Keep it Readable
Legibility is the number one concern when it comes to text-heavy challenge coins. People should be able to clearly see the message when the coin is resting in their hand. All of the examples described here are able to convey their messages with ease by sticking to a few simple guidelines pertaining to sizing, plating and design. If you’re looking for a text-heavy challenge coin, this is the best place to start!
1) Consider Coin Size
For text-heavy challenge coins, going bigger is definitely better. A larger coin allows for more room to print a specific message, and it goes without saying that large text is easier to read than small text. As a coin gets smaller, it becomes harder to fit phrases on the same line within the constrained space. This can be fixed by making the font smaller but then the words become harder to read.
Be that as it may, for both large and small coins, there are ways of incorporating a large number of words in a constrained space. Having the words follow the curve of the coin helps ensure that there is enough space to fit a meaningful message and quality artwork onto the same coin face. Our standard coin sizes range from 1.5” to 3”, but we can go even larger when customers are looking for oversized coins. We recommend starting at 2” for text-heavy coins. Going any smaller makes it difficult to fit an entire message on the coin with clarity.
2) Choose the Best Coin Plating Option
The fireman coin pictured above uses antique gold plating. As a general rule of thumb, we recommend antique plating options for designs with a lot of wording because they are the least susceptible to glare. The coins we make with high-polish gold, silver or copper plating have a beautiful shine under any light source, but this can make words hard to read.
Besides the high polished plating options, we offer antique gold, antique silver and antique nickel plating, as well as black metal, black nickel and dual plating. For every different style of coin plating, it’s important to consider using contrasting colors to help the letters stand out. Both of the coins pictured have high-polished plating, but the words are easy to read thanks to the added color.
The FBI coin on the left is plated in high polished gold, but a major portion of the coin face is colorfilled with a dark blue. The raised metal text is not colored. Instead, the areas around the letters are colored blue to help add contrast to the design and make the letters stand out.
The Verizon coin on the right has the opposite approach. The lettering is recessed, meaning they are pressed into the metal, and each letter is colorfilled with black enamel paint. The sharp contrast makes it much easier to read. For coins with black metal or nickel plating, a better color to add to text would be a bright blue or red. Choosing colors for text all depends on the design.
Both of these coins show that it is possible to make text-heavy challenge coins with high-polish plating, however, we still recommend using antique plating or a similar option that is more resistant to glare. The silver Verizon coin is also a good representation of the smallest lettering we can add color to in a design. Again, size plays a major role in the ability to create legible text on a coin, and as text gets smaller, it becomes more difficult to add detail.
3) Keep the Design Simple
Legibility should always be the number one concern when designing a text-heavy challenge coin. Having complex patterns or designs behind or around the message is going to be distracting for the reader. The best thing to do is to leave the area around the message clear like this Corinth Volunteer Fire Department coin.
This design employs antique gold plating and raised lettering. The entire message rests in a clean field and is framed by a simple red ring. It conveys the Fireman’s Prayer easily and does not need to include any additional colors to add contrast or clarity.
Making Text-Heavy Coins
Our clients use text-based coins for any number of reasons. We have worked on countless projects like these and found that following a few simple guidelines will help make the best possible design:- Make coins that are at least 2” in size.
- Avoid high-polished design options to help reduce glare. If ordering a coin with high-polish plating, make sure to add a contrasting color to the text to help it stand out.
- Keep the area behind and around the text relatively simple.
All of our clients want to create something special that they can pass out with pride. Creating a text-heavy challenge coin gives you the opportunity to leave a lasting impression and by following these guidelines your design is sure to be legible and meaningful to every recipient.
