5 Ways AI Can Improve Your Medal Design

NOTE: This is post is not sponsored.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way people approach design.

In just a few years, it’s gone from a novelty to a powerful tool that businesses and creators use every day.

And as the technology improves, more and more people are asking: "Can it help me design… a medal?"

The truth is that not only is the answer "yes", but AI can actually help you more than you might expect.

Using it before you talk to your supplier means you walk in with a clearer vision, making the design process smoother and faster.

At Badges And Medals, we don’t use AI to design our custom medals.

We create our designs from scratch, using a talented team of designers.

But that doesn't mean we don't recognise its value.

In fact, we’re always on the lookout for innovative tools that can enhance the experience for our clients.

That’s why, in this blog post, we’re excited to share which AIs can help you with your medal design, and how.

How AI Can Help Design Medals

1. Brainstorm design ideas

Designing a medal sounds easy… until you actually have to do it.

Before you know it, your mind is spinning with questions.

Should it be sleek and professional looking, or fun and playful?

What about the shape? Round, square, or something completely custom?

Luckily, AI is here to help.

Instead of staring at a blank page, you can use programmes like ChatGPT to generate fresh, creative ideas in seconds.

The trick is knowing what to tell it.

You see, these programmes aren't magic - they're tools. And like any tools, they give out what you put in.

For example, if you tell it something vague like, “medal design ideas,” what you’ll get back will be an equally vague answer.

The more specific you are, the better your results will be.

Here are some examples of a some strong prompts, to help get you started:

• “I work at an event with a strong focus on sustainability. List ways I can make my medal design more eco-friendly.”
• “List ten ways I can make my medal stand out from the crowd, using design.”
• “I'm designing medals for a children's running event. List ways I can make my design fun and kid-friendly.”

You can then refine the results by asking follow-up questions or feeding it more information.

Just some of the answers ChatGPT gives in response to a detailed prompt.

For example, let’s say it suggests a glow-in-the-dark medal for the night-time race you're hosting.

You could follow up with:

• “What glow-in-the-dark colours work best on a silver medal?"
• “I want my medals to be remembered for years. Will the glow effect fade over time?”

With each response, you narrow down your vision until you have a clear concept you can take to your boss or supplier.

2. Choose colour schemes

Chances are, when you’re designing a medal, you’re not starting from scratch.

You’ve got a logo, brand colours, or at least some guidelines to work with.

But when you need several medals for the same event - like different race distances - it can be hard to design them in a way that doesn't look identical.

Rather than feeling stuck with what you have, AI-powered colour tools like Khroma can act as your colour consultant.

Simply type in input your main colour as a six-digital HEX code, and the AI will suggest palettes that would complement it.

Suddenly, you’ve got multiple options that align with your event’s branding without the stress of trial and error.

For example, here's what it comes up with when we at Badges And Medals put in our main colour:

3. Calculate measurements

You've got the design in mind, but now comes the tricky part - measurements.

How big should the medal be so your logo stands out? How thick is too thick?

Too many people guess their way through this step, only to regret it later.

(Some suppliers, like us at Badges And Medals, will double-check your measurements or do them for you, but many will just take your word for it.)

Instead of guessing, you can use programmes like ChatGPT to quickly calculate proportions and measurements.

It will consider material strength, weight, and how the medal will be used to help you avoid common mistakes like making it too thin (and fragile) or too heavy (and uncomfortable).

You can ask something as simple as:

• "If my logo is 2cm wide, how much empty space should I leave around it for a clean, professional design?"
• "What’s the best thickness for a medal that feels high quality but isn’t too heavy?"
• "I want my medal to have a built-in bottle opener. How big should the cut-out be for it to function properly?"

4. Enhancing existing designs

You don't always need a brand new medal design.

Sometimes, a refresh is all it takes.

Maybe your design feels a little dated, a little plain, or just isn’t grabbing attention the way you want.

Whatever the reason, AI can help you fix it.

Unlike ChatGPT, which works with text, design tools like Adobe Firefly's 'Generative Fill' can actually read and edit images.

Just upload your old medal design, highlight the area you want to change, and ask the AI prompts like:

• "Add an [object]."
• "Change this into an [object]."

AI can also help you if your design isn't as sharp as you'd like.

Tools like Let’s Enhance can reduce blurriness, giving you and your supplier a crisper, cleaner design to work from.

An example of how Let's Enhance can improve a blurry picture.

Bare in mind that most AI tools still struggle with text, so often they won't be able to add or edit words on your design.

If you need to tweak lettering, it’s best to do that manually with a free design tool like Canva.

5. Generate images of your design

So, you’ve got a solid idea for your medal.

You can picture it in your head - but how do you bring it to life so your supplier knows exactly what you want?

This is where AI-powered image generators like DALL.E and Leonardo AI come in.

You describe what you want in words, and these AIs turn it into a picture using its massive database of artwork.

This saves you from having to sketch something yourself and gives your supplier a ready-made reference to work from.

The more detail you give, the better your results will be.

Here's an example of what we mean:

• Weak prompt: “Create a gold medal.” (Too vague - you'll get something generic.)
• OK prompt: “Create a gold medal with an embossed football logo, a smooth outer edge, and a blue ribbon.” (Now we're getting somewhere!)
• Strong prompt: “Create a high-detail, 3D-rendered gold medal featuring an embossed football logo in the centre, surrounded by a laurel wreath, with a polished outer edge and a blue satin ribbon.” (Now the AI has everything it needs to generate a precise, high-quality design.)

Here's an image we made using the 'strong prompt' in DALL.E:

Need more help designing your medal?

If you're here, it’s because you want designing a medal to be easier - and now, it is.

In this post, you learnt five ways AI can sharpen your design ideas and save you time.

At Badges And Medals, we don’t use AI to design your medals - but we do understand how valuable these tools can bring you closer to your dream design.

That’s why we’re committed to staying on top of the latest tech to help enhance your experience.

But, if working with AI feels a bit too complex, we’ve got your back.

Contact us today, and we’ll take that idea you’ve been working on and turn it into a beautiful, custom design - for free!