Class Crest Maker for Yearbooks, Shirts and Reunions

Where the class crest comes from

The idea of a crest that belongs to one graduating class, rather than to the whole school, has a long history in the United States. According to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, it was the first school to use rings as a class symbol, starting with the Class of 1835. Since the Class of 1917, each West Point ring has carried the academy's crest on one side and the class's own crest on the other, and every class since 1835 has chosen its own motto to be part of that crest. The first class picked "Danger Brings Forth Friendship".

That split is a useful way to think about any class crest. The school already has its emblem. The class crest is about the people who went through it together: the year, the friendships and a line that sums up how it felt.

Designing a crest your whole class will wear

Put the year where everyone sees it

The class year is the one thing every member shares, so make it the name or the motto. "Class of 2027" across the top is clear and lasts; a school name plus "Seniors 2027" works too. Names in Crest Studio can be up to 40 characters, and mottos up to 48.

Choose an emblem for what the class is about

• Laurel: the old symbol of victory and achievement, a natural fit for finishing school.
• Star: heralds call it a mullet. It suits a class that aims high, and pairs well with the Latin motto Per aspera ad astra ("through hardships to the stars").
• Flame or book: learning and ideas, good for a whole graduating class or an honor society.
• Mountain or compass: the road ahead, for a class heading off in every direction.
• Key: a class that is opening the next door, and a nice choice for a reunion crest.
• Your mascot's cousin: if the school team is the Lions, Eagles, Wolves or Bears, the matching beast gives the crest an instant connection. See the lion coat of arms guide for poses.

Colors that print well

Start from the school colors and pair a color (red, blue, green, purple or black) with gold or silver for the emblem. That is heraldry's rule of tincture, a metal on a color, and it also keeps the crest readable on a dark hoodie or a yearbook page. If the school colors are two colors with no metal, use one as the field and gold or silver for the emblem.

A motto that sounds like your class

Latin gives a crest a formal ring: Fiat lux ("let there be light") and Per aspera ad astra are both long-used Latin mottos, and the Latin motto generator has more with translations. An English motto with a class in-joke is often the one people remember at the ten-year reunion.

Make your own, do not borrow

School and university crests and mascots usually belong to the school, and many are trademarks. Design an original class crest with your own year, colors and emblem, and if the crest will go on official school merchandise or in the yearbook, check with your adviser about the school's brand rules first.

Getting everyone to agree

Choosing one design for a whole class is the hard part. A simple way to run it:

1. Collect a few designs. Ask the class council or yearbook team to each make one in the studio. It is free and takes no account.
2. Share the links. Click "Copy link to my design" and paste it into the class group chat. Anyone who opens it sees the exact crest, and can change it to suggest a version of their own.
3. Vote, then buy once. Only the final design needs to be downloaded.

Files for the yearbook, shirts and reunions

• Yearbook pages: yearbook printers generally ask for images at 300 dots per inch at the size they will print. The $9 set's 4000 by 5000 px print file is about 13 by 16 inches at that resolution, far more than any yearbook page needs, and the SVG scales to any size.
• Class shirts and hoodies: screen printers and embroiderers almost always want vector art, which is the SVG in the $9 set. For a small chest print, the $29 Crest Logo Kit adds a shield-only mark without the ribbon, which stays readable at small sizes.
• Banners and graduation signs: the SVG prints sharp at banner size.
• Group chats and socials: the square 1080 px profile picture in the $9 set fits most apps.
• Rings and seals: if you want the crest engraved, a single bold emblem works best. The signet ring crest guide explains what engravers need.
• Reunions: keep the files. The same crest on the five, ten and twenty-year reunion invitations is a small thing people notice. An alumni group that wants its own crest can follow the club crest guide.

Design your class crest

More free heraldry tools