When institutions are creating ID card designs, they must determine how much money they are willing to spend and what type of security system they want to put in place. These two things will greatly influence the look and function of the cards that they wish to produce. There are simple cards that use only a person's name and photo. These IDs are extremely cheap, but they must be presented to a person to work, because they cannot interact with a card reader. Using a magnetic stripe or barcode on a card is still inexpensive, and it eliminates the need for sign-in sheets and manned checkpoints.

Groups that want to design cards that are difficult to copy and have capabilities beyond access control can employ the use of proximity and smart cards. More information can be encoded on these IDs. In fact, smart badges can even work as debit cards.

Customizing ID Card Designs

Tailoring ID cards to fit the image of a specific business or school has become much easier over the past few years. ID software and ID printers can be used to design cards with company logos and images of school mascots on them. Customized cards are harder to reproduce, because the design is very specific. Gradient screens, a form of shading, can be used to reflect a school's colors while simultaneously serving as a security measure.

A unique ID design cannot be created with every ID printer or software package. The equipment that must be used is generally a bit more expensive than the equipment used for generic ID production. However, a customized design will make cards more secure, and can even instill a bit of school or company pride in card holders.