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Diplomas are a great way to show appreciation for someone’s work and achievements. Today, for any training or workshop one participates in, a diploma certificate is mandatory, or people do not want to join courses. And that is for obvious reasons, as without a diploma, there is no way to validate that someone has mastered their skill in their field of choice. These skills can be work-related or something out of it, as learning and developing oneself is a lifelong process.
A program offering digital certificates also paves the way for better jobs in the future. A person with a good profile – which includes relevant qualifications, skills, and certifications (the more, the better) – is more likely to bag their dream jobs than those who lack them.
Companies providing such programs face a challenge often in creating an impressive certificate for their participants. From designing a certificate to font selection, color combinations, and stamps, experts consider several factors before a certificate goes into the making.
Experts have to carefully evaluate the niche of the industry a company belongs to for their certified programs. Only after analyzing the competition and the certificates they offer will an expert be able to carve out spectacular-looking online badges.
From carefully evaluating the industry in which participants take up a course to what certificates are out there in that same branch, experts carve a tailor-made certificate that aligns well with the company norms, principles, and values.
For instance, an art institution course’s certification will be different than that of a corporate course. The color combinations will be a bit vibrant, with maybe a background and a creative font, while a corporate course certificate will be more subtle, in neutral tones, a white or pale white background, and a professional font.
12 Steps to Create Your Own Diploma
So now let’s get to how to create your own diploma, remember, these steps must act as a guideline to you when you create your own diploma, and you must always think outside the box to make your certificate visually appealing and unique.
#1 The Traditional Way: Hire A Professional
The foremost solution companies look for is to hire a professional who will do all the hassles of designing an attractive certificate. The one thing about hiring a professional to design diploma certificates is that they’ll stand out and be unique. As they put to use their creative thinking while creating a certificate, such diplomas are not only attractive but also speak volumes about an organization.
But when we talk of creativity, the cost will also be high. While you get the perk of a custom-made diploma certificate layout, you lose some bucks. But it’s worth the money in the long run. If you do not want to spend hours online to find a good-looking template, don’t waste another minute to hire a professional. Their years of expertise can save you a lot of time.
#2 Diploma Generator Tools
Diploma generator tools are a relief as they take away the load and provide you with ample options to choose from. With all being preset, you only have to enter the participant’s name, company stamp, and any other details you want, and voila: The diploma certificate is ready.
The benefit of a diploma generator is that you don’t have to enter names one by one manually, as you can create multiple copies at once and email them instantly. It saves you a ton load of money and time.
#3 Online Templates at Your Disposal
Small enterprises may find it hard to hire a professional to design diplomas. The cost can be anywhere from $500 to $700 and exceed further, depending upon several factors. Today, many online credentials platforms pave the way for you to create your diplomas using available templates, which you can streamline according to your preferences.
When you sign up with an online badge provider, a ready-made template shows up, which you can edit and design as per your choices. From minute details, border selections, font, and color to adding frills, such as images, company seal, etc., you can shape up your diploma certificate however you like.
It leaves room for experimentation, and you can have multiple diploma certificate designs for different courses your organization or institute provides. For instance, you can have different templates for an academic course and skill-development training.
#4 Template from the Internet
If you are trying to create your own diploma, you must have searched for diploma certificate templates online. It is the easiest way to have an idea of how a course certificate should look.
There are also many blank diploma templates available on the Internet that you can use for multiple occasions. All you have to do is save the template, open or copy it onto a Word document, and start filling it up. If you are puzzled about “How to create a certificate in Word,” check out our blog, and all your questions will be answered.
The only drawback about templates you’ll take from online is that they are not customizable or adjustable. The issue of spacing and setting of text properly often crops up due to little room for adjustment. You may also need the help of a separate graphic program in order to edit such templates on the Internet.
But on the bright side, even a basic graphic program can help you overcome the problem. You don’t need to purchase premium programs to edit an online template.
Another way is to take the print of the blank template from the Internet and fill it yourself. You can post such diplomas and send them as scanned copies via email. If you have calligraphy skills, now is the time to bring the creativity out.
However, it is laborious, especially if you need several diploma certificates for participants. Also, if you’re thinking of printing diplomas, ensure that the paper is of high quality to give a professional look.
