How to Create a Challenge Coin Design That People Love!

Challenge coins are more than keepsakes - they’re symbols of identity, pride, and shared experience. Whether you’re designing a coin to honor military service, celebrate an achievement, or promote an organization, getting the design perfect can feel like a daunting task. But you don’t have to worry! With the right partner, it’s easy to create something incredible that will resonate with every recipient. Here’s our guide on how to create a challenge coin design that people will love!

Step 1: Understand the Purpose of Your Coins

Before diving into the design process, make sure you understand the purpose behind them. If you are having trouble defining the purpose, ask yourself: who are the coins for? What is the occasion? What message should the coins convey?

Some coins are made to celebrate a specific accomplishment or anniversary. Others are created for special events. Think about who will receive the coins once they are finished and you’ll have a better understanding of what details and references will make the design special and the purpose of the coin program clear.

Step 2: Consider What Shape and Size Works Best

Challenge coins are traditionally round in shape, but you don’t have to let that limit your imagination. Custom shapes like shields, hexagons, or completely custom shapes help make your design feel unique and special.

If you opt for a round coin, the most common sizes are 1.75 inches and 2 inches. The smallest size we recommend is 1.5 inches. If you want to make something bold with a big visual impact, we can make something much bigger!

Step 3: Get Creative With Your Ideas

The design process is the most fun part of creating a custom challenge coin. Take some time to sit with pen and paper and jot down your ideas. Sketching out your ideas is a great way to get a feel for a design before it takes a professional form.

Common design elements used to give challenge coins a personal sense of meaning and value are organizational logos and mottos, as well as important dates, quotes, or imagery. Try to think of fun ways to incorporate the elements of your design into the artwork. For example, if your team logo is a bulldog or a star, maybe that should be the shape of your coin! If your brand has a unique color association, where should the color be incorporated so that it takes center stage?

Once you have an idea ready, we will turn it into a beautiful, professionally crafted proof. Artwork is free, and we offer free revisions as well, so don’t worry about getting everything perfect on the first try! We’ll work with you every step of the way to make sure the design is perfect!

Step 4: Choose Metal Plating and Upgrades

The metal plating you choose will have a big impact on the look and feel of the coins. We offer several plating options including high polish and antique versions of gold, silver, copper, and nickel. We also have colored metal options, iridescent metal, and dual plating options.

As a general rule of thumb, high polish plating adds a sleek, professional touch to a coin design. Antique plating has a rustic, timeless look that gives your artwork a sense of gravitas.

When it comes to design upgrade options, there’s a lot to consider. Here’s a brief list of upgrades you might want!

• 3D artwork - adds depth and texture to your design, making it stand out.
• Custom edging - rope, scalloped, diamond cut, and more! Custom edging adds a fun flair to your artwork, framing the intricate details.
• Custom enamel colors - glow-in-the-dark, glitter, and translucent enamel colors give your design a unique effect!

Step 5: Add Personalization with Laser Engraving

If you want to take an added step toward making each coin unique, laser engraving is the best way to go. We can engrave names, callsigns, numbers, or special messages on the edge of coins, or on a designated area on the surface of each coin. We can also do sequential numbering on the coins, which is a popular option for limited-edition designs.

We’ve made police challenge coins with badge numbers engraved on each coin, coins with nicknames laser engraved on the edge, and so much more!

Finalizing and Ordering Your Coins

Here at Lapel Pins Plus, we’ll walk you through each step to make sure you have the perfect design before you order. Artwork and revisions are always free, so let us know if there are changes you need, if you’d like to try different ideas, or if you want to see different upgrade options.

Our professional designers and talented sales team will always help you develop something special that captures the spirit of your team! To get started, all you need to do is fill out a free quote form! See how our team can bring your ideas to life today!