Chip design and where to have them made (1 Viewer)

[GamingWithChips]

Hey guys,

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while but finally found some creative juices to start.

Long story short, I’ve wanted to design some of my own chips, and I love chips—potato chips that is I also love golf (also involves chipping…if you wanted the lore behind all of this lol), so I wanted to incorporate the two into a custom design.

Last night I started drawing. My first inspiration came from a black chip with an orange triangle edge spot and I thought of a Dorito, specifically my favourite Dorito, Sweet Chili Heat! The rest is history…

Here’s a little board I did:

Each chip is based off of some of my favourite chips and flavours (and yes, I’m Canadian).

The top row, A, was what I originally created, then the lower ones came after. I was going to do edge spots in pairs of two (small demons, med, large) but then I started thinking about having individual designs for each chip (that’s the path of the little red arrows connecting them (and my temporary favourites of each individual design).

TLDR: I drew some designs of my own chips and the reason for this post is to welcome some input from anyone who would like to give it. Thoughts, ideas, criticism etc. Of the Rows and Columns, any combinations you like? And changes you’d make? Also feel free to post your own napkin drawings of sets you’d like to have made.

Lastly, where do you think I should have these made? I made some quick mockups on CPC, but they don’t have all of the edge spots I’d love to have and their colours don’t match what I’m looking for, in this case, colour accuracy is the most important thing for me as the set won’t work otherwise.

Thank you to anyone in advance!

Chips

 

[Josh Kifer]

CPC if you want clay, Tina's if you don't mind plastics and want them true to the proofs. From how it sounds, you'd want Tina's. Cheaper, but plastic with no real resale value (if that's an issue)

Good job playing with it and finding something you love tho.

 

[GamingWithChips]

CPC if you want clay, Tina's if you don't mind plastics and want them true to the proofs. From how it sounds, you'd want Tina's. Cheaper, but plastic with no real resale value (if that's an issue)

Good job playing with it and finding something you love tho.

Ya, cheaper is better for me, ha. I’ve heard of Tina’s but I thought it was like a group buy type of thing? Do they do small batch custom orders that you know of? Otherwise, I was also looking at BR Pro Poker but I don’t love how the chips have no indentation, no texture like a “real” poker chip, they are just flat. I like them for bounty chips and plaques, but ideally I’d have some good looking and decent feeling custom chips.

 

[Cratty]

Nice avatar, have debated in the past making a Zombies Ate My Neighbors set.

Tina for sure takes custom/small batch orders, just need to pay a $80 label fee.. Justin helps run the group buys monthly.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...n-tangiers-november-2025.136777/#post-2787395

 

[Josh Kifer]

Ya, cheaper is better for me, ha. I’ve heard of Tina’s but I thought it was like a group buy type of thing? Do they do small batch custom orders that you know of? Otherwise, I was also looking at BR Pro Poker but I don’t love how the chips have no indentation, no texture like a “real” poker chip, they are just flat. I like them for bounty chips and plaques, but ideally I’d have some good looking and decent feeling custom chips.

Go speak with @justincarothers and tell him I sent you. It won't mean anything. But they say that in movies and it sounds good.

 

[GamingWithChips]

Nice avatar, have debated in the past making a Zombies Ate My Neighbors set.

Tina for sure takes custom/small batch orders, just need to pay a $80 label fee.. Justin helps run the group buys monthly.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...n-tangiers-november-2025.136777/#post-2787395

One of my favourite games as a kid, and funny enough I was planning on ripping off this DDLM plaque having Zeke and Julie and a zombie or mummy maybe lol, but a full set would be sweet!

Thanks for the info!

 

[BigGrizz]

All of your edge spots are possible in the paulson chip designer on the home page. Have fun.

When you know what you want you'll need to put it in the right format for printing. There are artists here who will help you for very reasonable prices. I just worked with @Okku and he was fantastic. Highly recommend.

 

[GamingWithChips]

All of your edge spots are possible in the paulson chip designer on the home page. Have fun.

When you know what you want you'll need to but it in the right formt for printing. There are artists here who will help you for very reasonable prices. I just worked with @Okku and he was fantastic. Highly recommend.

I’ll check that out, thanks!

 

[BigGrizz]

If you use the paulson designer, also use the paulson color reference page. Not all the colors are very accurate but the reference page is (at least as much as can be via a screen). Also the more neonish colors like blaze orange cant be reproduced by tina (or any printer) but you can still get rich vivid colors.

