Creative tips and tricks

How to Create a Certificate in only 8 steps

Jan 12, 2024

You don't need to be an A-level student to know how good feeling it is to be recognized for all the work you've put in.

No matter if you're a author, teacher or coach and want to give students a feeling of achievement and pride through the creation of your own certificates.

No matter whether you're using an official certification course, a training program, or an informal mini-course, take the time to make a certificate to give your learners acknowledgement for how far they've come as well as the lessons they've learned along the route.

What's the best thing? The process of how to create a certificate is very simple due to the range of tools for making certificates available such as templates pre-built for you including content suggestion, images and much more.

This is how you can create a certificate in 8 simple steps. Plus, our top guidelines for designing certificates.

Follow along or skip ahead

5 common types of certificates

Not sure what types of certificates to develop for your students? Below are five of the most commonly used types of certificates and what they're to:

  1. Certificate of completion A certificate of completion indicates that the student has completed their education program or course. This includes having completed all required assignments and exercises.
  1. Certificate of achievement For the highest performing learners, a certificate of achievement demonstrates that the individual has reached an excellent level of competence in a particular ability, subject or field.
  1. Certificate of Participation: Provide your learners proof that they've completed a certain class or program of learning with a certificate of participation. This type of certificate is typically used to signify more informal education programs, specifically ones that don't have formal assessment.
  1. Certificate of Training: A certificate of training can be designed to recognize the conclusion of a course or training modules, including any assessments that are required.
  1. Skills certificates: If you want to offer your learners certificates to prove that they have developed specific skills or abilities through your program of learning You can make skills certificates listing the key skills learners have acquired.

You may choose to make one or more types of certificates, dependent on the program you are pursuing and the target market you are targeting.

Are you ready to know how to design an official certificate? Here's a breakdown of the 8 steps you need to follow in order to create your own certificate as well as how to transfer and distribute your completed certificate.

How do you create the certificate in only 8 steps

Define your target audience

You may want to design certificates for learners, customers or team members it is important to begin by identifying your audience.

Who do you give the certificates?

Define your target audience to understand the purpose of your certificates and make sure that your certificates deliver the overall goal.

These questions will assist you in your journey:

  1. Who is the person I am creating certificates for?
  2. What are my audience's key demographics? E.g. age range, location, education level
  3. Which are the biggest concerns and wants?
  4. What is a certificate for?
  5. What will the certificate be utilized?
  6. What types of certificates will they find most valuable?

Conduct audience research to learn more about the type of certificate your customers are looking for and which types of certifications they are most interested in and require.

If you're offering an educational program that is based on an interest - like cooking, art or even cooking classes Participants may prefer to receive a certificate of taking part to provide them with satisfaction and confidence.

Choose a certificate design platform

Today, the process for creating a certificate is quick and easy because of the wide variety of digital design software that are available. It is possible to create your own certificates using only a couple of taps, there is no need for design knowledge.

If you want to learn how to make a certificate, you need to start with a choice of a system that is suitable for your requirements. These are the top four options to make certificates.

  • Canva is one of the most popular platforms to create certificates is Canva. It's completely free to start and you can create your own certification easily by using their range of pre-made templates and intuitive editor, available on the internet or through the Canva application.
  • Adobe Express: Adobe Express is ideal for making your own certificates - choose from thousands of professionally-designed templates and get access to basic editing tools to customize your certificate using their free subscription.
  • VisaCreate Make use of VistaCreate's collection of more than 150K templates to discover your ideal certificate and customize the design to meet your requirements by using their vast array of unique tools.

You can also design your own certificates from scratch if you want to - it's much easier to make a certificate using the many options for design platforms available. Select the platform you want to use, log in and begin designing right away.

Modify your template

After you've decided on the design platform you want to use and also your template, you're now ready to design your certificate in a unique way. Here are some certificate design guidelines you should know:

Color

Make your own color scheme for your certificate so that it feels exactly like you do.

It's recommended to check for an excellent contrast between your background color and the text on your certificates. It is a good rule of thumb that the background should be lighter than the font's color in order for any text to be readable even from a distance. If you need to look up to read it then you must alter your background colors!

Formatting

When creating your certificate, you also want to focus on readability as well as simplicity. Make use of hierarchy and layout guidelines to make sure that the information is organized in your certificate.

Hierarchy: Hierarchy describes the arrangement of components on your certificate according to order of importance. The most important information should be highlighted by using larger font sizes such as bold or italic fonts, or by making it stand out in the most prominent place on the certificate such as at the top and center of the page.

Layout: Layout is the overall layout of your certificate, or the way you choose to arrange all the elements of the page. The layout must be balanced by leaving enough white space make sure your certificate doesn't seem crowded or overwhelming.

When designing your certificate, adhere to the instructions of the template, and then include your own details too. For a design that is cohesive and easy to read, consider three things to keep in focus:

  • Information related to groups together
  • Use lines and borders to divide distinct sections
  • Graphics can be added to increase an added visual appeal

A tip for you: Graphics can help to boost your certificate's design Be careful not to overwhelm the quantity of components on your page. Be aware that certificates should be easy to read at a glance.

