Free Modern editorial
Gallery Minimal certificate of authenticity template
Contemporary art and photography
Contour modern art certificate template
Three expressive contour sweeps, a quiet serif heading and organic asymmetry.
Studio design, free during launch Modern organic
Use this template
Portrait by default, with a landscape version for wide works. No account needed until you download.
Sample: contemporary abstract original. Front with a photo, behind without.
Contour with a photo and without
The photo sits in a clear area of its own and the sweeps curve around it: beside the text on landscape pages, under the heading on portrait pages. Portrait and landscape photos both work and are shown whole. Without a photo, the artwork title becomes the large display line and the sweeps swing into the open space beside the text.
Shown in Sage with a sample painting.
What it suits
Best for: Contemporary and abstract original work.
Contour is modern but soft. Three bold sweeps flow down the page and curve around the photo and the text, so the certificate has movement without hard geometry. It sits well beside abstract painting, textiles and ceramics.
Three bold contour sweeps run down the page with families of fine contour lines beside them, like the lines on a map. The sweeps bend away from the heading, photo and text, giving an organic, asymmetric page with a quiet serif heading.
Organic abstracts, textile art, ceramics and independent artists who want something modern but soft.
More on certificates for original artwork, and the wording to put on a certificate.
Tip: Contour has the most open space of the modern designs, so a longer statement still looks calm. Describe the work in a sentence if a title alone does not identify it.
Sizes, colors and finishes
Contour comes in 3 paper sizes and 4 colorways. Every color below opens the editor in that variant; switching later keeps your text and edition.
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Sand and gold : open Contour in the editor in Sand and gold - Sage : open Contour in the editor in Sage
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Dusk blue : open Contour in the editor in Dusk blue -
Terracotta : open Contour in the editor in Terracotta
Sizes
- US Letter 8.5 × 11 in Portrait (default) or landscape
- A4 210 × 297 mm Portrait (default) or landscape
- A5 148 × 210 mm Portrait (default) or landscape
A5 is composed on its own rather than shrunk, so the type stays readable.
Finishes
Preview the metallic areas in gold, silver or no metallic (the design's ink color). The colorways pair with gold or silver by default, and you can switch.
Low ink keeps heavy fills and grounds off the page for home printers.
Downloads
Vector PDF with embedded fonts, PNG or JPEG, an SVG file, and the foil artwork for printer review. All free during launch, with a free account at download.
Design version 3. Reprints of an issued certificate keep the version they were issued with.
How the foil version differs
Only the three bold sweeps are foil: thick, well-spaced lines that end inside the page edge. The fine contour lines print in ordinary ink, and no text or photo is ever foiled.
Foil artwork for printer review. The download is a ZIP with the full artwork, the ordinary-ink artwork and the foil layer as separate PDFs on the same page size and bleed, plus a preview and a plain-English note for your printer. Your printer confirms the foil, the paper and the tolerances before anything is made. Read how the foil files work.
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Frequently asked questions
What sizes does Contour come in?
US Letter, A4 and a separately composed A5. The A5 layout is redrawn rather than shrunk, so the type stays readable.
Can I use Contour without a photo?
Yes. The sweeps frame an enlarged title and statement. Nothing is left as an empty box.
Is Contour free?
Yes, during launch. Later it will be one of the eight Studio designs; Gallery Minimal and Edition Rosette stay free forever. See what Studio will include.
Does Contour suit landscape paintings?
Yes. The clear area takes portrait or landscape photos without cropping, and the contours stay clear of the image.