Recently, I came across a bundle of merch from a non-music company that I absolutely loved. Now, I always love looking outside the music industry for fun ideas, be it in merch, performance, marketing, or anything else. It’s not secret the music industry is usually a little behind with these things, and looking to other industries you follow is a great place to find inspiration.
Anyway, this merch was from an event in the watch community, and each attendee got a little swag bag full of playing cards, colored pencils, and a repurposed stamping die that would have been otherwise thrown away but instead got turned into a bookmark.
This is part one, part two will be out Thursday August 8th. Enjoy!

The whole thing got me thinking about how artists could do apply this to their own merch. I’ve long talked about my passion for creative merch, so this is something I’m excited to talk more about!
Read on for more ideas including how you can do your own version of playing cards and the repurposed bookmark and stay tuned for Part Two later this week!
Customized Buttons and Pins
Buttons and pins are small, affordable, and have a vintage appeal that fans love. They’re perfect for adding a personal touch to jackets, bags, or hats. You can make generic ones for the band, or you can rotate them out with different releases and lyrics
- Where to Create: Websites like PureButtons and Sticker Mule offer affordable options for custom buttons and pins in small quantities.
Handmade Zines
I love a good vintage feel, especially if that’s part of your branding! Plus, does it get anymore DIY than a zine? I’ve talked about one of my favorite pieces of merch being a comic book in place of a physical CD, and this is along those lines.

You can fill it with band stories, lyrics, artwork, or even a behind-the-scenes look at your process. Fans appreciate the personal effort and the intimate glimpse into your creative world. Plus, it’s just fun!
- Where to Create: All you need is some paper, a printer, and a stapler. You can also use places like Vistaprint to have it printed and assembled, shipped to you, and ready to go.
DIY Patch Kits
Yes, patches are still awesome! Offering patches or even a DIY patch kit that allows your fans to create their own is a really creative way to make them a part of the process and a fun way to feature different designs from fans. You can provide fabric patches with your logo or artwork, along with some needle and thread.
- Where to Create: Consider using Threadless or Printful for custom patches. If you’re going the DIY route, you can buy fabric patches in bulk and customize them yourself with fabric paint or embroidery from places like Michaels. (Don’t even get me started on all the crafts you can get inspired to make if you spend a few hours in there!)
Handwritten Lyric Sheets or One of Kind Artwork
A personal touch goes a long way. Handwrite the lyrics to your most popular song, or offer a limited run of lyric sheets signed by the band. These make for great keepsakes and exclusives. Another example is to create custom artwork, like Misha Penton did as part of her release strategy:
- Where to Create: This one’s as simple as grabbing some quality paper and a pen or other craft supplies.
Stay tuned for Part Two coming this Thursday…
In the meantime, I hope these ideas provided some inspiration! Merch doesn’t have to be this expensive, time intensive thing. With a little creativity you can offer unique merch that your fans are going to love and feel like was designed just for them —that’s the goal!
See you Thursday!
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