Choose your fonts

Since your certificate is likely to predominantly text-based and your choice of font has an essential role in the design of the certificate.

If you're attracted to mix a variety of fonts together to make your certificates more visually appealing, you should be careful not to overcrowd your certificate or make it appear cluttered and confusing.

Below are 3 basic guidelines to remember in choosing fonts for your website:

  1. Easy-to-read: Fonts should be easy-to-read and suitable for the purpose that the document is issued in. Serif fonts are a more common choice for formal certificates. design, however you could also opt for contemporary or minimalist designs depending on your brand design aesthetic.
  2. Consistent: The font you choose is required to be consistent throughout the certificate. Avoid mixing too many different fonts as this can cause your text to be difficult to read.
  3. High contrast: To be sure that the text is easy to read, there should be strong contrast between the font and background. Black gray, dark grey or dark brown text on backgrounds with light colors are generally the best.

Be sure to keep these fundamental concepts in mind when making your certificate designs to be sure your designs are legible - and look good.

Add your branding

As well as designing your certificates, you can also add features that reflect your company's image. This makes your certificates more unique, as well as giving you the opportunity to promote your business and turn learners into brand advocates with every share and every post.

Every certificate has the potential to be a lead generator, so make your branding strong and easily recognizable. Here are a few simple methods to add your branding to your certificate:

  • Logo: Include your logo in your certificate design to make sure that people know who is the person who issued the certificate. This will also raise awareness about your company's name.
  • Brand colors: Match your certificates to your overall brand colours to ensure a greater consistency across all your brand assets.
  • Font: If you use a particular font or typeface for your brand, use this in your certificates in order to make your certificates stand out.
  • Your brand voice: Have you developed a strong brand voice? It is possible for customizing the certificates you use to make your content more interesting and add pizzazz. (More on this below)

Utilize your certificates to ensure that your name is top of mind for clients and create more prospects and interest to your company when your certificates are shared or displayed.

Fill in the content

When you've created your master design for your certificates, then you can fill in the content for your certificates.

The exact contents of your certificate is going to come depending on your own personal taste, there are some essential components to be included. Below are five crucial details you'll need:

  • Name of the award
  • Name of the recipient
  • Certificating institutions or organizations
  • Date of issue
  • Signature of an authentic signatory

It is also possible to add a short portion of text that describes what the certificate is recognizing, for example:

The recipient has displayed an unwavering work ethic as well as a desire to continuously improve. The dedication they show to their personal and professional growth, coupled with their exceptional accomplishments, have brought them this honor.

If you're trying for a way to commemorate a particular accomplishment or award, you can customize your content to explain the achievement of the awardee and why they're receiving the prize.

It is possible to customize the message for each person receiving it, or develop an overall template that you can be used across your certificates. If you're dealing with a large number of students, it's a good option to create a standard for your content so that you can automate the certification process, and decrease the time it takes to make and issue certificates.

Review and finalize your style

After you've personalized your certificate and added your contents, now it's time to go over and finish the design.

Ask for comments from the target market to assess whether your design best suits the requirements of their current customers. Change your certificate's style according to their feedback.

If you're only beginning your journey and don't have an an established business or audience in the meanwhile, solicit advice from family and friends too.

Save and distribute your certificate

Now you're all set to save your work and give your certificate to your learners.

If you only have a small number of learners, you can do this process manually using mail or direct messages - but if you want to expand your company and start issuing more certificates to more clients, it is necessary to streamline the process.

 Automate your certification workflow

Simply create your master certificate and transfer it to the desired platform. Utilize automation tools to modify your template for each person and immediately issue certificates once someone has completed all of the requirements for your course.

4 certificate design tips

You now know the steps to create a certificate, check out these 4 certificate design tips to help you create professional-quality designs that your learners will enjoy.

Don't clutter your design

When you're designing your certificates, make sure to make your designs minimal and clear. Make sure not to block out essential information with excessive details, images or images and make sure all fonts are legible.

The certificate you choose to use should be scannable and simple to read, so make sure you only include essential details and take a pared-back approach with your style. For a certificate that is both beautiful and professional, choose the theme you want to use and adhere to it.

Double check key details

If you would like your certificates to look professional and polished, double examine your certificate's content. Then, go over it for a second time to ensure a good quality.

Verify that all you have the correct information for example:

  • Spelling
  • Grammar
  • Recipient's name and title
  • Date and place
  • Modules or skills successfully completed

There's nothing worse than mistakes in spelling or grammar on your certificates. In case you are unsure, utilize a typing assistant like Grammarly to examine the work for errors.

Provide digital badges as well.

If you're interested in adding additional value to your learners provide digital badges as well as certificates after they've completed your course. They can be displayed and used online and can be more adaptable than traditional certificates.

If you can provide multiple formats, your learners will be more inclined to show off their credentials across multiple sources, including their social media, websites emails, footers for email and so on.

Ready to make a digital certificate?

It's simple to create a certificate and tailor the look to reflect your brand and your business. Follow these guidelines to design stunning, professional certificates that students will be proud to show off.

Use 's built-in certificate maker to design the perfect certificate in moments and streamline your certification process to streamline your workflow and celebrate greater achievements of learners with less effort.

Try for free today.