Changing Up the Traditional Challenge Coin Design
Creating the perfect challenge coin is all about capturing the right sense of personality. No two designs are ever the same because every customer brings their own ideas for the ideal challenge coin, and our team helps bring their vision to life. We mix and match all kinds of different options like 3D artwork, dual plating, custom edging and even custom shapes to craft a design that is just right for any kind of idea.
For both custom shape challenge coins and traditional medallion shaped coins, one great option to consider is cut outs. Cut outs are perfect for adding emphasis to different sections of artwork, for defining custom shapes, and making memorable and meaningful designs for your team. We decided to share a few of our favorite custom challenge coins with cut outs so you can see for yourself how it can add another layer of personality to a design.
Round Challenge Coins with Custom Cut Outs
Members of the 354th Movement Control Battalion wanted to create a custom challenge coin that honored the culture and heritage of their home state of New York. We have created coins shaped like our customers’ home states, but the soldiers of the 354th wanted to have the New York City skyline cut into the center of a coin instead. Framing the silhouette of New York City at the center of this coin with the sky cut out gives the design a realistic and recognizable appearance. While it is possible to create a skyline design without cutting out a portion of the coin, the client loved how the cut out drew the eye immediately to the profile of Lady Liberty at the center.
When it comes to military unit coins, teams like to include images of the equipment and vehicles they operate. The 10th Combat Aviation Brigade asked for an accurate 3D molded UCAV (unmanned combat aerial vehicle) to be the centerpiece of their unit coins, and we were happy to make it happen. Our art team worked hard to ensure the final design was as true to life as possible.
As you can see, custom challenge coins with cut outs in the design will look remarkably similar on each side. When considering whether to include cut outs in your own coins, it’s important to remember that the mirrored image of your design will appear on the reverse side. For these two designs, the main focus is the New York skyline and the UCAV, so having them appear on both sides of the coin works perfectly, however, it does limit what is possible to include in the overall coin design.
Creating Custom Shaped Challenge Coins with Cut Outs
This coin created for soldiers in the US Army is a great example of how cut outs can accentuate the 3D elements of a challenge coin design. The skull and crossed arrow emblem could have been included on the face of a 2D medallion challenge coin, but the soldiers wanted a set of unit coins that brought the emblem to life in a more unique fashion. While the skull and arrows are plated in antique silver, the turban is given a darker, charcoal appearance with antique nickel plating. The eyes and colored feathers of the arrows are filled with translucent enamel to give them that shimmering effect.
At 3” long and 2.75” tall, this design is much larger than the average size challenge coins. Be that as it may, the actual surface area of a large coin like this one is comparable to a smaller coin because of the cut outs. Since so much of the surface area is cut away, the actual space available to include designs is limited.
This paw print shaped challenge coin includes a small cut out at the ridge between the toes and palm, adding an authentic appearance to the shape. Sometimes, cut outs limit the amount of space available to include artwork, but this coin shows that having a small cut out is a great way to accentuate artwork while not limiting the space available for design.
Another interesting feature of this coin is the use of hard enamel. Unlike soft enamel, hard enamel challenge coins have a smooth, seamless texture because the enamel paint is filled to an even level with the raised metal of a design. The small cut out of the paw print design is the only place that breaks up the smooth texture of the hard enamel design. This helps define the shape and makes the small cut out stand out.
Custom Challenge Coins with Functional Cut Outs
One of our most popular options for any kind of challenge coin is bottle opener cut outs. Coins like these have functional bottle openers cut into the design so teammates are always ready to pop the cap off a cold drink together should the moment arise. Bottle opener coins require either a cut out section of the design or a custom shape that incorporates a hook bottle opener. Bottle opener coins come in all kinds of different shapes and sizes. Our art team can even hide the bottle opener portion of your design by creating custom shapes. One of our favorite examples is a custom turtle-shaped coin that uses the rear fins as bottle openers, but we can make any shape or design work.
Spinners are another functional addition available for challenge coins. Some coins have spinning parts added to the top of the coin, while others have a section near the center of the coin cut away so that a post and spinner can be added to the design. Some customers choose to incorporate coin shaped spinners, while others have custom shaped spinners like globes, fighter jets or emblems.
Including Cut Out Designs In Your Custom Challenge Coins
If you’re looking for a way to make your challenge coins stand out from the crowd, cut outs are definitely great options. The two most important things to keep in mind are that the front and back of your coins are going to look very similar when you include cut outs, and that including multiple cut outs can limit the space available for custom artwork. As long as you keep that in mind when you begin, the final design will be something truly remarkable.
No matter what style of challenge coin you need, our Signature Coins team has got you covered. We may be a small custom coin company, but we are always looking for new and interesting ways to shake things up. If you have an idea for a custom challenge coin with intricate cut outs in the design, give us a call and see what we can do for you!
