How do I design a family shield?

Design a shield or coat of arms that defines your family. This simple process takes only some creativity, a little thought and a few minutes.

1. Plan your shield

   Plan your shield by making a list of the characteristics in your family. Consider interests, occupations or symbols with special meaning. Choose from shield symbols that indicate different occupations and meaningful colors.

2. Choose a shape

   Choose a shield shape that suits your family. There are multiple layout possibilities. Some layouts have one large section; others have two or more. Choose as many sections as you want.

3. Choose colors

   Select background colors for the different sections of the shield. Different colors have different meanings. For instance, gold symbolizes generosity, silver symbolizes peace, red symbolizes strength and blue symbolizes truth. Some sections have drops of another color against the background color. These drops also have meanings: for example, blue symbolizes tears, and red symbolizes blood.

4. Choose charges

   Choose charges, which are the small designs or symbols that fit into the separate sections. These charges include tools, weapons, animals, monsters, flowers, trees, birds, fish and household items that correspond to occupations or ambitions. You can also choose to have a series of small symbols bracket your shield.