Historically, customizing badges, seals, and banners on certificates was a challenge. Predetermined text was baked directly into the clip art assets, leaving you stuck with pre-made templates that couldn’t be edited. If you wanted to change the text, year, or font, you had to settle for a completely different design.

With the release of Certificate Creator v5.0.4, we’ve introduced the brand-new Curved Text feature! Now, you have the ultimate creative freedom to curve your text up, down, or entirely around a circle. In this tutorial, we will walk you through how to recreate a custom Father’s Day badge from scratch using blank templates, custom text paths, and alignment settings.

Step-by-Step: Wrapping Text Around a Circle

Follow these simple steps to build your own custom certificate seal with circular text.

1. Add and Position the Blank Badge Template

Start by opening a blank canvas. Instead of using a pre-baked badge, we’ll build our design from a blank template.

  1. Go to the sidebar and click Add.
  2. Find the scalloped badge blank (a clean seal graphic without any pre-baked text or icons).
  3. Click to add it to your canvas, and drag it to the center.
  4. Click the lock icon to lock the badge blank in place so it doesn’t shift while you work.

2. Add Your Custom Text & Apply the Circle Path

Next, let’s add the text that will wrap around the top of the badge.

  1. Click Add Text in the top menu bar.
  2. Double-click the text box (or press Command + A / Control + A to select all) and type HAPPY FATHER'S DAY.
  3. Set the font to Source Sans Pro, make it Bold, and change the size to 12.
  4. In the property panel on the right, find the Path Style Type dropdown and select Circle.

3. Adjust Circle Radius and Start Angle

Once Circle mode is enabled, new sliders for Circle Radius and Start Angle Offset will appear:

  • Circle Radius: This controls the size of the imaginary circular path. Slide this down to shrink the circle path until the text hugs the outer border of the badge.
  • Start Angle Offset: This controls where the text begins. Adjust this slider to rotate the text. Eyeball it so the start and end of the text (like the “H” and “Y”) sit on the same horizontal plane at the top of the badge.
  • Center the text element on the canvas to align it perfectly with the locked badge.

Pro Tip: Set the opacity of the text to 60% to match the design style of the background badge template and blend the assets together seamlessly.

4. Insert Central Icon and Duplicated Elements

Now let’s add the decorative elements inside the seal:

  1. Go to Object → Add Circle to create a small dot element.
  2. Resize the circle to fit as a divider next to the text.
  3. Position it on the left side of the badge. Set its opacity to 60%.
  4. Rather than creating a second circle and guessing the size, select the first circle and go to Object → Duplicate.
  5. Use your keyboard arrow keys to slide the duplicated dot over to the right side of the badge.
  6. Select both dots and click the Align Tops button in the alignment menu.
  7. Go to Add and search for the cross grilling utensils clip art. Add it, scale it down, center it, and set the opacity to 60%.

Pro Tip: Use the keyboard arrow keys to nudge elements 1 pixel at a time. Hold Shift + Arrow Key to move elements in 10-pixel increments.

5. Flip Text to the Inside of the Circle

To finish the seal, we want to place a custom year or date along the bottom edge of the badge, curving upward.

  1. Duplicate your top text element (HAPPY FATHER'S DAY).
  2. In the right-hand panel, use the Text Content field to change the text to MAY 2026. This field makes editing curved text much easier than double-clicking directly on the path.
  3. Change the path direction from Outside to Inside. This flips the text so it follows the inner curve of the circle instead of wrapping upside down.
  4. Adjust the Start Angle Offset until the text is perfectly centered along the bottom curve.

When to Use Circle vs. Arc Mode

The Curved Text feature supports two primary modes. Here is how they compare:

Feature/Use CaseCircle ModeArc Mode
Path ShapeFull 360° circleGentle arch or banner contour
Best ForSeals, badges, round stamps, coinsRibbon banners, curved headlines, shields
Key SettingsRadius, Start Angle, Inside/Outside alignmentArc strength, vertical displacement
Companion GuideThis tutorialArch Text on Banners & Ribbons

Get Creative with Custom Badges

Recreating pre-built badges using blank templates opens up endless possibilities. You are no longer locked into preset holidays, spelling variants, or years. You can take this exact template layout and swap out the text for “Teacher of the Year”, “Sales Champion”, or “Best Mom Ever” in seconds.

Open the Designer →

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