It takes about six to eight weeks for us at Badges And Medals to design, make, and ship your awards.
That might sound like plenty of time - after all, eight weeks is nearly two months.
But if you’ve ever planned an event, you know how quickly that time can slip away.
One minute you're busy running the show, then just like that, our deadline is around the corner.
That's exactly why understanding our process matters.
Once you learn the steps we take, you'll see why every week counts when it comes to delivering your medals on time and just as you imagined.
In this article, you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at how we work and why we need so much time to make everything perfect.
This will help you plan ahead and make sure your order is placed on time, so you can focus on the rest of your event.
Our Medal Making Processes, Explained
Week 1: Your medal design is created
After you contact us, we'll send you a quote.
This is an estimate of how much the medals you want will cost.
If the price looks good, we will start working on a free design for your custom medals.
You might ask yourself, "Wait, why does Badges And Medals make designs for free?"
Well, we believe this gives you a chance to see if we’re a good fit for you or your organisation.
Just tell us your ideas, and our experienced team of in-house designers will get to work on bringing your vision to life.
Once we've made the artwork, we'll send it over way to see what you think.
If something isn't quite right, just let us know and we'll fix it.
Most designs only need one or two tweaks.
However, we believe in getting it right, which means we’ll revise your design as many times as you like, until it’s perfect.
Now, while we try to move quickly, there are a few factors that can sometimes slow things down, such as:
- Multiple revisions:
Some designs hit the mark right away, while others need several revisions.
- Design approval:
The more decision-makers involved, the longer it can take to reach a final design.
- Complexity:
Simple designs take less time to make, while detailed designs take longer.
- Starting point:
If you come to us with a clear idea or a preapproved medal design, the process moves faster. If we have to design a medal from scratch, it can take longer.
Most delays happen during the design stage but, luckily, there are a few ways you can help keep things moving:
- Have a design ready.
While we can design a medal for you from scratch, having a concept ready can speed up the process.
The design doesn't have to be professionally made - even a rough sketch on paper will do!
We can then refine it and turn it into a high-quality medal.
This means that instead of the design process taking days or weeks, it's done in a day.
Here are some posts to help spark some design ideas:
- Have design assets ready.
If you're not sure where to start when it comes to design, that's OK!
We're more than happy to take the reins.
However, it does help us if you have a high-resolution version of your organisation's logo, samples of its colours, or some brand guidelines.
This gives our team a clearer the starting point, meaning we can get you a medal design quicker.
Here's an example of what you might send:
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- Send us vector files.
Most people send us the logos or images they want to include in the design as JPEG or PNG files.
However, this creates a small snag.
Those file types are made up of tiny pixels - so when we try to resize them, they get blurry or pixelated.
(You’ve probably seen this before yourself when you've enlarge an image, only for it to become a fuzzy mess.)
To fix that, we usually convert your image into a vector graphic, which keeps everything sharp, no matter how much it’s resized.
But creating vector graphics takes time.
If you want to speed things up and save yourself a few days, send over files like AI or EPS right from the start.
That way, you’ll get your medals faster!
If you're not sure how to turn your JPEG or PNG images into vector files, here are a few ideas:
- If you or someone in your team has access to design software like Adobe Illustrator, you can use it to vectorise your images.
- Many free online tools and software programs can also convert JPEG or PNG files into vector graphics. These tools often offer have simple step-by-step processes.
- Choose the right contact.
We all know someone that slow to respond to emails.
It’s no big deal most of the time, but when it comes to the approval process for your medals, slow responses can be a real time killer.
Every day waiting for approval means another day your custom medals aren’t being made.
The fix? Make sure the person handling your order is ready to respond quickly.
The faster they tick things off, the faster your medals are made.
The difference between a JPEG image and a vector graphic.
Week 2 - 5: Your design is brought to life
Once you approve your design, we get to work on making it.
You'll get an email from us as soon as the process begins, letting you know when we expect to send your order.
That way, you're never left wondering.
All you needed to do is sit back and relax, while we do the heavy lifting!
How fast we make your order depends on how many medals you want and how complicated your design is.
For example, it won't take us long to make a few medals with a simple design.
But if we’re dealing with intricate details or a large order, we may need a little more time to get things right.
There's not much you can do to speed up this part of the process.
That's because a lot of what happens behind the scenes can't be rushed.
For example, first, we create a mould for your medal, then fill it with melted metal, and let it cool.
Next, we have to paint, polish, and ribbon each medal - sometimes by hand.
Around the fourth week, we have a better idea of when your order will be ready to ship.
If it's different to our original expected delivery date, we'll let you know.
(Otherwise, we’ll confirm that everything’s moving as planned.)
We do this because we want working with us to be a stress-free experience.
The last thing we want is for you to be left wondering if your medals will arrive on time.
So, we make sure to keep you in the know.
Week 6: Your medals are quality checked
Once your medals have been made, they’re handed off to our quality control team.
This team checks that your medals are absolutely perfect before they head out the door.
Here’s what they check for:
- Quantity: Have we made the right number of medals?
- Condition: Are the medals clean and undamaged?
- Sorting: Are they properly organised by event and colour?
- Accuracy: Do the medals match the design you approved?
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All of our products are hand-checked by two quality control teams.
If something doesn’t meet our high standards, we fix it - or remake it - at no cost to you.
But don't worry, this doesn't happen often!
Once the medals pass this inspection, they’re carefully packed up and shipped from our medal-making warehouse to the office nearest your delivery address.
Week 7: Your medals are shipped
Here comes the home stretch!
Once your medals arrive at our office, they go through another round of quality checks.
Yes, you read right - more inspections!
This might seem repetitive, but we want to make sure your medals are perfect before they make their way to you.
(Again, this is part of our "stress-free" philosophy. It saves you from worrying about any last-minute surprises!)
Once the medals get the green light, we ship them out - even if they arrived at the warehouse ahead of schedule.
We do this because we know how relieving it is to have your medals well before your event.
We also know how nice it is to know where your parcel is, which is why, as soon as your medals are shipped, we send you a tracking number.
Then, it’s just a short wait before your medals arrive!
Week 8: Your medals are delivered
We aim to deliver your medals at least a week before your event takes place.
This gives you time to triple-check them, resort them, or send them on to another destination.
It also helps to protect your events from unexpected delays, like slower-than-expected shipping, which can happen.
That said, in most cases, your medals will arrive well before the event date.
That's because our goal is always to get your medals to you sooner rather than later.
We understand how much planning goes into your event, and know that the last thing you need is to worry about whether your awards will make it in time.
By doing everything we can to deliver early, we ensure you have plenty of breathing room to focus on more important details.
Now, with your medals ready, it’s time to host your event!