What is the General Rule of Thumb When Designing CPC? (1 Viewer)

[Kato]

Hi Everyone,

For custom chips, what's the general rule of thumb when it comes to choosing chip colors and inlays? What should I be aware of before designing my set? i.e. - colors combinations to avoid, don't mix unweighted with weighted chips, etc.

My current situation: I have the CPC sample set. I know what colors combos I like (such as flags, cranberries, etc.), but I feel I need to hire an interior designer to help with my color scheme.

Am I the only one that thinks it's tough to design a nice set without regretting my choices at a later point?

Thanks in advance for all the help and feedback.

 

[Himewad]

Browse chips in the Chip DB for color combinations that you like. That gives you a really good idea of what works well together. As well as what appeals to you personally.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/chipdb/categories/custom-sets.2/

Just try not to steal color combinations for multiple chips out of the same set. People get touchy about that. Pick one chip and move on to browsing other sets.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Am I the only one that thinks it's tough to design a nice set without regretting my choices at a later point?

Nope. Universal. Gives more excuses to buy more.

 

[Fran]

You have a color sample that is a good start
Watch the others sets here for inspiration.
Do not rush take time to test a lot of combos and see what is good and what you like.
You can post here your idea of lineup and color combo to ask for feedback.
For inlay design you can also find some really good help here.

Enjoy ! The project phase is a very nice part too !

 

[Kato]

Browse chips in the Chip DB for color combinations that you like. That gives you a really good idea of what works well together. As well as what appeals to you personally.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/chipdb/categories/custom-sets.2/

Just try not to steal color combinations for multiple chips out of the same set. People get touchy about that. Pick one chip and move on to browsing other sets.

Thank you for this link as I've only been browsing the HOF sets. This is great.

 

[Machine]

I would start by creating an account so you can save several different sets.

Then I would start with 3 or 4 line ups without inserts and save them off, basically you're trying to figure out your base colors first.

General rule is that you would not use insert colors of the same base color (or insert color) of the chips beside the chip you're working on.

 

[TomC727]

The general rules that I learned here, is considering dirty stack issues (long time users here can help you with this if you post your design). Definitely get a sample set.

Another thing to consider, based on your preferences, is edge spot progression. Some are very strict with this and some don’t care, or think it’s crap.

Me personally - cash set I absolutely want edge spot progression, while tournament set, simple edge spot pattern throughout the entire set. This is just my preferences.

This site was beyond helpful when I designed my cash and tournament sets.

 

[allforcharity]

Take. Your. Time.

Preferably at least 6-12 months for the design alone. You will go through many iterations.

 

[chutracheese]

Use the CPC design tool on resources and design and save a ton of sets. Even copying your favorite chips is great just to get ideas and the feel for putting colors together. It's good for trying out 10 different combinations for just one base color. I've got 30 saved sets in mine from just playing with ideas.

 

[PlaidDragon]

Hi Everyone,

For custom chips, what's the general rule of thumb when it comes to choosing chip colors and inlays? What should I be aware of before designing my set? i.e. - colors combinations to avoid, don't mix unweighted with weighted chips, etc.

I ordered my first CPC set back in 2017. I've made a fair number of mistakes on that and subsequent sets, but in the process I learned a few things over the years.

Here are some of my general guidelines and observations: the goal being to make an awesome set while avoiding dirty stacks as well as confusion created by chips that are too near each other in appearance.

• Chips should always be easily identifiable at a glance and should not confuse your players.
• Know what denominations will share the table at the same time.
• Of those denoms, ensure there is little (if any) duplication of colors, even avoiding spots that would share the base color of another chip.
• Avoid very dark base colors across multiple denoms that will share the table. I.E. (retro blue and blurple.... or maroon and black etc).
• Dark inlays on dark chips are ok, but insure that there are features on the design that make the inlay easy to interpret.
• Make denomination fonts large enough to easily see and discern.
• (pure opinion) DG Saturn looks A LOT better in the designer than it does in reality. IMHO it should be renamed to "bile yellow". I avoid that color 100%.
• Weighted chips from CPC have brass flakes that show prominently on the rolling edge. On some lighter colors like canary and base white it makes that edge look somewhat dingy. On darker colors like mandarin or red it actually looks cool. Opinions vary. For any denom where I'm designing a white chip I personally think it's worth it to pay the premium cost for bright white.

