Why is an Artists Certificate of Authenticity Important?
Hello and welcome to another blog post! I thought I’d make these a regular occurrence as I quite enjoy writing them and it gives me a chance to keep you guys updated on what I have been up to! Today’s blog post will revolve around my Certificate of Authenticity, how I created it, and why. Just for a bit of background info on COA’s, a Certificate of Authenticity is a Certification to prove that the artwork you produce is entirely your own, original and can not be reproduced. It can state copyright and reproduction rights, and information such as your name, date of completion, the title of the artwork, medium, subject, whether it’s been mounted or framed and your own signature. I also offer a smaller Certificate of Authenticity for all my prints too, as I find this is very professional and validates that each print will be professionally printed to the highest standard, using archival pigment inks with lightfastness ratings of 100+ years. I can go into more detail about this in another blog post.
Creating a Certificate of Authenticity as an Artist
Why is it so important?
- It validates that your artwork is one-off and authentic.
- It stops your artwork from being reproduced without your permission.
- It’s personal to you and your brand.
- It’s a great way to showcase your professionalism and unique service of commissioned and original artwork.
- Buying art is a luxury, not a necessity - and so it's a great way to reassure your client that the artwork they are purchasing is authentic.
How I designed My COA
Before creating my own Certificates of Authenticity, I did a lot of research on templates and what important information I could include. I found that generally there wasn’t really a lot out there that could help me design wise, so I decided to make my own from scratch. I always have been one of those people that prefer one-off, handmade things - and so I knew making my own was the way to go. I have had experience with foiling my own calligraphy commissions in the past and have my own foiling machine, so I knew I’d like some sort of foil to feature on my Certificates as well as my own handwriting and calligraphy. Apart from the basic wording, I created this certificate entirely by hand, I even drew the border myself. (Call that what you will, I am a little perfectionist haha). I really enjoy putting my own spin on all the work I create, whether that’s digitally advertising my business or my actual drawings. I made my COA on Photoshop and used my IPad Pro and Apple Pencil to add my calligraphy and borders. You could also use pen and paper and scan it in too.
Branding
Branding is super important when it comes to your business. You want your clients to recognise your business through your branding colours and style, so make it unique to you and the service you provide. My branding colours are gold, cream, and green and that’s why I decided I wanted to feature gold foiling on my COA. If you’re like me, an artist who wants to create your Certificate from scratch, take an A4 piece of paper and have a brainstorm and really think about how you want to create your Certificate. What are your branding colours? Where could your logo go? Will you include a photo of your Artwork? I have seen a lot of artists do this. What size do you want it to be? What font is your favourite? Will you be making any other important information separately (e.g an Artwork Care Guide), and if so, how can you tie it together visually? I urge you to have a real think about how you make this Certificate unique to you and your brand, please do not copy other Artists’ designs. It’s great to be inspired, but it’s really important that you add your own little spin and make it your own. The body text you’ll find on a Certificate of Authenticity is generally the same for everyone - but visually is where you can take full reign as an artist and design it so it’s personal to you and your clients.
However, if you’re an artist who would like to get a COA with a more classic layout, like a fancy border and lines you can fill in without all the faff of making one yourself - there are some printing companies out there that can offer this service and the Certificates still look great and professional.
What text to include on your Certificate of Authenticity
I know this can be tricky, I remember trying to find a text template for my COA and they were so hard to find! This is the basic text that’s on my Certificate of Authenticity, which outlines all the information you need to display. Please feel free to copy and paste so you can use it on yours with your own information. Please remember it’s always important to hand sign your COA’s on each Certificate - don’t mass produce or print your own signature. You want each Certificate to be hand signed by yourself after you have completed the artwork. It’s worth mentioning too that you want your body text to be clear and readable. I opted for capital letters on mine, and try and use a font size that isn’t too small, so it can be read by all ages universally. I promise you it isn’t as scary as you think! Your COA can be anything you want it to be, any layout, colour, portrait, landscape - as long as it displays the appropriate text the world is your oyster when it comes to designing it.
Body text you could include
“This Certificate of Authenticity certifies that this artwork, is a one of a kind, authentic, original artwork created by the Artist ______________. All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by the Artist. The Artist can be contacted by Email: ______________ or Website: ________________”
Text to fill in on your certificate
Name of Artist:
Date Completed:
Surface:
Medium:
Mount and Frame:
Size:
Title:
Thank you for reading!
I hope you found this blog helpful and I didn’t waffle on too much. If you have any more questions please feel free to comment below and I’d be happy to answer them. We all have to support eachother as Artists! Have a great day whatever you’re up to and thank you for reading! Molly Jay x