Most events think the only way to “stay on brand” is to make the medal one big logo.
It’s not.
Yes, your logo should be seen.
But if the entire medal is just a basic shape with a stamped logo, you’re missing a bigger opportunity.
You lose the chance to tell a story.
And storytelling is where a medal becomes more than metal.
For events like marathons, a medal represents months of training, early mornings, personal battles, and a finish line moment people will remember for years.
When someone hangs that medal on their wall or places it on their shelf, it shouldn’t look like a generic token.
It should feel like part of the experience itself.
You can still make your brand the hero without creating something bland.
In fact, when it’s done well, the brand becomes stronger because the design supports it, not competes with it.
Ballarat Marathon is a great example of this idea in action.
It’s a very young event. They are coming up to the 3rd Anniversary.
From day one, their team has been clear about their goals:
Build an event people love and build a brand that people remember.
Naturally, that includes their medals.
If you look at their first-year medal, it was extremely brand-focused.
Clean, simple, logo-forward.
There’s nothing wrong with that, it was their starting point. But like many first-edition medals, it didn’t quite capture the energy or personality of the event.
Then came year two.
This is where their design truly started to evolve.
They didn’t abandon their branding; they enhanced it.
The fine lines, subtle background details, and thoughtful layout gave the medal depth and character without losing the logo’s prominence.
The brand was still front and centre, but now the medal felt like Ballarat Marathon.
All it takes is adding intention to the small things: texture, structure, storytelling.
Karachi Marathon is another great example of how a brand can evolve, and how the medal plays a huge role in bringing that evolution to life.
They’ve recently rebranded, and the shift is noticeable.
Their visuals are stronger, the event feels more intentional, and the brand shows up clearly across their content.
But what’s especially interesting is how that branding carries through to their medals.
In 2025, their medal had far more detail built into it.
It wasn’t just a finishers’ item; the level of detail turned it into a trophy, with design elements that reflected the course itself, the city it runs through, and the journey runners completed on the day.
Then for 2026, the medal became even more brand- and sponsor-focused, and in a really smart way.
The design didn’t just “include” branding… the medal itself became part of the event’s identity.
It felt like something designed to be photographed, shared, and remembered, not just hung up as decoration.
Because the medal is what gets posted.
It’s what ends up in photos, reels, and recaps.
It’s the one piece of your event that people take home and proudly share with others.
Rebranding your event is one thing, but making sure your medal matches that brand is just as important.
A medal can be unique without distracting from your logo.
It can be creative without drifting off brand.
And it can tell a story without overwhelming the design.
When you get this balance right, the medal becomes something people are genuinely proud to own, display, and share. It becomes part of how they remember your event, and part of how they remember you.
That’s the real power of thoughtful design.
Because at the end of the day, your brand shouldn’t just be seen.
It should be felt.