Custom USB Nike

Standard shaped USB flash drives that are over printed with your logo or artwork are “OK” but if you really want to grab peoples interest and get them talking then Custom USB sticks are the way to go.

Surprising fully customised USB sticks are only a little more expensive that standard USB stick but you do, understandably, have to allow a little extra time for the design to be developed, approved, a mould built and for the sticks to be hand crafted. A typical lead for a bespoke USB stick is around 3-4 weeks from concept approval.

Custom USB sticks work in just the same way as a normal USB flash drive and you can specify the size of memory used in the sticks. Ideally to get the best return from any investment in Custom USB sticks you also need to pre-load them with your sales brochures, press release information, media files etc.

At USB2U we appreciate that not everyone has access to in-house designers to develop the initial concepts and then to

Custom USB Cherry

work these up into 3-D CAD drawings that are then used to build the moulds from so our experienced team will work with you from idea to delivery. We have years of experience of designing and developing customised sticks on behalf a wide range of customers so if you come to us with the basic outline of an idea we can normally turn it into something special and more importantly something that will work and be functional as a USB stick.

Over the years we’ve produced custom USB sticks for a wide range of clients including Nike, Orange Telecom, Adville and Disney to name but a few. If you’re interested in getting your own custom USB sticks produced then either give us a call on our Freephone number (Tel: 0800 008 7079) or fill in our on-line quote form on the website.

Pick any market niche and you’ll typically find a number of companies that are using USB sticks in an innovative way and interesting way. On this page we’ve put up a few images of custom USB flash drives that have a “sporting theme” – they range from fully customised Nike Trainers that are sent out in a promo pack to encourage sales of the trainers to printed “Twister USB Sticks” for the ECB that have been pre-loaded with coaching videos to help develop the sport.

Football Related USB Flash Drives

The Premier League have been using them to send out information to each club in the league and individual clubs like Fulham FC have commissioned custom USB drives in the shape of their club emblem to sell to fans via the club shop.

You don’t need to have the budgets of the Premier League, Fulham FC or Nike to commission your own custom USB sticks. Fairly basic printed versions like those used by the ECB are available for less than £2 per stick (subject to memory size and quantity ordered) and for this price typically includes pre-loading any data you want to put on the stick, the print costs and delivery in gift boxes!

Sports Related Custom USB Sticks

Even if you want to commission your own shape of USB drive, perhaps in the shape of one of your products, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive they are these days. A typical fully bespoke USB stick is only marginally more per unit than its standard “factory designed” counterpart. Providing you order more than say 300 units you won’t have to pay any set-up or mould fees and you’ll “own” the design when the job is done.

The only think to bear in mind if you do want something fully customised like Nike or Fulham FC is the longer lead times. Standard USB sticks can be printed, data-loaded and delivered in anything from 2-10 days but custom sticks take around 3-4 weeks. The extra time is necessary to work up the design and 3-D drawings, to produce the moulds and samples and once the samples are approved to manufacture the USB sticks.

If you have the time then it’s certainly worth opting for a custom model because these make a much greater impact when handed out and get people talking about the product and brand associated with it.

Windows 8

Microsoft have normally been quite sluggish in adopting new technologies but they have announced that Windows 8 will carry a built in software stack to natively support USB 3.0.  This is much more meaningful when you understand that in the early days of USB each new drive would come with its own driver that would have to be installed onto every computer that it was used with until Microsoft developed the native driver which put an end to the hassle.

Thunderbolt vs. USB 3.0

This announcement complicates the battle between thunderbolt and USB 3.0 but does add a little more ‘umph’ behind USB 3.0.  However, at the Intel Developer Forum on Wednesday Asus and Acer, two big names in PC hardware, promised systems supporting Thunderbolt as soon as early 2012.  That again equals the score in the USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt battle.

Despite the movement of hardware companies to support either USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt the state of affairs is still very much a chicken and egg situation.  No matter the choice of computer connectivity that is chosen by computer manufacturers if external devices and accessories are not made for that connectivity type then the port on the computer is made redundant.  However, external device and accessory manufacturers are not going to make products with a specific computer connection if the computers do not support it.

