Colour-coded entry wristbands: how to build a colour system

Give each day a colour that is far from the day before, so nobody mistakes one band for another in poor light. Print the day on the band as well.

A club can do the same thing per night. Change colour every night and last weekend's bands can't be used again.

On woven wristbands every day gets its own colours and its own second line. On vinyl wristbands you choose from 29 band colours and print the variant name on the band.

Build the zones like a staircase: one band gives access to its own zone and everything below it. VIPs can enter the audience area, but the audience can't enter VIP.

Make the VIP band as different from the audience band as you can. A dark band colour with gold print against the audience's neon colours, or woven against vinyl, so the difference can be seen and felt.

Backstage and artists are the smallest groups and should stand out the most.

How to build the zones and what goes on the key at each gate is covered in the guide to zones and backstage access.

Staff often work every day. Give them a colour of their own that is valid for the whole event and doesn't resemble any visitor colour.

Print the role on the band: STAFF, STEWARD, PRESS. It helps visitors looking for someone to ask, and security who don't know who is working.

If your event serves alcohol, a separate age band that is put on after an ID check at the door makes life easier at the bar. Age limits differ from country to country, so check the rules where the event is held.

The band doesn't remove the seller's responsibility. Whoever serves still has to make sure the guest is old enough where the law requires it.

More in the guide to age verification wristbands.

Red-green colour blindness is the most common form, and it is more common in men than in women. So never let red against green be the only difference between two categories. Separate them with light against dark as well, and with text.

Light and neon colours are easier to see in the dark than dark ones. Keep the dark bands for categories where the text does the work, such as VIP with gold print.

Make a colour key on one page: band, colour, text and where the band gives access. Put it up at every entrance and go through it with all staff before doors open.

The proof lists each variant with band colour, ink colour and quantity in the factory's format, for example STAFF | 3 RED (186C) - WHITE TEXT | PCS = 100. It works as the basis for your key.