Am I the only one that thinks it's tough to design a nice set without regretting my choices at a later point?

I've found that I never stop designing a set.... even after I've submitted the order. The trick is to spend enough time and effort to get it to a stage where later down the line you're still going to be happy with it. Redesigning and subsequently reordering denoms you're not happy with can become expensive and will potentially detract from future projects.

 

[ChipMonster]

Just take your time and don’t rush. What may look good one day may not catch your eye the same way after a couple days. Create an account in CPC and save multiple sets. I like to them save the sets to images and then look at them side by side on my phone over the next couple days.

There are some standard base colors to use - Vegas vs Cali but since it’s your own custom set you can really take liberties with what you end up with. Just be aware of dirty stacks, confusing people, etc.

Also, I’ve found that spot selection is really important to play around with in regards to the color combos. Some color combos may not look great until you put them into a different spot pattern and all of a sudden works.

Spot progression makes sense to a large degree on a cash set but isn’t automatically tied to levels on the build price (like mentioned above I like the same spot pattern across a tournament set). My highest spot level that I’m building now in cash set is my $20 chip. However, I think it makes sense when transitioning to the $100 chip visually so it works but just be careful with your denominations.

 

[ChipMonster]

Just take your time and don’t rush. What may look good one day may not catch your eye the same way after a couple days. Create an account in CPC and save multiple sets. I like to them save the sets to images and then look at them side by side on my phone over the next couple days.

There are some standard base colors to use - Vegas vs Cali but since it’s your own custom set you can really take liberties with what you end up with. Just be aware of dirty stacks, confusing people, etc.

Also, I’ve found that spot selection is really important to play around with in regards to the color combos. Some color combos may not look great until you put them into a different spot pattern and all of a sudden works.

Spot progression makes sense to a large degree on a cash set but isn’t automatically tied to levels on the build price (like mentioned above I like the same spot pattern across a tournament set). My highest spot level that I’m building now in cash set is my $20 chip. However, I think it makes sense when transitioning to the $100 chip visually so it works but just be careful with your denominations.

One more thing to add is that I feel that some color combos seem to work better on different molds too and even different inlay size/color. I’m not sure why, maybe how the light hits it or something. Just something to keep in mind…

 

[Rieguy]

You will want to have at least one person to bounce ideas off of or provide counterpoints/suggestions (not just be a "yes man"), otherwise you can easily get stuck, not realize potential issues, and it's nice to just have another perspective.

Do not rush take time to test

This, plus know it's okay to walk away for a week or more at a time to come back fresh.

General rule is that you would not use insert colors of the same base color (or insert color) of the chips beside the chip you're working on.

This is also very important and ignored way too often for such a simple rule.

(pure opinion) DG Saturn looks A LOT better in the designer than it does in reality. IMHO it should be renamed to "bile yellow". I avoid that color 100%.

 

[Kato]

I ordered my first CPC set back in 2017. I've made a fair number of mistakes on that and subsequent sets, but in the process I learned a few things over the years.

Here are some of my general guidelines and observations: the goal being to make an awesome set while avoiding dirty stacks as well as confusion created by chips that are too near each other in appearance.

• Chips should always be easily identifiable at a glance and should not confuse your players.
• Know what denominations will share the table at the same time.
• Of those denoms, ensure there is little (if any) duplication of colors, even avoiding spots that would share the base color of another chip.
• Avoid very dark base colors across multiple denoms that will share the table. I.E. (retro blue and blurple.... or maroon and black etc).
• Dark inlays on dark chips are ok, but insure that there are features on the design that make the inlay easy to interpret.
• Make denomination fonts large enough to easily see and discern.
• (pure opinion) DG Saturn looks A LOT better in the designer than it does in reality. IMHO it should be renamed to "bile yellow". I avoid that color 100%.
• Weighted chips from CPC have brass flakes that show prominently on the rolling edge. On some lighter colors like canary and base white it makes that edge look somewhat dingy. On darker colors like mandarin or red it actually looks cool. Opinions vary. For any denom where I'm designing a white chip I personally think it's worth it to pay the premium cost for bright white.

I've found that I never stop designing a set.... even after I've submitted the order. The trick is to spend enough time and effort to get it to a stage where later down the line you're still going to be happy with it. Redesigning and subsequently reordering denoms you're not happy with can become expensive and will potentially detract from future projects.

