Changing Up the Formula
Challenge coins come in sizes large and small, in dynamic shapes and in every color you can image, but a great majority of them share a few basic things in common. The biggest similarity is the texture of the coins.
The reason a lot of coins feel the same is because almost all of them have 2D artwork and soft enamel colorfills. 2D coins have one raised and one recessed level, so when you run your thumb over the surface, you feel the smooth raised metal and the cool recessed colorfill areas.
There’s nothing wrong with making coins this way, but that doesn’t mean there is no room for improvement. The texture of a coin is just as important as the appearance of a coin. The way a coin feels can change the way people interact with the design, so we decided to show off a few great examples of coins that shake up the formula by incorporating a unique texture in the background of the artwork.
Virginia Tech’s Custom Brickwork Texture
If you’re not looking closely, this coin looks remarkably like any other run of the mill police challenge coin. However, when this sample arrived at the office, everyone was excited to see how the brickwork design on the back of the coin turned out.
While the background texture doesn’t take center stage in the design, it creates an amazing effect. The Virginia Tech Police logo looks as though it’s resting on a brick wall, and as you run your thumb over the design, you can feel the intricate grooves of the brickwork.
A majority of logo challenge coins are designed with raised text, like this coin, but they leave the recessed area blank. Having a unique background texture changes the feel of your challenge coins and makes the design something truly special to behold.
Swan MX Race Park’s Tire Tread Texture
Challenge coins shaped like states are always fun to examine, and this Texas coin is one of our favorites. The recessed gold on the front of the coin is sandblasted to add a unique texture. However, this doesn’t change the feel of the coins very much. Recessed sandblasting reduces the glare coming off reflective, high polish metals like gold and silver, and helps the artwork stand out clearly.
On the back of the coin, it’s a different story. Instead of recessed sandblasting, the artwork sits on top of a repeating pattern of motorcycle tire tread marks. Not only is this a fun way to add a unique sense of personality to the design, it also creates a fun texture on the back of the coins.
Diplomatic Security Service’s Stippling Texture
The predominantly red and white color scheme on the back of this coin creates a striking effect, but it’s the stippling pattern surrounding the emblem at the center that really makes this coin unique. Like the brickwork and tire tread textures from before, this stippling pattern gives the coin a specific feel as you run your fingers over the artwork.
Instead of feeling smooth like the red colorfill around the edge of the design, the white center of the design has a coarse texture, almost like dragon scales or unfinished granite.
The Bethlehem Firefighter’s 3D Texture
3D challenge coins usually have a unique texture formed by the intricate raised and recessed levels of the artwork. What makes this coin special, however, is that the 3D artwork serves as the background rather than the foreground of the design.
Usually, our customers choose 3D because they want their design to pop with realistic detail and depth. The Bethlehem Firefighters, on the other hand, included a 3D image behind their department’s Florian cross logo, resulting in a unique background texture that's unlike any other coin we’ve designed.
Choosing a Background Texture Of Your Own
There are all kinds of different ways to change the texture of your coins, apart from creating a unique background texture. Hard enamel challenge coins, for example, feel completely different than the more common soft enamel challenge coins. Creating a 3D coin opens the door for all kinds of different textures in a design, and hand-cut edging, like our cross cut edging, gives coins an almost sharp feeling.
However, when you’re creating a 2D challenge coin, it’s important to remember that there are ways of making the background of your coins special. The examples here only scratch the surface of what’s possible when incorporating a unique background texture for your own design. We have standard background textures available like cross-hatching and diamond plating, but if you have an idea for something unique like a brickwork pattern or tire tread pattern, we can make it happen.
Send us your ideas today, and see for yourself how changing up the background texture of your design can add a new sense of personality to your custom coins.
