When it comes to staff uniforms, where you place the logo can either help or hurt how people see your brand. It’s sometimes overlooked, but the location of your logo plays a big part in how easy it is for your team to be recognised. Think about all the places your staff go during the workday — customers, clients and even people on the street take in what they see. A clear, tidy logo in the right spot sticks in people’s minds and leaves a better impression than one hidden or awkwardly placed.
Good logo placement is also about employee pride. If someone wears workwear that fits well, looks smart and shows off the company name loud and clear, it feels a bit more like gear to be proud of rather than something thrown on at the start of a shift. That’s where embroidery and printing services come into play. Choosing the right method and location turns plain clothing into something that represents the business properly. But first, it’s worth looking at the common placement options and what each one does best.
Understanding Logo Placement Options
There’s more than one place a logo can go, even on just one shirt. Each spot carries its own look and purpose, depending on the kind of work your team does and the type of interaction they have with others. Picking the right placement isn’t hard, but it does need a bit of thought
Here are the most common places people choose for logos and why they might work for different settings:
- Chest (left or right): This is the most popular choice and often seen first when talking to someone face-to-face. It’s where people's eyes naturally land, so it works well for visibility without taking over the whole shirt. The left chest tends to be the go-to for many businesses.
- Sleeve: Best for when your staff work side-by-side with others or reach a lot during tasks. It won’t be the main brand mark, but it can add extra brand visibility from side angles.
- Upper back: This is great for staff who spend time with their backs turned to customers or work in areas where they’re seen from behind, like kitchens or events. It also works if your team wear outerwear like hi vis gear, which often allows more room on the back.
- Collar or nape: Though subtler, adding a logo here gives a modern touch and can help brand more formal wear like polo shirts or button-ups.
Each logo placement has different things to offer, but comfort should still come first. Avoid putting heavy embroidery right where it’ll rub the skin or placing printing where it’ll peel from bending too much. And before you lock in a choice, test samples with the type of uniform your team actually wear day to day. One example is a café that originally placed logos across large areas of staff shirts, only to find the heat press made the uniforms stiff to wear during long morning shifts. Switching placement to the chest with light stitching made a big difference to comfort and appearance.
Logo visibility is about more than just being seen. It’s about where and how your brand shows up. Thinking through these small details will go a long way in keeping your uniforms clean, confident and easy to identify.
Embroidery Vs. Printing: Which To Choose?
Once you’ve worked out where your logo should go, the next step is figuring out how to apply it. Embroidery and printing services both get the job done, but they do it in very different ways and suit different needs. Neither one is better across the board. It really just depends on the material, the type of clothing and what kind of style you’re after.
Embroidery uses thread to stitch the logo directly into the garment. It’s a good choice when you want a polished, long-lasting finish, especially on heavier items like polo shirts, jackets or hi vis clothing. It doesn’t peel or fade easily and holds up well in regular use. On the flip side, embroidery isn’t the best if your logo has tiny text or really detailed artwork. Those details can get lost when they’re turned into stitching, especially on smaller placements like a collar or sleeve.
Printing works well for more complicated designs with lots of colours or fine details. It’s usually lighter and smoother on the fabric, making the garment more comfortable to wear, particularly for staff moving around all day. T-shirts, lightweight tops and sports wear are good candidates for printing. Just keep in mind prints can wear down over time, especially if they go through a lot of washing or rub often.
Here’s a quick breakdown of when to choose which method:
- Go with embroidery if:
- You’re branding thicker gear like jackets or hi vis clothing
- You aim for that professional, raised texture look
- Your logo is bold and simple
- Go with printing if:
- You want to showcase detailed designs or gradients
- You’re working with lightweight shirts or performance fabrics
- You prefer a softer finish on the clothing
Whatever the method, make sure the size and shape of your logo work with your garment. You don’t want a lovely design to come out squashed or unreadable because it couldn’t quite fit where it should have.
Customising For Different Departments
One logo placement isn’t always right for every role in a business. For example, a warehouse picker might wear a hoodie with a visible logo on the back for easy ID from a distance, while a front-of-house receptionist might benefit from a neatly embroidered logo on the left chest. Same brand, but different functions require different gear.
Different departments come with different levels of contact, movement and visibility. Uniforms need to suit the job first. Once that’s sorted, the logo has to suit the uniform. That means adjusting how and where it shows up based on job type.
Here are a few smart practices:
- Management and office-based staff: Left chest embroidery on collared shirts or formal tops keeps branding neat and subtle
- Customer-facing staff: Logos on chest and upper back boost visibility, especially when worn behind a counter or at events
- Outdoor or manual teams: Hi vis jackets with large back prints make staff easy to spot, even from a distance
- Technical teams or drivers: Sleeve or chest placements work well, depending on the tasks and how often they deal with people directly
Consistency across styles matters too. Even if the roles differ, everyone’s uniform should still feel part of the same team. A mismatched logo layout or size can throw off the look, so it's worth setting some brand rules when rolling out across departments.
Seasonal Placement Tips For Year-Round Uniforms
Logo placement isn’t just about design. Weather and work conditions affect how visible and practical those logos really are. Autumn heading into winter means more overalls, jackets, hoodies and rain gear, and that can hide logos if they’re printed or stitched onto just one clothing layer underneath.
It’s a smart move to think through layered uniform designs. If your main logo sits on a short-sleeved polo, for example, then as soon as a jacket goes over it, the branding vanishes. So having logo consistency across warm and cold season gear is key.
To keep your branding on show year-round:
- Add upper-back logos to hi vis and winter jackets where they won’t get covered
- Choose high-contrast colours for embroidery so they stand out against fabric like navy or black
- Make sure waterproof jackets use suitable printing methods that can handle wear and wet conditions without peeling
- Don’t forget hats, beanies and caps — small logos on these can help brand recognition even when outerwear covers the rest
Keep an eye on wear and tear too. Hi vis items especially can get grimy fast during wetter months and lose their smart appearance. If your branding starts to look dull or hard to see, it’s probably time to refresh those items. A hi vis that’s full of scuffs or scratches doesn’t reflect well, even if it’s still technically reflective.
Make Your Uniforms Work For Your Brand
When everything lines up — the right logo placement, the right method and clothing that suits the work — the result is a uniform staff feel good wearing. It shows that the business pays attention to details and cares about how things look to the outside world. That first glance someone gets of your team can shape what they remember. A clean look with a clear logo sticks better than a messy one.
Branding doesn’t always have to shout. Something small and well-positioned can say a lot, especially when it’s used with purpose. Whether it's stitched neatly on a polo or printed across the back of a hi vis jacket, your team becomes part of your message.
Taking time to get logo placement right is worth the effort. It’s a small part of the uniform, but it plays a big role in how your team is seen. Get it right, and it goes a long way in showing your business cares about its image, professionalism and the people wearing the gear.
To make sure your team uniforms reflect the right level of professionalism, take a look at our embroidery and printing services at Fluid Custom Clothing. Whether you need a lightweight print for summer polos or a smart stitch for hi vis jackets, we’ll help you create clean, consistent branding your staff can wear with pride.