Badge Bomb is a fun brand of button badges and magnets featuring the art of renowned illustrators, artists, and designers. Their products can be found internationally in the coolest boutiques, bookstores, record stores, and art galleries around. All products are manufactured in Portland, USA.
Lauren Hay is creative director and co-owner of Portland, Oregon based Badge Bomb, who manufactures tiny pieces of art in the USA and sells them around the planet. Lauren loves to partner with select artists to create a lively brand of buttons, magnets, and more. She and her husband, Scott, also own One Inch Round (oneinchround.com) the custom button factory responsible for sustainably crafting small objects for customers such as Dolly Parton, B-52’s, Pinterest, and everyone in between.
Lauren is a judge for the Global Talent Search 2015 and offers the winner a 1:1 consultation (via Skype) on how to create both button and magnet art as small as 1” round. The winner will also receive a free button magnet set from Badge Bomb featuring their own art with the possibility of a licensing opportunity.
Read on for a sneak peek into Lauren’s working environment!
Hi, I’m Lauren Hay, Badge Bomb’s creative director. We make fun, sustainable licensed art products in Portland, OR.
Work on the go
Work happens in a variety of places from my offices at work, my home office, our regional showrooms and trade shows across the country. While away, I get to meet our lovely customers, artists, and stores that we work with. Here’s the Badge Bomb booth at New York International Gift Fair Tradeshow at the Javitts center.
Our products
Eventually, all these ideas and efforts become new products and ship to all the neat folks’ art galleries, bookstores, and gift shops. It inspires me develop more fun buttons, magnets, and artwork for their businesses.
My favourite object
Years of thrift found fabrics, clothing, accessories, housewares, and chotskies inspire my work. I particularly LOVE vintage printed packaging and label aesthetics. These Pacific Dress brand button sets have inspired Badge Bomb’s current magnet 4 pack collections.
Working in my backyard
For me, the creative process isn’t something I can turn on and turn off easily during regular business hours. Even though I love our fast paced work environment at Badge Bomb, I find some of my best work is done outside the office. Being alone can help clear my head to explore new ideas. I often work in my backyard in SE Portland with my dog, Emma, where we are surrounded by an abundance of colors and nature.
Win the chance to work with Lauren
As part of the Global Talent Search 2015, Lauren is offering the winner a 1:1 consultation on how to create both button and magnet art as small as 1” round. The winner will also receive a free button magnet set from Badge Bomb featuring their own art with the possibility of a licensing opportunity!
