How to Make Automated Personalized Certificates

You want to make your recipient feel special. To let them know that they’re seen and heard and that they accomplish something truly unique. Personalized certificates are a great way to achieve this.

But the key to making personalized certificates truly extraordinary lies in the power of automation. The certification automation streamlines the creation process and makes it painless.

We’ll show you how you can finally create DIY certificates so that you won’t be grounded for the next few days.

What is the role of automation in personalized certificates?

In a nutshell: automation of your certification process allows you to generate and send even thousands of unique certificates in a matter of few clicks. This minimizes both – the time spent on each certificate and the risk of making any error.

Is it difficult to automate personalized certificates?

No, you don't have to struggle with automating the certification process (if you use the right tool for that).

Otherwise, as we said, certificates can even anchor you for a couple of days. Crafting beautiful certificates manually, without the aid of suitable software, could turn into a significantly time-intensive task. You have to design the theme of the certificate design, then, one by one, enter each recipient’s data. In the end, you still have to send dozens of the same emails. But this doesn't have to be your case.

What is Certifier in this whole story?

Certifier is the digital certificate maker that provides comprehensive features for certification – from creation to management. And there will be nothing surprising about it, except for the fact that it allows its users to create personalized certificates in a matter of a few minutes. 

(We heard that the best ones do it in 5 minutes).

Certifier is this knight on the white horse with a map in his hand. It will keep you from getting into trouble and streamline the certification process for you.

• Choose its expert-designed certificate templates

• Put your own stamp on editable certificates

• Generate even thousands of certificates at once

• Send personalized certificates with a one-click

• Check the status of your certificate

Do you want to get into details?

7 steps to make automated personalized certificates

The steps you are about to take soon are the fastest way to create personalized certificates. Are you ready to see the automation features in action? (Fasten your seatbelt!)

Step 1: Sign up to Certfier to create a personalized certificate

Log into your Certifier account to get access to the super handy certificate editor with which it all begins. You can also connect your Google account to make logging even easier.

It costs you nothing to sign up for Certifier. Up to 250 certificates, you can use this certificate creator totally for free (mass generation, sending, and hundreds of certificate templates included!). Your email address and password are all you need to do it.

Step 2: Choose a ready-made certificate template (or certificate from scratch)

Go to Designs and click Create Design button. Choose Certificates from the list.

Now comes the fun part. You can unleash your creativity. Choose from hundreds of expert-designed Certifier templates – all of them are fully customized to suit your branding needs. If you still prefer to create something on your own, just start from scratch.

In Certifier drag and drop certificate builder, you have many editing options, such as adding your own elements. So if you want to include your own background, logo, or any other graphic element that comes to your mind – you can do that just by clicking Elements > Upload Image.

Step 3: Add dynamic attributes to create personalised certificates automatically

In the Certifier editor, there is a special tab called Attributes. This name hides the true power of automation that enables you to personalize certificates for each recipient.

Dynamic attributes in certificate templates are like fill-in-the-blank spots. They let you put in different information every time you use the template. If you have a spot labeled [recipient.name], when you make a certificate, Certifier replaces that with the real name of the person getting it. This way, you can use one template to make lots of personalized certificates at once.

You can also add your own custom attributes and manage them all from one single dashboard.

Have you already added dynamic elements? Save your beautiful certificate design!

Step 4: Set up a group

The Certifier allows you to organize your certificates and recipients into groups. If you have to handle multiple different certificates at once, it makes the workflow much easier.

Go to the Groups tab and click Create Group. Specify whether the certificate should expire after a certain period of time. Choose the certificate design and email template you want to send your recipients (if you have paid plan, you can change the email template design and its branding in the Emails tab).

Step 5: Make a list of recipients

Before sending your certificate, you should clean up the recipient list. Have you already put all the recipients' data in a spreadsheet? (Excel or Google Sheets work best here).

Why is it so necessary? In this case, you won't be able to take advantage of all of the automation potential. Having this file to export all the data will help you minimize the manual work as much as possible.

