Beyond the Podium: The Meaning Behind Custom Medals

People tend to forget that part of the race. But the medal is remembered long after. It gives shape to a real thing: a finish line, a season of hard work, a school year, or a grueling challenge that a group of people went through together. Organizers design the medal to look good at the ceremony, when it is new and freshly lit. But a month later, does it still remind the person of what he or she earned?

Memory Begins With A Specific Event Story

Mementoes are often created to relate one true story about an event. Medal displays for example shouldn’t try to fulfill the roles of 10 other items. A 5K run around a course would seek to show the movement, date and actual route of the runners. A swim meet would rely on the water and the energy that is released in the lanes. School awards are all about warmth and class pride and trying to recapture the moment of a very special occasion for that group of people. They don’t have to be loud.

Here is where custom medals for awards really differentiate from run of the mill stock medals. While the front of a custom medal can include a mascot, city, sport icon, portrait, sponsor or even the name of the event or year of the award, the ribbon and case don’t have to spell it all out. When an award says the name of the occasion, people tend to want to keep them.

A simple enough reading of the story at arm’s length is the test. If a medal lists all the sponsors and venues and use of the athletes in the event in question, plus all the slogans of the organizers of the event, then it fails to convey the one thing of real interest to that athlete or their friends and family. The best souvenirs are those that make one easy memory clear very fast.

Shape And Relief Make The Moment Tangible

The shape of a medal is usually the first aspect of it that people notice before they read the words on it. A round medal looks classic, as if it were official. A medal of a shape that corresponds with the subject that is being honored is even more fitting. A sport, a city landmark, a mascot of a team or organization, an anniversary of something or someone. The detailed relief work adds depth to an otherwise two-dimensional emblem, allowing it to be felt under the fingers.

Raised detail carries ceremony value

To create formal or commemorative-style medals with raised relief, portraits, emblems, numbers and symbols will stand out even more from the background. We support both 2D and 3D effects and offer designs to be printed in debossed or embossed style. We can also create custom shapes to suit the occasion and type of recognition you wish to present.

Color should support the main symbol

Medal colors bring medals to life. However, medal colors must not be louder than the main design of the medal. Soft enamel, hard enamel, imitation hard enamel, UV-printing and even a polished metal surface all read differently when physically held against a light source. For example, very bright colors are generally used for younger events and open air festivals, because the energy level is already quite high. Antique or satin-plated finishes make medals of a commemorative nature seem more serious and complete.

Ribbon Design Extends The Award

A ribbon can completely change how a medal is perceived. This can be during the ceremony where the medal is put on the ribbon instead of being held and then it can affect how the medal is stored and viewed after the event. The ribbon frames the medal while it is being worn and the ribbon and medal together appear in photos. Conversely, when the medal is unable to announce the event to which it pertains, the ribbon does. For the finisher, the ribbon is often a major part of their memory of the event. Because the ribbon is worn around the body of the runner, it is right next to them.

The phrase custom medals and ribbons should denote a single custom award, not two separate items. The ribbon can be the same color as the event, a simple pattern or even a phrase that looks good even in photos. When laying out a custom medal and custom ribbon together, they should look like one award and not a separate set of awards.

But the ribbon needs to be comfortable against the neck too. Many people overlook this, but a medal that is easy to wear to an event gives more visible emotional remembered of the occasion than anyone would think of beforehand. It is easy to forget but it is worn in the closing ceremony, in team photos and on the long walk out of the event venue afterwards.

Weight, Finish, And Packaging Affect Perceived Care

Perceived quality is typically made up of a number of small positive interactions rather than one. The use of zinc alloy allows complex shapes to be produced cost-effectively. Other materials such as copper, iron and stainless steel are used where their greater weight is necessary and they have a longer lifespan. Plating too has the same silent effect as the various layer choices of gold, nickel, copper, bronze, antique and satin which can change the overall impact of a piece in different ways.

Packaging can change the handover point more than you think. Poly bags and OPP bags are ideal for bulk distribution and enable quick and simple handling. Bubble bags are specifically designed to protect individual items during shipment and handling. For higher value honors, VIP awards and for special occasions such as commemorative programs, gift boxes are the ideal packaging solution as the presentation is part of the overall concept from the outset.

Event type should guide the finish

Unlike recognition given at public events like festivals, recognition of an academic, historical or business nature requires a quieter surface with cleaner text and a more permanent finish. The medals don’t all have to be heavier or more shiny. Instead, they have to have a surface that corresponds with the meaning that it is supposed to carry.

• Use bold shapes when the photos and crowd visibility are key.
• Use engraved details where individual names or dates are important.
• Use protective packing where surface carries raised or colored detail.

Different Achievements Need Different Design Restraint

The best custom sports medals are often exciting yet calm and simple. A triathlon medal can depict the entire three discipline event on the front of the medal. A judo or swimming medal can depict movement in the medal without overwhelming the text. A football custom medal would feature a unique silhouette to depict the sport – often no caption is required.

For schools, clubs and community groups custom awards tend to be designed with a lighter touch. Incorporating names, year and small meaningful symbols or themes that reflect the recipient’s status in the group or school are all more important than creating dramatic effects. Until someone holds the award and can then articulate the full meaning within seconds of holding it, of course, it means nothing. The design should not be able to be understood in more than a sentence or two.

Engraving on custom medals needs to add personal proof. Short words like the date of the event, category, ranking, team name or a few words that describe the event in question are best. Too much text and the medal looks like a small plaque instead of a real award.

Practical Takeaway

Custom medals are best remembered when every choice you make is visible to the person who carries the reminder of their achievement. The shape of the medal is the first thing that one notices. The relief is what one feels when they pick up the medal. The color conveys the correct image and the ribbon the name of the event. The packaging protects the medal at the handing over. A good custom medal never has to explain the entire event. It just has to make the achievement real enough to keep.

FAQ

What makes a custom medal memorable?

A custom medal can be memorable when the shape, the symbol, the date, the ribbon and the finish of the medal all point to one specific event or story. It should be easily recognizable and also nice to look at while it’s sitting on a shelf.

Are custom medals for awards better with 2D or 3D detail?

2D detail is suitable for simple logos and text, whereas 3D detail is more suitable for medals with portraits, people, places or items that require a more commemorative focused design.

When should custom medals and ribbons share the same colors?

Matching colors help most when the event carries a strong brand, school, team, or festival identity. A quieter ribbon works better, though, once the medal finish is already visually rich on its own.

Can custom engraved medals be used for participant awards?

For participant awards, custom engraved medals are best when the engraving is short and meaningful. Event names, dates, categories and years are far better to read than long information detailed on the medal.

Do festival event medals need special shapes?

Medals for Festival events don’t have to be of an unusual shape but a simple change can enable them to be associated with a place, a theme, a character or an annual event and be remembered from year to year.