 7, 2010

So, Ah, A Crap Idea I Offer to You for the Low Low Price of...

Here in Finland, one of the big retailers has on their name tags national flags representing the languages spoken by the employee. With the two official languages in Finland, plus all us damn foreigners running around Helsinki, it's a really useful system.

When I'm manning my table at Ropecon, I'm dreading having to say, "Uh, I can't speak Finnish, talk to the wife," (or worse, "En puhu suomea, puhu hänelle") five hundred times during the convention. So I thought getting a couple of these pro name tags (with the logo and our names engraved) would be really neat and convey the message without drawing attention to it. Crap name tag stickers just won't cut it for my booth, especially since who the hell cares what our names are, that's not the point of the tag.

... found a place that makes them. Minimum order 10 at 12,90€ each. I just need two, for me and the wife. You should have seen the emphatic NO she gave me as I wondered whether spending 129€ for the two name tags we needed was a good idea.

This is probably a waste of time, but you never know until you ask:

I don't suppose 8 of you want official personalized LotFP name tags at 15€ each, postage included?

9 comments:

  1. Have you tried pricing t-shirts or hats instead?

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  2. We'll both be wearing our LotFP shirts all three days at the convention.

    I don't think that a hat with a little British flag on it will get the message across. And a sign, whether on the table or on an article of clothing that says "I Don't Speak Finnish" in any of the various ways to say that would just be tacky.

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  3. DIY doesn't need to look amateurish. I bet you could make some awesome nametags for much less! :)

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  4. An alternative:

    1. Ask for some freebie help from your internet audience - someone with a modicum of graphic and layout skills. Offer some LotFP swag or somethin'. (That would get me interested!)

    2. Scan or post a pic of what the usual name tags look like, as well as how you want them modified... likely your volunteer won't know how the heck you want your Finnish words spelled.

    3. Your helpful volunteer will open up gimp/photoshop/app of their choice and produce 1 sheet of tags suitable for label paper on a color printer.

    4. Download and print. Yeah, sticky labels aren't as classy as actual name tags, but you'll get a whole sheet which should last you and yours the whole con.

    word verification: sureell - how the kewl kids describe the feeling they get when playing Weird Fantasy Roleplay.

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  5. Or remind me of my offer to get a couple for free...

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  6. Getting an official LotFP name badge IS mighty tempting. What's 15 Euro in US$ and how would I get it to you?

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  7. Find 7 more that think like you and then we'll make arrangements. Otherwise I might go with Corentin's free suggestion. :)

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