How to prepare a list of recipients for the certification process? 

Create a CSV file with 2 columns:

• Participants' names in one

• Email addresses in the other

Go to the Credentials tab and click the blue button on the top right, “Issue Certificates or Badges.” 

Choose the Group name and the option to add certificates via spreadsheet upload. Select the file to pull over the recipient data.

Step 6: Preview and check the certificate details

Automation of the certification process minimizes the risk of making any errors. Certifier offers a preview option to ensure that all certificates have been generated correctly.

After uploading the recipients’ data, in the top right corner of your screen, you will see the option that says "Preview Before Publishing." Click it to approve all the credentials and email. The process is pretty straightforward – you can easily check all certificates in one go.

Step 7: Send personalized certificates in bulk

Now your custom certificates are ready to be sent! On the Credentials tab, select all the recipients you wish to send certificates.

What’s more, this dashboard allows you to track all certificates status from one place and see whether:

• Email was bounced and needs to be resent

• Email was delivered

• Email was opened

• Email engagement

• And if the recipient shared the credential on LinkedIn

Adjust these design elements to create custom-made gift certificates

To make our guide complete, we cannot leave you without some tips about certificate design. If you want your recipients to receive the best custom certificates they've ever been awarded, you need to follow a few simple rules.

Certificate background

First off, let's talk about the background of your certificate. It's not just a blank canvas but a stage where all other elements perform. Rather than settling for a standard white background color, consider mixing it up with patterns or subtle gradients that align with your brand. Play around with a variety to achieve a unique blend of aesthetics and brand representation.

Branding color themes of certificate design

Don't shy away from experimenting with your brand's color palette to evoke the right emotions. Your color scheme should resonate with your brand personality. Whether it's the calming blues of a spa certificate or the vibrant reds of a foodie voucher, colors can truly set the mood.

Your own company logo

Your logo – the face of your brand – deserves a prime spot on the certificate. Think of unique ways to present it. Maybe it's subtly watermarked in the background, or perhaps it takes center stage. You could even play around with its size and orientation. The point is to make it stand out without overshadowing the other certificate details.

Branded fonts

Beautiful fonts have personalities, too – and the right one can truly elevate the look of your certificate. Remember, consistency with your brand image is critical. If your brand vibe is formal and elegant, stick to a script font. Meanwhile, a modern brand might require a clean, sans-serif font. Size matters, too – check that your text is readable yet doesn't dominate your certificate's design.

Custom size certificates (and shape)

When choosing the dimensions of your certificate design template, consider the final presentation – whether it's meant to be framed or kept in a wallet (possibly?). Also, take into account whether you need to prepare certificates for print. Then, you should follow some rules to cover all the details required to print your certificates professionally. Certifier also offers two typical certificate sizes and orientations to choose from, its built-in editor: A4/US Letter and vertical/horizontal.

QR code

Last but not least – consider adding a QR code. It's more than just a cool digital element – it’s a gateway to extended interaction. It could link to a personalized thank you message, more details about the certificate, or even an unexpected bonus. QR codes are easy to implement with Certifier (great for adding an additional layer of verification). Be clever with its placement, though, so it doesn’t disrupt your favorite certificate design.

> Learn how you can add QR codes to your certificates and make them even more personalized: How to Create a Certificate With a QR Code (and Why Do It!)

Automation of personalized gift certificates at your fingertips

This is just a quick wrap-up of what you got to know today.

• Automation can help minimize the time, effort, and risk spent on creating personalized certificates.

• It takes 6 simple steps to set up certification and automate the process of its creation.

• To provide truly unique personalized certificates, experiment with such elements as certificate background, theme of certificate design, logo, fonts, size, and shape – and don’t forget to add QR codes.

• Certifier is the easiest and the best certificate generator that provides convenient features, simplifying the certification management and creation process to the maximum. Sign up to experience its true power (it’s free!).

If you take care of all of these areas – good job! You are taking full advantage of automated personalized certificates.