A lanyard glimpse from the past







When you hear the word “lanyard”, what is that first thing that will come to your mind? Most people will say that it is a cord that you place around the neck to hold their ID badge or event pass. And, while that is considered as one of the usual application of lanyards, particularly in the corporate settings, lanyards are not the new invention. The truth is, the lanyard history is quite exciting, colorful, and adventurous.

Lanyards history

Lanyards had a pretty heroic past. They were initially used by the pirates and the French soldiers in the early year of 1500’s as a way to keep their weaponry close at hand during their climbing the ropes of the ships or connecting in combat. The lanyard came from the word “laniere”, a French word that means a thong or a strap.

Although there are so many pretty fancy lanyards that are being used today, the first ever lanyards were simple straps that are made of cord or rope found aboard a ship and being tied around a sword, whistle, or a pistol. Soldiers would even used lanyards to attach the pistols to the uniform throughout the WWII.

As time goes by, lanyards were widened with specific attachments that made it simpler to switch out tools, weapons, and some other objects and making them functional both with the civilian and military life.

The Application and Art of lanyards in this modern time

Nowadays, lanyards still provide a very functional intention, but have also been more decorative. They are now popular as a security device and also as a craft in the business world. For example, lanyard weaving became the popular craft of American and French children during 1950.

As a craft, the lanyards weaving teaches the children how to make complex knots like the box knot, the butterfly and triangle knot, Chinese knot, as well as cultivates manual dexterity. With the Frances, the craft became recognized as “scoubidou” and that famous cartoon character is really named after a craft and it is known in the United States as “boondoggle”.

Returning with the military applications of lanyards, they took on with a more decorative application. Perhaps you have seen the military officers with the colored braid within their shoulder? That is a lanyard applied to denote the rank or award taken by the officials and was represented by a color, by a type of braid plus the side of a body that it will be worn on. These kinds of lanyards become quite complex with the braiding used and types of knots used during their creation.

In the business world and the event passes industry, the lanyards are applied as a way to display the ID badge or the access pass. The lanyards makes it easy to keep security at corporate sites and events because a visibly flashing pass allows the others to see what organization the people are in, who they are and what kind of level access they have.

The lanyards also serve one more significant function at events: the corporate branding. Business uses the lanyards as means to print their logo on to use the as promotional items while at the same time giving morale boosters both outside and within the organization. As an object, it can be used with varieties of functions from the holding of keys, ID badges, and thus, it became the most applicable item to print the company logo on for gaining further brand recognition.

So, next time that you wear your ID lanyards in any corporate event, convention or concert, you will remember that your lanyard is more from being an ordinary strap designed to hang and display the event pass. It will remind you that it is a very useful work of art that has an adventurous past and a rich history.