PlaidDragon - excellent advice on all points. Thank you for taking the time to type that all out.

I have Dayglo Saturn in front of me right now. You're right, it's one of the worst colors in the set.

 

[Kato]

What may look good one day may not catch your eye the same way after a couple days.

This is great advice. It reminds me of when my English teachers always told us to put our rough draft aside for a few days before editing.

 

[ovo]

Theme for your inlay would be my first thought
then colors, spots

 

[Kato]

Theme for your inlay would be my first thought
then colors, spots

@ovo - Could you elaborate on starting with the theme first before colors and spots? Is it because the theme could/would lead to a color scheme?

 

[WedgeRock]

Not to speak for @ovo, but I think theme in more important because it goes across all denoms. You may want to match chip base or edgespots to your theme.

Casa Mango and the Mardi Gras sets come to mind.

 

[Rhodeman77]

Dirty stacks is the biggest problem you want to avoid. Even if you don’t absolutely love a chip, at least it can be used in the set. Sometimes people go overboard with advanced spot patterns on very chip and wanting to use 4 colors on every chip. We call those unicorn farts and they can end up being a real shit show to actually use in a game.

Remember these are tools, they need to be able to serve their function first, then looking sexy as hell doing it, second. And if you are really lucky you can pull off both.

4 chips sets are easy. There are enough base colors and spots to make a 4 chip set in 10 minutes. But once you want a 5th chip, all hell breaks loose!

 

[ovo]

@ovo - Could you elaborate on starting with the theme first before colors and spots? Is it because the theme could/would lead to a color scheme?

It just makes sense, as your inlay is the most personal thing, colors and spots are the same for everyone, sure you pick the colors and spots you like, but nearly every combo, if not every combo of spots and colors has been used. The inlay should be the highlight of your chip. and yes, theme could lead to a color scheme.

 

[LowerBama1714]

I think you will get excellent advise here…

 

[Irish]

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/first-custom-set-cpc-dos-and-don’ts.41932/

 

[Coyote]

If you don't have a specific inspiration, hire a specialist.
This reminds me of a girl who, upon finishing BA, said "I 'm not interested in anything, so what MA should I pursue?"

 

[LeLe]

First rule of thumb is

 

[CallingStation614]

• (pure opinion) DG Saturn looks A LOT better in the designer than it does in reality. IMHO it should be renamed to "bile yellow". I avoid that color 100%.

PlaidDragon - excellent advice on all points. Thank you for taking the time to type that all out.

I have Dayglo Saturn in front of me right now. You're right, it's one of the worst colors in the set.

I respect your opinion. DG Saturn looks super out of place in the sample set. However, I saw one chip where it worked super well. It was a bright white base with 3ds16 spot (light chocolate, DG saturn) and somehow that looked super dope.

All other uses of DG saturn made me puke so far

 

[LowerBama1714]

I respect your opinion. DG Saturn looks super out of place in the sample set. However, I saw one chip where it worked super well. It was a bright white base with 3ds16 spot (light chocolate, DG saturn) and somehow that looked super dope.

All other uses of DG saturn made me puke so far

 

[Rieguy]

I respect your opinion. DG Saturn looks super out of place in the sample set. However, I saw one chip where it worked super well. It was a bright white base with 3ds16 spot (light chocolate, DG saturn) and somehow that looked super dope.

All other uses of DG saturn made me puke so far

There are two main factors to DG Saturn. One, will your game/table have excellent lighting, preferably natural light if possible? Two, you need to keep the spot small (18 preferable) and attached to at least one other bright spot for a small bleed effect where they touch (see Moonlight member chip and my hundo in my signature, both with Peacock and Saturn touching). I agonized over DG Saturn vs. DG Yellow on a chip, but am so glad I went with the former. Very risky, but it can pay off in a big way if it hits.

View attachment 1294160

Kifer’s stamps fuck and have the whole time, but I still can’t get over how well the design detail and logo came out on these.

 

[Coyote]

DG Saturn is a very greenish pulp yellow, which can work fantastically with darker blues and greens

 

[Coyote]

Even the "Yellow" (something between gold, mustard and rust) can be useful, with blues and greens (at least).

 

[Eriks]

DG Saturn is a very greenish pulp yellow, which can work fantastically with darker blues and greens
View attachment 1294291

That's dg saturn? I would've guessed arc yellow based on the photo