11 Best Twitch Sub Badges Ideas to Reward Loyal Viewers
One of the best parts of being a Twitch streamer is developing a community of loyal viewers who regularly tune in to your streams. But how do you show appreciation and recognize your most dedicated followers? Enter: Twitch sub badges.
Twitch sub badges are small icons that appear next to a username in chat to indicate how long someone has been subscribed to your channel. They serve as badges of honor that reward loyalty and stand out in the chat feed. Additionally, they incentivize viewers to resubscribe to maintain their status. If designed well, sub badges can become highly coveted icons in your community.
But what makes for an effective Twitch sub badge? Read on as we cover eleven amazing sub badge ideas you can use to add prestige and fun to your channel.
1. Theme or Style-Based Badges
One of the best ways to develop memorable and meaningful Twitch sub badges is to tie them directly to your channel’s theme or style. For example, if you stream a lot of retro games, badges with pixel art or an 8-bit aesthetic would fit perfectly. Other examples include using:
- Superhero logos for comic book streams
- Tropical fruit for an island getaway vibe
- DJ turntables for music streams
- Yoga poses for fitness streams
Your viewers will love how these customized sub badges reflect your content. And it will become a mark of true fandom to sport badges matching your unique style.
2. Tiered Badges
Tiered Twitch sub badges keep things fresh by providing a new badge design for each subscription milestone. The tiers also indicate how long a user has actively supported your channel. For example:
- 1 month: Bronze badge
- 3 months: Silver badge
- 6 months: Gold badge
- 12 months: Diamond badge
Other examples of tiered badges include increasingly intricate versions of the same image, newer badge colors, or badges with added decorative elements like gems, stars, or laurel wreaths. The tiered system provides built-in goals and prestige for long-term subscribers.
3. Character or Mascot Badges
Does your channel have a mascot or popular character associated with it? Using them for your custom sub badges is an excellent way to further personalize the icons. Viewers will love sporting badges featuring an image synonymous with your brand. Some examples include:
- Your channel’s logo
- Your real-life or animated pet
- A video game character you portray
- Your channel’s original illustrated mascot
Just be sure you have full rights to use the image on your sub badges. Also try to keep the visual style consistent across badge tiers for maximum impact.
4. Badge Progression Sets
Progression badge sets display growth with each subscription milestone. The badges remain cohesive while increasing in intricacy, size, or completeness. Here are some examples of badge progression:
- A growing plant from seed to full bloom
- A cracking egg that reveals a creature inside
- A sprouting tree that gets progressively larger
- A rocket ship taking off into space
Progression sets are fun for viewers because they wonder what fully evolved badge could be in store down the road. It also shows them actively working toward the next milestone.
5. Collectible Badge Sets
Collectible badge sets encourage viewers to remain subscribed so they can accumulate the full group. You can do this a few different ways, including:
- Badge characters/creatures: New character each milestone
- Objects in a set: Puzzle pieces, potion bottles, etc.
- Themed icons: Tropical birds, house sigils, zodiac signs
By intentionally designing badges that work together as a set, you fuel motivation to unlock the next one. And viewers will proudly display their full collection!
6. Inside Jokes & Community References
For a more personal touch, use your sub badges to reference inside jokes, popular community members, or memorable moments from your channel. This transforms basic badge icons into symbols with deeper meaning tied to your unique community’s identity and culture.
Some examples include quotes, emotes, or depictions of funny stream incidents. Just be sure to avoid hurtful or exclusionary humor. The goal is creating shared recognition that sparks nostalgia and camaraderie with your viewers.
7. Streamer Caricatures
What better to adorn a loyal community member’s badge than the streamer’s face? Caricature artwork of you or your streaming persona is an excellent sub badge option. And the art style can vary across tiers too - simple black and white line art for initial subs, vibrant cartoon versions for longer-term subs, pixel art styles, and more.
Just as mascots represent your brand, your face or character is the ultimate personalized icon. And don’t worry, stylized caricatures tend to be more flattering than realistic portraits!
8. Subscriber Name or Username Badges
For the utmost customization per subscriber, integrate their Twitch username or real name into the badge design. You can include it as standalone text, integrate it into the image, or use it as a backdrop or banner.
Personalized name badges demonstrate unmatched appreciation for each community member. Pair the name with their milestone tier for a badge that’s uniquely created just for them. They’ll feel recognized and valued as an individual.
9. Creative Shape Badges
Step away from the standard circular badge format. Get creative with different shapes, sizes, and arrangements for your sub badges. Some examples include:
- Unusual shapes like stars, lightning bolts, or triangles
- Overlapping abstract shapes and patterns
- Creative arrangements forming images like animals or objects
- Non-enclosed icon styles like stamps or stickers
Unique shapes make your badges stand out in the chat feed. Viewers will be intrigued by bold and artistic badge designs. Just ensure the images are legible at small chat sizes.
10. Minimalist Badge Design
On the flip side, minimalism can be just as striking when done well. Simple, clean designs also have the benefit of scaling down gracefully in chat. Some minimalist approaches include:
- Flat colors and basic geometric shapes
- Single-line illustrations and outlines
- Low-detail icons and silhouettes
- Monochromatic and limited color palettes
Understated elegance allows the beauty to shine through in the badge's fine details. And utilizing negative space helps the icons pop against busy chat backdrops.
11. Collaborative & Community-Designed Badges
For badges made by and for your community, implement a collaborative sub badge design process. Some ways to do this include:
- Holding polls to select themes, styles, or design elements
- Taking community badge submissions and voting on favorites
- Letting your viewers influence aspects like colors, shapes, and details
- Doing badge redesign contests viewers can enter
Collaborative sub badges foster community creativity and gives viewers ownership in your channel’s culture.
FAQs
How many sub badges should I have?
Most streamers utilize a tiered sub badge system with anywhere from 3 to 6 tiers. This allows recognizing milestones like 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, etc. Anymore than 6 tiers risks the badges becoming too crowded and difficult to distinguish.
What size should sub badges be?
Twitch recommends sub badges be 18x18 pixels for 1x scaling and 36x36 pixels for 2x scaling. This ensures the badges are legible but don't take up too much space in chat. The majority of streamers use the smaller 18x18 badges.
Can I make money from sub badges?
Directly, no. But great sub badges build loyalty and incentivize viewers to subscribe longer to your channel. More paid subscriptions means more revenue for you as the streamer. So in that sense, good sub badges indirectly help you monetize your stream.
Where do I get custom sub badges designed?
Many graphic designers on sites like Fiverr and Upwork offer sub badge design services. You can also find premade options on marketplaces like Own3d.tv. For the most custom and collaborative badges, work directly with a designer over multiple iterations.
Should I change my sub badges regularly?
Most streamers only refresh their sub badges every 6-12 months. You want to strike a balance between keeping things fresh but also not changing so often that badges lose meaning. Aim for incremental updates rather than complete overhauls each time.
Displaying sub badges prominently on your channel and interacting with them during streams is just as important as choosing the perfect design. Place them in panels, your "About" section, and call them out when users unlock a new tier.