Hi-Vis With Your Logo
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Printed & embroidered in Birmingham since 1999
Hi-vis with your logo
Branded hi-vis vests, polos, jackets and trousers, decorated in-house and delivered UK-wide. Done so your garments stay inside their certification class, which is the part most suppliers never mention.
The problem with cheap branded hi-vis
Ordering branded hi-vis looks like the simplest job in workwear. Pick a yellow vest, send your logo, done. It is the one category where that assumption can actually cost you.
Hi-vis is not decorative clothing. It is personal protective equipment, certified to a standard called EN ISO 20471, and that certification is earned by the garment carrying a minimum measured area of fluorescent background material and retroreflective tape. Cover enough of it up and the garment stops doing what its label says it does.
Most suppliers who take a hi-vis branding order have never thought about this. They will print whatever size logo you send, wherever you point. If your site requires Class 3 and an oversized back print has quietly taken the jacket below Class 3, you will not hear about it from them. You will hear about it from a safety audit, or worse.
We have been decorating workwear since 1999. Here is how it actually works, and what we do about it.
EN ISO 20471 in plain English
The standard sorts hi-vis garments into three classes. The class number is not a quality rating. It is a measurement of how much visible material the garment carries, in square metres:
| Class | Minimum retroreflective | Minimum fluorescent background | What that usually looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | 0.10 m² | 0.14 m² | Hi-vis trousers worn on their own. The lowest level. |
| Class 2 | 0.13 m² | 0.50 m² | A sleeveless hi-vis vest or waistcoat. |
| Class 3 | 0.20 m² | 0.80 m² | A sleeved hi-vis jacket, or a certified combination worn together. |
Two things follow from that table, and both are worth knowing before you order anything.
First, classes can be combined. A Class 2 vest worn over Class 1 trousers can reach Class 3 as a combination, and manufacturers label garments intended to be used that way. That is often a cheaper route to Class 3 than buying everyone a Class 3 jacket.
Second, and this is the one that catches people out, a logo takes area away.
A logo printed onto the fluorescent background covers that background, so the area it occupies is subtracted from the garment’s minimum surface calculation. Put a large enough logo in the wrong place and a compliant garment stops being compliant. And a logo applied over retroreflective tape kills the reflectivity exactly where it matters, which is the part of the garment doing the work in headlights at night.
None of this means you cannot brand hi-vis. It means the logo has to be sized and placed by someone who knows the constraint exists. That is a decorator’s job, not a box-shifter’s.
How we handle it
- We ask what class you need to hold. Your risk assessment decides that, not us. But we need to know it before quoting, because it changes what we can do with the artwork.
- We place the logo on non-fluorescent panels wherever the garment has them. Most modern hi-vis has contrast panels at the shoulder, chest or hem. A logo there costs you nothing in compliance terms. It is the single most useful thing a decorator can do for you.
- We keep it proportionate. A sensibly sized chest logo takes a negligible area. A full-width back print on a vest does not. Where you want a big back logo, we will show you how big it can actually go.
- We never decorate over retroreflective tape. No exceptions. Back logos are sized to sit in the gap between tapes rather than across them.
- We tell you if it cannot be done. If your risk assessment needs the garment certified exactly as supplied, we will say so and suggest another approach, rather than take the order and let you find the problem later.
What you get when you order from us
- Free logo mockupSee your artwork on the actual garment, sized and placed properly, before you commit.
- No setup fee on DTF, everFull-colour print with no origination charge, however many colours are in your logo.
- Free embroidery digitisation over £100Otherwise a one-off £15, and we keep the file so reorders never pay it again.
- Supplied and decorated in-houseOne supplier, one contact, one invoice. Nothing goes out to a third party.
- Low minimum orderBrand five vests or five hundred, and reorder a single one for a new starter.
- Kitting out UK businesses since 1999Over 25 years on our own embroidery and print machines in Birmingham.
Hi-vis vests with your logo
The most-ordered branded garment in the country, and the cheapest way to make a crew identifiable. Prices are for the garment before decoration.
Core hi-vis vest
The budget vest. When you need a hundred for an open day, a volunteer team or a stack of site visitors, this is where to start.
Two-band-and-braces waistcoat
The default. If you picture a hi-vis vest, this is the one, and it is the deepest-stocked hi-vis line we hold. Chest logo front, back logo sized between the bands, is the standard job.
Hi-vis two-band vest
The Portwest equivalent, and the one to pick if the rest of your crew kit is already Portwest so the yellows match across the site.
Executive waistcoat
Zipped, pocketed and better cut. For supervisors and site managers who need to look like they are running things while staying visible. The pocket panels take an embroidered logo cleanly.
Pro hi-vis executive vest
The middle option. More garment than a two-band vest, less money than the full executive, and it sits well over a fleece in winter.
Reflective border tabard
Longer coverage front and back, which makes it the better canvas when the logo is the point. Common for stewards, marshals and charity teams who need the name readable from a distance.
Need fifty of them?
We hold a 50-vest bundle at a set price, which works out cheaper per vest than ordering them individually. Add your logo and it is still one of the lowest costs per branded garment we do.
Past the vest
A vest over a soaked shirt in August is the reason hi-vis ends up in the back of the van. If the crew has to be visible all day, buy the visibility into the garment they are already wearing.
Tops
Hi-vis t-shirt
Summer compliance. The crew stays visible without wearing a vest over a wet shirt, which is the single biggest reason vests come off mid-shift.
Hi-vis polo shirt
A collar changes how a team reads on a customer’s premises. This is the value option, and an embroidered chest logo makes it look like a company rather than a hire crew.