It’s for that reason that Microsoft’s announcement to support USB 3.0 and Acer and Asus stating that they will support Thunderbolt is very important.  Apple’s decision to fit all new computers with Thunderbolt and no USB 3.0 is a very brave but possibly rewarding move.  It also has to be wondered what connectivity will come as standard with the new iPhone and iPad?  Will Apple try to force Thunderbolt upon users by making the new devices only Thunderbolt compatible, will they make it with dual compatibility or will they not risk their telephone and tablet market dominance over a connectivity battle?

Whatever the outcome, we are keeping a close eye on it to understand the connectivity of the branded memory sticks of the future will be.

Although some students clearly embrace going to University with open arms it can be a daunting prospect for a lot of students because it is no longer a place that you attend for 5 to 6 hours a day, it’s a whole lifestyle change.  Students will rely on the University and the surrounding area for pass-times, entertainment and fun.  When students move to large University in an unknown city it can be very hard to know what there is to do in the area and what the University offers.

It can also be hard for the University to advertise to the substantial amount of students that join each year the different programmes, activities, sports, clubs, sororities etc. that are available for the students to get involved in.  Compared to schools, Universities have substantially more students enrol each year but have less personal contact with the students making introductions, briefings and communicating information much harder.  If you work for a University, or even a large organisation and have this problem we have just the solution for you.

We supply many promotional USB flash drives to Universities and educational institutes who use them internally, for open days to attract more students and a number of other ways however, one use of custom USB memory sticks could solve the institutions communication problems.

A University branded USB flash drive loaded with important websites, interactive applications, campus maps, informative documents, introductory videos and any other important information given to every new student would ensure that they had all of the information that they needed to hit the ground running and make the most of their University experience.  Not only would the University ensure that each student had the important information that they needed to start the new year, it could be personalised for each school or college within the University and possibly each course.  With password protection the information could be referred back to later on in the year once the student has settled in and sobered up to refresh their minds.

Along with great services, a solid track record and innovative ideas, we also have a great selection of logo USB flash drives which can be customised to suit each University and occasion.  If the University logo and branding is important then the any of the memory sticks from our classic range would be suitable.  If the size and portability of the flash drive is important then we have a range of small and easily transported USB sticks.  If you just want to make sure that students use it throughout their time at University then we’re sure that a USB Bottle opener would get a lot of use.

DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman must have had high expectations when the film was given to Martin Campbell to Direct. Campbell was responsible for Casino Royal and the Legend of Zorro but Green Lantern relies heavily on CGI effects and this is not a format that Campbell has worked with before. Unfortunately this shines though in the results on the screen.

Green Lantern Flash Drives

o coincide with the launch Mimoco, a Boston-based design house and creators of the MIMOBOT® line of designer USB flash drives teamed up with Warner Bros. (on behalf of DC Entertainment) and have introduced a range of USB flash Drive based on a number of the characters from the Green Lantern movie.

The Green Lantern Flash Drives are great, they’re cute, they’re a little wacky looking and they’re a success, which arguably is more than you can say about the film itself.

Of course you don’t have to be Warner Bros to commission your own range of USB flash drives. Whilst Mimoco have done an excellent job in designing these flash drives for Warner Bros here at USB2U we’ve designed and produced hundreds of custom USB flash drives for out customers for all sorts of events and activities.

Examples include USB guitars, USB fork-lift trucks, USB eggs, USB erasers and USB toilets to name but a few. Custom USB flash drives are an excellent way to increase awareness, to grab people’s attention and to get some “chatter” (virtual and real) going around abut your event and or product.

USB2U Custom USB Portfolio

Compared to standard USB flash drives that are printed or engraved with a logo Custom USB drives are a little more expensive and they take longer to manufacture but the small incremental cost and the slightly longer lead time is definitely worth it if you want create a real “wow” factor when you hand them out.