#5 Focus on Styling
Styling of diploma certificates is critical. It sets that first impression and makes a participant feel proud when they show it to others. How well a diploma certificate looks also speaks highly of the institutions issuing it. It shows how serious an organization is while imparting training and workshops.
Basic styling includes selecting a border, header and footer, font, color, and company stamp placing. It also includes positioning a signature and wording to use. Not only that, the shape of the certificate also plays a critical role. There are two types in general – horizontal certificate layouts and vertical ones. Horizontal certificates go best with more creative or award diplomas, while vertical ones are more academic, corporate, or professional.
#6 Images or pictures on diplomas
Adding visuals, such as images or photos, brings out the appeal of a diploma certificate tenfold. These graphic elements, symbols, or imagery can make your certificate look unique. Usually, when certificates are event-specific, images add an emotional and humble touch to the certificates.
Diplomas can also work as great marketing tools, so while you play with colors, images, and styling, don’t forget to add your logo to the certificate. Another piece of advice would be not to go overboard with colors. It is still a diploma certificate, not an invitation card, so stay subtle.
#7 Signature and Watermark
Signature is a must when you create your own diploma. Any of the company’s seal, stamp, signature of the head, or even a watermark is enough to validate that the certificate awarded is valid and verifiable.
A signature authenticates a certificate, otherwise, it is only a piece of paper. You can also look for designs to create a digital seal of your company that your local registrar can approve.
#8 Diploma Designs Based on Occasion
We cannot stress this enough! When you create a diploma certificate on your own, consider the occasion. Webinars, in-person workshops, tutorials, or vocational training in various fields cannot be alike. A certificate awarded after attending a workshop on pottery cannot be the same as that of a language course. Designs are critical in each case, so pay attention to the occasion before you choose a template on the Internet, create a custom one, or use online platforms.
Experts suggest using light and paste shades for less professional occasions. Anything related to academics, employment engagement courses, and skills training requires a more formal diploma certificate.
#9 Selection of the Right Kind of Font
Font plays a great role in bringing out the character of a certificate. A font that is easy to read, clear, and in trend is what you should focus on while creating your diploma. A font that is too curvy, gothic, looks funny, or is just not right will take away the credibility of a certificate. It will look more like an informal piece of paper than a verifiable and essential document.
#10 Make Sure Your Diploma Certificate is Printable
Often, it happens that when people create certificates, they ignore the basic detail of designing them in such a way that they are easily printable. By that, we mean that you should design certificates considering the standard sizes of A4 or global measurements, especially those accepted in the United States and the United Kingdom. The reason is that most institutions or firms around the world prefer sizes set by the U.S. and the U.K. It makes your task pretty easy.
A standard certificate size accepted by the U.S. is 8.5 inches by 11 inches. You can easily print them, send them online, digitalize them, and never face a problem to crop them short or align them online later.
#11 No Typos, Grammatical Errors! Hire A Proofreader, or AI tools
A small typo, the tiniest error that can be, can cost you a lot of money or botheration in the case of digitally created diploma certificates. You’ll have to go through the pain again to fix the error. But this is not that big of a problem. The real issue is losing trust among your clients. What kind of an impression will you set if your company’s certificate has basic errors?
Typos leave a negative mark on the credibility of the certificate issuing authority. Nobody would want their name to be misspelled. A diploma certificate is their reward for all the hard work they do. And receiving a faulty certificate in return is going to be heartbreaking.
Hire a professional proofreader, or check your certificate on online proofreading tools to ensure your diploma is error-free.
#12 Choose Trending Online Badges for Your Company
The last bit to consider is the design of your company’s online badge, the logo, or any mark, as a matter of fact. An online badge is necessary as it is like a digital verification, a seal on the diploma certificate. It also makes verifying the certificate easy and quick ten times compared to the traditional method.
To wrap it up!
When you create your own diploma, make sure to keep in mind the occasion. That forms the basis of the design, choice of color, font selection, images, and much more. While corporate or academic diploma certificates are formal, with subtle colors, other certificates can be colorful with background images and more creative font.
Using standard size for certificates is highly advisable as we should ensure they are printable. Hiring a professional proofreader or a creator is a better choice if you’re not that tech-savvy. But using online platforms for creating online badges and micro-credentials can save you a ton load of time and money.
