5 Key Elements to Designing Memorable Challenge Coins

Challenge coins have a rich history as symbols of achievement and camaraderie, often used by the military, the police, emergency medical services, and other organizations. At Galaxy Design Squad, we take pride in designing custom challenge coins that not only honor these traditions, but also inspire and unite teams. In this blog, we’ll discuss the top five key elements to consider when designing your custom challenge coins:

1. Telling Your Story Through Artwork

Artwork is a challenge coin’s most distinctive feature. It can be a powerful way to represent the story and values of your organization and its members. Our team can create an eye catching design through custom enamel techniques, which allow for intricate details and vibrant colors. Every element, from symbols and logos to mottos and dates, can be crafted to ensure your coin stands out as a unique testament to your organization’s legacy.

2. Selecting the Perfect Coin Type

There are several different coin types to consider when designing your perfect challenge coin. The choice of materials, design, size, and more will contribute to your coin’s overall impact. It’s important to keep the intended use of the coin in mind at each design step. Let’s explore the different options:

• Coin Type
  • The foundational structure of your coin can be either a two-sided mold or a one-sided mold. A two-sided mold allows for more detailed storytelling, with each side representing different aspects of your organization or event. In contrast, a one-sided mold focuses all attention on a single, powerful design.
• Style
  • The choice of style further enhances the visual appeal of your coin. You can opt for a two-sided color design to create a vivid and detailed representation on both sides or a one-sided color design to highlight a particular element with vibrant hues. Alternatively, a metal-only option with no color emphasizes the elegance and simplicity of the coin’s craftsmanship.
• Size
  • The size of the coin is another critical aspect. Standard challenge coins typically range from one inch to three inches in diameter. Larger coins allow for more intricate designs and text, while smaller coins are often more subtle and portable, yet still carry significant meaning.
• Metal Plating
  • The finish of your coin can dramatically alter its look and feel. Options like gold, silver, bronze, or antique finishes can be chosen to match the tone and significance of the coin. Each plating option offers a different aesthetic, from the polished shine of gold to the aged, distinguished appearance of antique finishes.

• Presentation
  • Finally, how your coin is presented can add an extra layer of prestige. Consider options such as display cases, velvet pouches, or acrylic stands to enhance the coin’s perceived value and ensure it’s cherished for years to come.

3. Finding the Right Size and Shape

How do you know what shape and size to choose when designing your custom challenge coin? It’s important to find a balance between size and usability. You will want your challenge coin to be large enough for all of the details to be easy to read and decipher, but also small enough to be transported easily.

Unique shapes can offer an opportunity for your challenge coins to stand out. It’s also important that the selected shape and size can easily complement the artwork and the messages that you would like to convey.

4. Adding Special Touches

Special touches can add to the uniqueness of your challenge coin. Choose from our wide variety of options: glitter, 3D, edge numbering, additional colors and more. Our team is eager to go above and beyond to design the custom challenge coin of your dreams. Our clients often add special features to create more visually striking coins that have deeper meanings for their recipients.

5. Tailoring the Coin to its Purpose

It’s always important to remember the intended purpose of the coin in each step of the design process. Whether for military recognition, an employee milestone, or a personal achievement, the coin’s design should resonate with its recipients. What emotions do you want the coin to invoke? What do you want it to remind its recipient of? Our team will help ensure that each and every design element contributes to this goal and makes the proper emotional impact. We want to help you make the custom challenge coin design a cherished keepsake for many years to come.

Crafting Challenge Coins You’ll Be Proud Of

At Galaxy Design Squad, we know that the best challenge coins balance beautiful visual elements and practicality while always keeping purpose in mind. Our team is eager to help you focus on impactful artwork, find the right coin type, choose the ideal size and shape, add special touches, and tailor the design to its purpose. We promise to guide you through this process with ease, creating custom challenge coins that will provide meaning for years to come!

Choose Galaxy Design Squad to truly make the values and achievements of your organization come to life through your custom challenge coin designs. Contact our team today to design a challenge coin that captures your unique story and honors all of those who receive it!