Sample Study: Deeds Not Words Custom Coin

Clients have worried that their design is too complicated for a coin or keychain. It’s a common problem we’ve faced with many projects, but it hasn’t stopped us yet from making quality final products! If we compromise on minor details, we can recreate your design on a custom coin without major issues. We want to highlight one of the latest coins we created that exemplifies how you can still keep the idea of the coin details without having to stay completely married to your design.

The Custom Coin Design

The client that worked on this coin design came with a front and back design. They wanted to be sure their coin designs would maintain as much detail as possible. While the design itself is extremely cool, there are a few aspects of the design that we did adjust for the final product.

Custom-designed emblem featuring a cloaked figure holding a glowing staff, with stars and cosmic background details, and the phrase 'Deeds Not Words' symbolizing action, craftsmanship, and quality. Ideal for branding, corporate values, and unique custom merchandise by the Monterey Company.
Black and white emblem featuring a hooded figure with a skeletal hand, surrounded by binary code and symbols, with the text 'TAPO Mission Equipment' and 'Developing, Equipping, Sustaining, Supporting.' Represents themes of mission support, advanced technology, and tactical equipment.

Soft Gradients and Thin Details

There are several details that create a color gradient on the coin design. While stunning, this is extremely difficult to replicate without either a lot of colors or an extremely large coin. Either of these choices raises the price per coin and the mold fee of the custom coin, which can eat very quickly into a limited budget.

The client also had a variety of smaller details like the star and winged sword. We weren’t sure exactly how effecting that amount of stars would be, so we recommended removing some of them to leave room for others to still exist on the final coin.

Colors

The number of colors on the front coin design would need to be simplified since every color adds to the price. That doesn’t even include the level of difficulty there would be to make a mold that used so many colors.

The Art Proof

Art Process

We decided to take the gradient lines in the front design and simplify them. This created an interesting texture as well as the imagery of a gradient on the custom coin. One of the first instances we sent to the client had no color at all. The original plan was to see if a 3D coin on both sides was going to be the way to go. After looking at the design without color, the client was able to pick and choose which colors they wanted to keep on the coin. 

Design proof for a custom embossed soft enamel coin by The Monterey Company, featuring front and back artwork with a hooded figure, celestial elements, and binary code. Includes color specifications using Pantone matching, antique silver finish, and custom text 'Quod Obstat Viae Fit Via' and 'Deeds Not Words.' Represents high-quality craftsmanship in custom coin design for mission branding, tactical equipment, and commemorative use.

After isolating what colors would work best for the front of the design, we experimented with adding color to the back of the coin. The client was interested but ultimately decided against it. They still wanted to make the design on the back pop but wanted to limit the colors to their submitted design. We decided to stick strictly with black and white enamel color, but use 3D elements for the skull and hand of the figure. This way we could still create a contrast to see the smaller details on the globe without 

Final Proof

Design proof for a custom embossed soft enamel coin by The Monterey Company, featuring front and back artwork with a hooded figure, celestial elements, and binary code. Includes color specifications using Pantone matching, antique silver finish, and custom text 'Quod Obstat Viae Fit Via' and 'Deeds Not Words.' Represents high-quality craftsmanship in custom coin design for mission branding, tactical equipment, and commemorative use.

Once we isolated the colors the client wanted, we finalized the production proof for the client. You can see that we isolated the blues in the cape to keep the silhouette without having to remove too many details. We also kept the stars in the back of the design by completely eliminating color from them and letting the silver plating stand out.

The Final Product!

Front and back of a custom embossed soft enamel coin by The Monterey Company, featuring vibrant color and antique silver finish. Front side displays a cloaked figure with the text 'Quod Obstat Viae Fit Via' and 'Deeds Not Words,' while the back showcases a hooded skeleton design with binary code and 'TAPO Mission Equipment' surrounded by 'Developing, Equipping, Sustaining, Supporting.' Represents premium craftsmanship for custom coins used in mission branding and commemorative items.

Take a look at those cool details and colors! You can still see the inspiration behind the coin while noting where the changes were made. But it didn’t take away from the overall outstanding quality of the final finished product. The 3D effect on the back, while difficult to show off, came out fantastic. We also see how much the design pops with the black-and-white enamel color. You can even still see the winged sword which we were hoping for!

Want to Make Your Own Custom Coin?

Don’t worry! We can take your custom coin from the screen to your hands in no time. We’ll help you figure out what we can or can’t do with your design. Feel free to place a quote request on our website and ask us any questions. We’ll get you a quote and tell you everything you need to know about making your custom coin come to life.