How to Design a Coat of Arms & Shield

Many famous coats of arms are located in ancient architecture.

Designing your family crest requires much thought and consideration as to what traits and qualities your clan possesses and values most. A coat of arms consists of symbolic animals and banners surrounding the central shield. You can use a variety of mediums to design a coat of arms including traditional paint and canvas or the more modern graphic design approach. Whatever medium you choose, your crest will act as a representation of who you are and what your family stands for.

Instructions

1. Design two ribbon-like banners that will be located at the top and bottom of the crest. You might choose to put your family surname in the center of the bottommost banner.

2. Draw a symbolic animal that represents your family. The animal should be placed above the center of the top banner. Different animals have different meanings and values; for example, a canine represents loyalty whereas a camel represents perseverance. Choose an animal that best represents what your family traits are.

3. Draw the outline of your shield in between the two banners. The shield can be broken up into different fields and in each field you can add a symbol or a color. The shield is the central focus of any coat of arms, so you should use symbols that represent the values and attributes you admire and think your family possesses. The color scheme of your shield is also important as different colors have symbolic meaning. Yellow and gold is generosity, blue represents loyalty and truthfulness and red represents military fortitude.

4. Choose two animals that will act as shield "supporters" on either side of the shield. These two animals should be drawn facing each other and appear to be holding up the shield. One popular choice is to use two lions, which represent courage, standing on either side of the shield.

5. Draw an intricate bottom mantle, which is a filigree-style design underneath the name-bearing banner. This mantle should have a heavy, powerful design and will hold the entire crest together.

References

• The Tree Maker: Design Your Own Coat of Arms
• Storyboard Toys: Design Your Own Coat of Arms