Challenge coins have an enduring history and are a beloved tradition. Designing them is always enjoyable, as it uplifts the mood.
So, are you looking to design the perfect challenge coin? If so, you need to consider certain factors. By taking these factors into account, you can ensure that your challenge coin is not only visually appealing but also valuable and meaningful.
In this blog, we have shared the whole guide with you to lay out the best coin ever.
“Are you ready?
Then, let’s start this mission…”
Factors Need To Be Considered To Design a Perfect Challenge Coin
Identify Why You Are Designing and For Whom
When starting the process of designing custom challenge coins, it is crucial to determine the purpose and target audience of the coin beforehand.
Having a clear understanding of why you are creating these coins will help you create a design that is in line with its intended use and will make sure that it is effective in achieving its goal.
If you are creating challenge coins for a military unit, including symbols or emblems that hold significance within that specific group would be a good idea.
However, if you are designing challenge coins for a corporate event or a non-profit organization, it would be better to concentrate on incorporating elements that reflect their mission or values.
Allocate Budget for Everything Prior
After that, establish a budget covering all production stages, including conceptualization, design, manufacturing, and distribution. It’s important to create a detailed budget to ensure that your designs are realistic and financially feasible.
The budget should account for graphic design services and material costs such as metals, additional features like enamel filling, packaging materials such as velvet pouches, shipping costs and other associated expenses.
Research Thoroughly To Get a Unique Idea
The next tip is to gather ideas and insights into target audience preferences by researching and studying various designs. Begin by exploring online platforms where multiple challenge coin enthusiasts share their collections.
However, keep in mind that when designing custom challenge coins, it is crucial to prioritize originality, even if you use existing designs for inspiration. Research can provide a solid foundation for creativity, but your goal should be to create a unique coin that effectively represents your organization or purpose.
So, always strive to create something distinct and memorable.
Decide the Shape and Size of Coin
After developing a concept of your challenge coin, step one is to determine its size. The common size of challenge coins is 1 inch, but 2-inch coins are gaining more popularity.
Challenge coins can be as small as 1 inch. However, it’s pretty difficult to create legible artwork on coins smaller than that. So, if you need something larger than average, then outsized coins are a great choice. Once you have got the idea of size, then decide the shape of it.
Not all coins are round; some are oval, square, or even triangular. Other coins feature complex designs with intricate patterns and cutouts that create unique images.
So, after choosing the dimensions and form of your coin, it’s critical to reflect on and consider how they’ll feel.
Select the Weight and Texture of the Coin
Selecting the weight of your coins and the background texture is an effective technique to create something that stands out in people’s memory. Challenge coins are usually 3mm thick, giving them a good weight and solid feel. Additionally, you can make your coins unique by creating a distinctive background texture. One way to achieve this is by incorporating 3D artwork, which allows for diverse shapes and textures with an unrivalled level of detail.
Select Edge Finishes
When it comes to creating coins, selecting the right edge finish is important, too. An edge finish can create a 3D look and feel for the coin. There are two types of edge finishes – smooth and stepped.
Smooth edges are suitable for softer metals like clay or zinc, as heavier metals are difficult to machine for this treatment. Stepped edges, on the other hand, can be done on any type of metal and can make the coin look larger than it is.
The materials used for edge finishes may vary from clay, zinc, bronze, and aluminium to even edge-painted coins.
Decide on Colors and Plating
To finalize your challenge coin design, there are a few more aspects to consider. Firstly, you should decide if you want colour on one side, either side or none at all. Additionally, it’s crucial to pick the sort of colouration you need to include in your design. Moreover, you can combine multiple types of plating on the same coin.
While gold and silver are a popular combination. There are many feasible combinations, including black metallic and silver or vintage gold and vintage copper plating.
So, keep these considerations in mind when designing your challenge coin.
Polish Your Artwork
Finally, to perfect your artwork, create a digital vector illustration of your idea and use it to finalize the design. Make necessary adjustments to the colour scheme, fonts, and other elements to ensure that everything appears exactly as desired. Pay special attention to the details and ensure that the artwork will reproduce well on the coins.
FAQs
How long does it take to design a challenge coin?
Coin designers spend many hours refining designs before they can be manufactured to the highest quality. A design concept takes up to weeks to become a finished coin.
In what ways can I protect my challenge coin?
Store your challenge coins in a dry and safe place to protect them. Use coin capsules or holders that provide a snug fit and prevent scratches.
What are the pricing factors and average cost to design a challenge coin?
Challenge coin pricing depends on factors such as size, quantity, and colour but typically ranges from three to six dollars per coin for a full production run of a hundred coins.
Coins are durable or not?
Yes, the coins made up of metals like gold, copper, silver and aluminium are quite durable. They will remain perfect even if you store them in a drawer for a hundred years.
Wrap Up!
Creating custom challenge coins is an excellent way to celebrate a momentous event, an exceptional team, or an individual with a personal connection. It is a tough and meticulous process that requires your thorough attention. Every aspect, ranging from the concept to the selection of shape, size, materials, colours, logos, emblems, text placement, and detailing techniques, contributes significantly to the final product’s impact.
However, with these tips and some imagination, anyone can create personalized challenge coins that accurately reflect their organization or group. So, why not design your custom challenge coin today to make a lasting statement?