 

[Gus]

Based on your mockups you've got a good sense for design. Like mentioned above, there's some folks here like @Okku who could formalize what you've got and possibly place a direct order with Tina. Assurances around color are a big deal - what it looks like on your screen vs what comes out of the factory - so working with a chip designer greatly boosts your chances of getting the final product to look right!

 

[GamingWithChips]

Thank you! And yes, I would definitely need someone to guide me on colours and making actual templates to be created

 

[BigGrizz]

Same here. I have zero skill with illustrator (and dont own it) so I had to contract that out. Very interested in learning now. The artists here can also help with inlay designs as well.

 

[Josh Kifer]

Based on your mockups you've got a good sense for design. Like mentioned above, there's some folks here like @Okku who could formalize what you've got and possibly place a direct order with Tina. Assurances around color are a big deal - what it looks like on your screen vs what comes out of the factory - so working with a chip designer greatly boosts your chances of getting the final product to look right!

Go this route. Both good people.

 

[ekricket]

Go speak with @justincarothers and tell him I sent you. It won't mean anything. But they say that in movies and it sounds good.

 

[Josh Kifer]

View attachment 1577009

Well. I mean. Yeah. It is. But. Periods.

 

[Colquhoun]

I had re-created the Dunes art for a dealer button a while back, so I used it to make a mockup. I fiddled with some text to make it look similar to the Dunes logo, but it could always be refined further:

 

[GamingWithChips]

I had re-created the Dunes art for a dealer button a while back, so I used it to make a mockup. I fiddled with some text to make it look similar to the Dunes logo, but it could always be refined further:
View attachment 1577027

Cool, thank you! Is that chip build from the Paulson tool? I’ll have to try that today

 

[Colquhoun]

Cool, thank you! Is that chip build from the Paulson tool? I’ll have to try that today

No, this was done in Adobe Illustrator, but there’s other vector-based software that can produce similar files. The Paulson tool is perfect for looking at mock-ups but won’t make print-ready art. Were you planning on setting the art up?

 

[GamingWithChips]

No, this was done in Adobe Illustrator, but there’s other vector-based software that can produce similar files. The Paulson tool is perfect for looking at mock-ups but won’t make print-ready art. Were you planning on setting the art up?

I was hoping the mockups I’ve seen were built using those chip builder tools, that way I can just click a few buttons and have them built haha, but it seems that’s not how it’s done.

I don’t have the programs or knowledge/skill to actually create the files lol, I’m sure I could figure it out but would probably take a lot longer than it should. I guess I’m hoping to have someone assist me in doing the artwork files to then make an order.

 

[SteveEH]

What a great theme for your set!

If cheaper is the budget, you want Tina hybrids for sure. As others have said, talk to Justin, get in on a group buy, or pay more to have them delivered sooner.

@Colquhoun has done a lot of art for casino tributes and figured he'd have something you can build on.

 

[Colquhoun]

I was hoping the mockups I’ve seen were built using those chip builder tools, that way I can just click a few buttons and have them built haha, but it seems that’s not how it’s done.

I don’t have the programs or knowledge/skill to actually create the files lol, I’m sure I could figure it out but would probably take a lot longer than it should. I guess I’m hoping to have someone assist me in doing the artwork files to then make an order.

PM sent

 

[GamingWithChips]

WIP Update (if anyone was at all curious lmao). I know I enjoy seeing others WIP and seeing how they develop into the final version, so hopefully someone can enjoy seeing mine.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and drawing and going back and forth on what I like or don’t like. You’ll see below that some of the chips are the same, some different and some new.

Because I was having fun thinking of ideas and drawing chips and seeing what colors and patterns I liked best I decided to draw a “full” tournament set and a cash set.

As a few have recommended I am working with @Okku to make my drawings into the files needed for printing. You’ll also see in my inlay I took some inspiration from @Colquhoun ‘s example (mainly just the gradient, I really liked that idea and expanded on it). But I’ve also taken some inspiration from an interpretation of it that Okku made me (ie the sand in front of the green).

The original inlay has that indent in the green to make room for the letter “D” in “Dunes”, and it also has that water or river in front. A lot of golf courses in my area don’t have that much water so I wanted to get rid of that and make it feel more like a “Canadian” golf course with the trees not being palms (still undecided on which set of trees I like). For the indent I put a little bunker in front of the green where the word “The” will sit for “The Chip Club”.

Still a work in progress and a little ways to go but I feel like I like what I have and it’s getting closer to what I was imagining.

 

[Colquhoun]

WIP Update (if anyone was at all curious lmao). I know I enjoy seeing others WIP and seeing how they develop into the final version, so hopefully someone can enjoy seeing mine.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and drawing and going back and forth on what I like or don’t like. You’ll see below that some of the chips are the same, some different and some new.