PW3 hi-vis polo
The premium hi-vis polo. Better cut, better fabric, and the PW3 shaping avoids the boxy look that makes hi-vis polos unpopular with the people wearing them.
Hi-vis pull-over hoodie
Warm and visible in one layer. Popular with groundworkers and recovery crews who would otherwise wear a vest over a hoodie and lose the hood.
Outerwear and trousers
Pro hi-vis full-zip gilet
The layer that gets worn most, because it goes over anything and comes off without taking the hard hat with it. Good value and a clean chest panel for a logo.
Hi-vis waterproof overtrousers
Pull on over whatever is already there. The practical way to get the lower half visible without buying everyone a second pair of work trousers.
Hi-Vis X-Pro stretch holster trousers
Listed as Class 1. Stretch fabric with holster pockets, for trades who need lower-body visibility and spend the day kneeling and climbing. The upgrade people notice.
Specials
Kids hi-vis waistcoat
School trips, cadet groups, youth clubs and open days. Same garment, child sizing, and a printed school or group name on the back is the whole point of it.
Flame-retardant hi-vis waistcoat
Where there is a heat or spark risk as well as a visibility one. Decoration on flame-retardant garments needs care, so talk to us before you order rather than after.
Hi-vis ripstop tool vest
Pockets for the people who need them, in a tougher fabric. For crews who would otherwise ruin a standard vest in a fortnight.
Prices are for the garment before decoration. Decoration is quoted with your order and depends on the method, the logo size and the quantity. Browse all hi-vis → or read the Portwest guide if you want the whole crew kitted from one manufacturer.
Which class do you need?
Your own risk assessment decides this, and it should. But this is the general shape of it, so you know what you are looking at.
Near live traffic
Anyone working on or beside a road carrying moving vehicles, especially at speed or in the dark, is normally in Class 3. That means a sleeved garment, or a certified combination worn together.
General site and yard work
Class 2 covers most construction, groundworks and yard activity where vehicles move slowly and sightlines are reasonable. A vest or waistcoat is the usual answer.
Warehousing and internal traffic
Often Class 2, sometimes Class 1 where forklift speeds are low and lighting is good. Many sites simply standardise on Class 2 vests because it removes the argument.
Visitors and contractors
A stack of branded vests at the gate is the cheapest way to make everyone on site identifiable, and putting your company name on them stops them walking off.
Events and marshalling
Usually Class 2, with the emphasis on the logo being readable rather than the class being maximal. Tabards give you the most usable print area.
Not sure
Tell us the job and the site and we will tell you what we normally supply for it. We are not writing your risk assessment, but we have kitted out a lot of crews.
Print or embroidery on hi-vis?
DTF print, most of the time
Full colour, no setup fee whatever the colour count, and it sits flat on the polyester fabrics most hi-vis is made from. It is what we use on vests, tabards and anything where the logo needs to be large or readable from a distance.
Embroidery, for the better garments
On executive vests, polos, gilets and jackets, where there is a contrast panel or a substantial fabric to stitch into. Stitch survives industrial washing better than anything else and it reads as permanent.
Either way, placement decides it
Whichever method, the constraint is the same: keep the logo off the reflective tape and, wherever the garment allows, off the fluorescent background too. That is a decision we make garment by garment, and we show it to you on a mockup before anything is produced.
Why buy branded hi-vis from us
Questions we get asked
Can you print a logo on hi-vis without voiding the certification?
Yes, when it is done properly. EN ISO 20471 sets a minimum area of fluorescent background and retroreflective material per class, and a logo printed on the fluorescent area is deducted from that minimum. We keep logos proportionate, place them on non-fluorescent contrast panels wherever the garment has them, and never decorate over reflective tape. Tell us the class you need to hold and we will keep the decoration inside it.
What is the difference between Class 1, 2 and 3 hi-vis?
It is the measured area of visible material. Class 1 needs at least 0.10 m² of retroreflective and 0.14 m² of fluorescent material, Class 2 needs 0.13 m² and 0.50 m², Class 3 needs 0.20 m² and 0.80 m². In practice Class 1 is hi-vis trousers alone, Class 2 is a sleeveless vest, and Class 3 is a sleeved jacket or a certified combination worn together.
Can I put a big logo across the back of a hi-vis vest?
Usually yes, but sized to sit in the gap between the reflective bands rather than across them, and kept within the area the garment can spare. Send us the artwork and we will show you on a mockup exactly how large it can go on that specific garment.
How much does it cost to brand a hi-vis vest?
Vests start from £5.99 for the garment. Decoration is quoted on top and depends on the method, the size of the logo and how many you need, and there is no setup fee on DTF print. For volume we hold a 50-vest bundle at a set price that works out lower per vest than ordering individually.
Is there a minimum order?
No real minimum. We will brand five vests as happily as five hundred, and you can reorder a single one for a new starter without paying setup again.
Can you do kids hi-vis for a school?
Yes. There are child-sized waistcoats in the same fabric and colours as the adult versions, and a printed school or group name on the back is the usual job. Popular for trips, open days and youth groups.
Will the print survive being washed?
A properly applied DTF print holds up well to normal washing. For garments that go through a hot industrial wash several times a week, embroidery is the safer choice where the garment can take it, and we will tell you which applies to yours.
Can you brand flame-retardant hi-vis?
Talk to us before ordering. Flame-retardant garments have their own certification and decoration needs care, so it is a conversation rather than a standard job. We would rather have it up front than explain it afterwards.
See your logo on it, free
Send us your artwork, tell us what the crew does and what class the site needs. We will come back with a mockup on the actual garment, sized and placed properly, and a straight price.
Anil Kenth · anil@brandmenow.co.uk · 07973 883 660 · 0121 472 5300