What Do You Think Of This Commem Edu-Series?

Overall, I like it. The colors and layout are nice. I didn't notice at first but having the big red star where Gettysburg actually is, is a cool touch.

A couple of nits:
* The year of minting is 1936 (it's below the flags on the reverse)
* I might make the border of the state a little bolder. In future images, the contrast between the state and battle scene (in this case) may not be strong enough.
* Please be more descriptive with the subject of the post. When I come back tomorrow, I'm not going to remember what this thread is about and whether the topic actually interested me enough to click it again.

See, I learn something new every day. Perhaps that should be added as a note to the image? I was trying to think of things to add (like the designer/engraver for each side if they were different) but then it starts to feel too much like a template.

But that does call out what this image is missing: Blocks of text to present background information (whether for the theme or the coin itself) instead of just bullet points.

I like the star being red, as in "bloody". It could be smaller and less bright, but keep the red.

Nice and creative! Well done!

How do you intend on using them? As part of a web site? Printed out and used in an exhibit on commemoratives at a coin show?

The star marking Gettysburg is a nice touch, but its meaning will be lost on many viewers (IMO) as they will not be familiar with the town's location within Pennsylvania. You might consider decreasing the size of the star and including "Gettysburg" next to it for identification.

You might also consider using blue and gray for your background colors vs. light blue and yellow; I think it would tie in the Civil War theme nicely.

Awesome responses guys/gals!

I'm not a Photoshop expert, so each one of these takes me a number of hours, and making changes can be a real challenge, but I can play around a bit with it.

I see you guys figured out the '1937 vs 1936 yourselves, so I'll skip that.

The state's border - The images for the state's outline (I found the states/countries/counties I need) are from map sites, and I didn't draw them out. I'll see if I can darken/thicken it, but don't get your hopes up.

The star probably could be smaller, and (maybe) label it as Gettysburg, so I'll play around with that a little, and see how it goes.

The colors I used for the PA background/fill are the unofficial state colors of Pennsylvania. The 'gold' turned into more of a pale yellow when I decreased the opacity, so maybe I can tweak that a bit.

As for what I'm doing with these.... I dunno. In an ideal world, they would be handed out at coin shows and shops to YN's (or anyone interested in the series), in hopes of re-kindling the interest in the series. These wouldn't be money-makers (or at least I can't see how they would be), and to print these could get expensive. I think I'll do them on 8.5"x11" as a tri-fold, and see how they go. The example above would be the inside graphic. Front fold would be smaller versions of the coin with title, one flap would be more historical details on the coin and the event that prompted the coin, and the back would just be something simple (maybe space for advertising?.... hmmmm...) with my info and any credits.

The reason for my question about how you planned to use your cards...

Back in 2012, I put together an exhibit of US commemorative coins with a Civil War theme. For each coin, I created an info card on which to display it.

I'm not trying to hijack your thread, but I thought you might like to see another approach to an "Edu-Card." It's certainly not as artistic as yours, but then I've never claimed to be an artist!

I think between the two of you an exhibit could be created that gets an award. So possibly collaborate and see if something spectacular comes from it. I like both the styles and approaches. A series of these informational cards, brochures, or pamphlets could pique a current collectors interest in a new series, or be the hook to bring some new people into the hobby. Really great potential.

Beefer, nice design as well!

For anyone wondering about the * on just who designed this coin, it is somewhat of a mystery. For those interested, here's a link to an article that appeared in Coin Week a few years ago that delves a bit deeper into the birth of this coin.