Don’t worry if you haven’t got a design finalised, we have our own in-house design team with years of experience who can work with you to design a custom USB drive for you.

Shenzen

The expression “custom USB flash drives” defines a wide spectrum of USB flash drive products including standard “factory” designs that are printed, engraved or embossed but it can also include fully customised flash drives that are designed and manufactured to a customers specification.

Typical flash drives used for promotional purposes have a memory capacity of 1GB or 2GB. At this size the flash drives have enough memory (storage capacity) to carry any files the company giving the USB drives away want to pre-load onto them and they are large enough to have some value to the recipient.

The vast majority of USB flash drives produced in the world today are manufactured in China with most factories concentrated in the city of Shenzen. Situated just a few miles north of Hong Kong, Shenzen is an economic powerhouse – in just 30 years its population has grown from that of a small village to around 12 million people, it has received over $30 billion of foreign investment and is arguably the most successful of the five “Special Economic Zones” established in China.

The products of many global brands are manufactured and assembled in the factories in Shenzen including much of Apples product range. The factories in and around Shenzen are, in the main, state of the art factories and competition for business is intense.

Most promotional and custom USB flash drives are manufactured in relatively small factories with staffing levels ranging from circa 50 people to around 300 people. The degree of automation in these factories and the emphasis on quality varies so when engaging with any USB factory in China it is vital that you first meet with them and see at first hand how they work and thoroughly examine their work practises and QA checks. If you order USB flash drives from China and they don’t turn up or they turn up and they are not what you wanted or they have a high failure rate then your options to resolve the issue are pretty limited.

Custom USB Sticks

The high levels of competition help to ensure prices are kept low but it is easy for some factories to cut corners and use cheap components like re-cycled or “masked” flash chips so its critical when you engage with any factory that you undertake factory, product and social audits before committing to any orders. Alternatively, work with a local supplier that either has their own factory or works with known and trusted factory partners. This way you not only have some recourse in the event of any problems but you have the peace of mind that your supplier will (or should) have undertaken these checks on your behalf.

Of course the Internet has helped tremendously to keep the dialogue flowing with customers (new and old) and if you’re using Twitter and Facebook then these applications provide all sorts of interesting opportunities to engage with your customers in a dynamic way without being too invasive. Understandably not every business has the time or the expertise to use them but for many they are proving invaluable and eventually most businesses will need to embrace them.

Alternatives to the Internet and social networking sites like Facebook include the use of promotional USB flash drives. These have become incredibly popular over the last 2-3 years. The reasons are; falling prices, better range of designs, larger memory sizes and the ease with which data files can be loaded onto the flash drives.

USB flash drives are typically used as “giveaways” at trade shows to attract new customers, to hand out to journalists at press launches or they are simply sent to customers in the post to keep them appraised of new products – some companies are now sending USB flash drives loaded with their sales brochures because its cheaper than printing the brochures and paying for the postage costs to send them out.

Custom Removal Van

To really make an impact with a USB flash drive it’s worth considering commissioning your own fully customised design. Whilst there are hundreds of different models of flash drive available “off the shelf” including flash drives made from wood, bamboo, leather and metal there is no doubt that a custom version can really make your brand and company stand out and keep you ahead of the competition.

Custom flash drives are typically manufactured in a shape that reflects the broad thrust of the business or alternatively they are made to look like a specific product, e.g. a tyre, a fork-lift truck, a removal van or an eraser. Anything is possible.

Custom USB flash drives can create a real buzz and lead to lots of internet chatter and discussion on social networking sites so they are a great way get “viral” discussions going.

Costing only a little more than standard factory models that are just printed with a logo they are definitely worth considering. The only downside is the lead-time which can be anything up to 6 weeks so if you do want to use a custom USB stick then you need to plan ahead.

If you don’t have artwork or a specific design in mind don’t be put off – any supplier of Custom USB flash drives worth their salt should have in-house designers that can work up some concepts for you to consider.

