The Customers’ Friend Medal

The Customers’ Friend medal is a customer experience recognition awarded by ICERTIAS based on a defined evaluation of customer-facing service performance. It is intended to be used as a verifiable sign of certification status, supported by the program’s published methodology and verification process.
 

What the Medal Communicates

The Customers’ Friend medal is designed to deliver a clear, customer-focused message in an instant. Every visual element plays a defined role in reinforcing that message across print and digital environments.

Core Design Elements and Meaning
 

• Red Heart (Center)
  Positioned at the heart of the medal, red captures attention and visually communicates care, focus, and customer relevance. It is a color commonly associated with urgency, connection, and human warmth - appropriate for a recognition that places the customer at the center.
   
• Gold Core (Inner Ring)
  The gold tone signifies quality and credibility. It signals that this recognition is earned through structured evaluation, not self-declared. Visually, gold also lends a sense of formality and weight, helping the medal stand out as a mark of verified performance.
   
• Check Man Charlie (Icon)
  This stylized human figure represents the everyday customer - the person whose experience drives the company’s recognition. The simplicity of the icon ensures universality, while its placement at the center reinforces the customer’s role as the reference point of the brand’s service efforts.
   
• Black Outer Ring (Framing)
  The black ring enhances contrast, improves visibility, and gives the design a clean edge across varied applications. It creates a formal frame that contains the message and ensures clarity even in small or fast-moving formats, such as mobile screens, product packaging, or event signage.
  
   

Design Philosophy

The medal was developed with behavioral design principles in mind - focusing on fast recognition, visual clarity, and emotional relevance without overstating the meaning. It is not a claim of general excellence or perfection, but a mark of customer experience performance, validated through defined criteria and verified methodology.

All visual applications must preserve this intent by respecting color, proportion, and usage guidelines provided in this document.

Two Formats

The medal is available in two formats, Classic and Core, to support use across different communication contexts, including print and digital applications. Both formats follow the same certification rules and visual usage guidelines to ensure consistent presentation and accurate reference to the recognition.
 

Classic Medal

The Classic Medal displays the full Customers’ Friend emblem together with a recognition designation that reflects the company’s verified program result:

1. Superior Excellence – Used for certificate holders with a composite score of 4.0 or higher, based on the Customers’ Friend customer experience evaluation framework.
2. Dedicated to Excellence – Used for certificate holders with a composite score between 3.5 and 3.99, based on the same evaluation framework.
3. Because It’s You We Care About – Used for all certificate holders that meet the minimum program threshold, as a neutral designation for customer experience recognition.

All designations must be used in accordance with the official usage guidelines and within the verified scope of the certification.

The Classic Medal may be used across a wide range of formats, including billboards, packaging, brochures, trade displays, social media, mobile apps, and email banners. Where feasible, each use should include a direct link or clear reference to the official certificate verification page, such as the verification URL or code, to enable independent confirmation of certification status.

Core Medal

The Core Medal is a simplified version of the emblem that displays only the “Customers’ Friend” title and certification year. It is designed for compact digital placements such as mobile interfaces, digital banners, and small-format promotional materials, where legibility is the primary requirement.

As with the Classic format, Core Medal use should include a direct link or clear reference to the official certificate verification page, such as the verification URL or code, to enable independent confirmation of certification status.