Because I was having fun thinking of ideas and drawing chips and seeing what colors and patterns I liked best I decided to draw a “full” tournament set and a cash set.

View attachment 1585698

As a few have recommended I am working with @Okku to make my drawings into the files needed for printing. You’ll also see in my inlay I took some inspiration from @Colquhoun ‘s example (mainly just the gradient, I really liked that idea and expanded on it). But I’ve also taken some inspiration from an interpretation of it that Okku made me (ie the sand in front of the green).

The original inlay has that indent in the green to make room for the letter “D” in “Dunes”, and it also has that water or river in front. A lot of golf courses in my area don’t have that much water so I wanted to get rid of that and make it feel more like a “Canadian” golf course with the trees not being palms (still undecided on which set of trees I like). For the indent I put a little bunker in front of the green where the word “The” will sit for “The Chip Club”.

Still a work in progress and a little ways to go but I feel like I like what I have and it’s getting closer to what I was imagining.

Looks very nice!
I'm curious why so many different denominations for a cash game? You could accomplish both with just 5c, 25c, $1, $5, $20, $100

For the tournament setup, you may want to differerentiate the label slightly, as it seems the colors of the T5, T25, and T100 are exact or similar to the cash.
Maybe make the tournament a sunset image or something?

 

[GamingWithChips]

Looks very nice!
I'm curious why so many different denominations for a cash game? You could accomplish both with just 5c, 25c, $1, $5, $20, $100

I am contemplating having a $0.10 base cash set (top set in the picture) instead of a standard one. People don’t like that idea lol

But it’s just for my small group of friends who play poker. I might in the end just buy a tournament set, thinking of doing both a T5 and T500 for some variety and an excuse to use all chip designs, but I’m undecided as of yet.

 

[DrunkleWade]

I like the bunker sand option in lieu of the water hazard and the pines instead of the palms. Won't be the first Dunes inspired inlay here and definitely not the last; quite a few have tweaked it in different directions.

@links_slayer's Three Putt Poker,
@Mac128k's Ace's,
@Cratty's Dunes of Arrakis, and
My Lake Kawana Club to name a few.

And I am a fan of the .10/.50/2/10 breakdown. Must be the Commonwealth side of us Aussies and Canucks.

If you do that, I'd ditch the middle row. Have your .10c cash set and the $5 tourney set.

 

[GamingWithChips]

For the tournament setup, you may want to differerentiate the label slightly, as it seems the colors of the T5, T25, and T100 are exact or similar to the cash.
Maybe make the tournament a sunset image or something?

And you are right. Honestly, most of my focus was on the tournament set once I started playing around with things, and I haven’t really planned on buying the regular cash set so I kind of just threw that together to “finish” the set in my drawings. I’m sure I will think further and rejig things

 

[Colquhoun]

Here's just a quick example of what I meant by a sunset if you wanted to differentiate between sets. Just a sunset background with a lowered sun.
Or maybe thats not enough? Maybe a black label background?

 

[GamingWithChips]

I like the bunker sand option in lieu of the water hazard and the pines instead of the palms. Won't be the first Dunes inspired inlay here and definitely not the last; quite a few have tweaked it in different directions.

@links_slayer's Three Putt Poker,
@Mac128k's Ace's,
@Cratty's Dunes of Arrakis, and
My Lake Kawana Club to name a few.

And I am a fan of the .10/.50/2/10 breakdown. Must be the Commonwealth side of us Aussies and Canucks.

If you do that, I'd ditch the middle row. Have your .10c cash set and the $5 tourney set.

Yup, it definitely feels like a simple and classic design that is primed to be reimagined or adapted.

And those are some cool options you listed!

And yes, for the denoms, there is also some history to our group using a 10¢ chip in a tourney that went (T5, T10, T25, T100, T500…I know I know lol). So when we played the 10¢ chip was the go to early on in the tournament and it was also a light blue.

That and if I ever did a cash game with my friends it would not be big, so I thought doing the 10¢ would be a little different and had some history to it.

 

[GamingWithChips]

Here's just a quick example of what I meant by a sunset if you wanted to differentiate between sets. Just a sunset background with a lowered sun.
Or maybe thats not enough? Maybe a black label background?

View attachment 1585796

Cool!

And what’s funny is the design that Okku made me turns out to be very similar to that in that it used a sky background, whereas mine was drawn to be simple and “classic” looking.

Now you are really making me think about a cash vs tourney set with inlays that differ

 

[Colquhoun]

I love that with the clouds and the shadows from the flag and trees!