USB Bottle Opener

Custom USB flash drives, particularly custom USB drives that are pre-loaded with TV adverts, media files, press releases, discount vouchers, and links to web sites and social networking sites present a really interesting and novel marketing opportunity.

We’ve already seen a number of major drinks brands use custom USB sticks to support the launch of a new product (at a press event) and some of the smaller Scottish distilleries have taken a shine to USB barrels and are using these to target their customers with offers.

USB Bottles and USB Corks

The custom flash drives are ideal for press events and trade shows because they’re a little bit different, a little bit quirky and they’re fun. At the same time they get the message out about the product they are promoting and because its on a memory stick you’re pretty much guaranteed it’s a promotional product that won’t end up in the bin but will be used over and over again.

Whilst lots of people may already have at least one USB flash drive it’s the sort of product people still clamour for not least because they have a high-perceived value, they’re really handy to have and they’re really easy to use. By going for a version of the flash drive that has a “drink connection” you heighten the association to the brand printed on it, for example the USB bottle opener is ideal for the beer and larger brand whereas the USB barrels are fantastic for fine wines and spirits.

USB Barrels

If you do opt for flash drives to support an event or product launch then make sure your supplier complies with the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and the WEE directive on reuse and recycling – it’s tough enough ensuring you comply with the advertising standard surrounding the drinks sector without having to worry about whether you comply with this legislation as well. A professional, reputable supplier should be able to give you the reassurances and certificates you need.

Local print charges are always higher because wage costs and other associated costs in the UK are significantly higher and this is reflected in the costs charged to set up each colour and then print each colour. This assumes of course that you get your custom USB memory sticks are silkscreen printed or pad printed.

An alternative to these more traditional print methods and one that handles complex prints well is to use an epoxy resin dome sticker. These “dome” stickers are precision machine cut so they fit neatly onto the memory sticks, the layer of resin applied to the sticker helps prevent wear and tear and reduces, significantly, the usual scratching and erosion of logo’s that can occur on printed USB sticks.

Custom USB Memory Sticks With Dome Stickers

Best of all you can achieve stunning results with epoxy resin dome stickers quickly and relatively cheaply – certainly when compared to standard print methods.

So, if you do find yourself in need of custom USB memory sticks printed with a complex logo and you don’t have much time to work with then its definitely worth considering dome stickers. Don’t be put off by the use of the word “sticker” which does tend to carry negative connotations because the finished product as these images illustrate are stunning!

Whilst USB flash drives are not quite in the same league as mobile phones they are “techie gadgets” that the students will relate to and many will own and use already. Realistically we’re not quite at the stage where a group of mixed ability students could design and build a working mobile phone from scratch but a working USB flash drive is pretty much within the grasp of anyone.

USB Flash Drive Internal Component

OK, they might need a little bit of direction and encouragement but the ready availability of the core components means that building a flash drive is more of a design and assembly task and requires no complex manufacturing. The results can be stunning and of course the student will be left with a working USB flash drive that can be used in anger to save and transport their school work on.

The internal components of a flash drive are; a flash memory module, a controller chip and a PCB chassis with a USB connector on the end of it. These elements can be purchased as a single component and then a body or “shell” designed and fabricated around it. In essence this is what the factories that produce the flash drives in volume in China do but they use standard “factory shells” that are in the public domain.

Simple Custom USB Ideas

It would be relatively easy and not too expensive to take any “winning” design and produce it in volume for the school. Fully customised USB flash drives are popular business promotional products and are commonly used to encourage the sale of all manner of goods from Nike Trainers to Fork-Lift Trucks. The growth in the commissioning of custom versions has forced down the set-up and moulding costs to a point where they are only marginally more expensive than “standard” factory models.

So, as well as setting pupils the challenge of designing a building a custom USB flash drive it’s also possible to do this in the context of a “competition” and put the winning version into production by way of an award. Get the design right and it would be worth approaching the commercial suppliers of promotional USB flash drives with the design. They might even be willing to buy it off you – it’s a crowded market at the moment and all the suppliers are fighting for points of differentiation and a unique design would be something they may be willing to pay for.