Well met, and welcome to the TimeRef Forge of Arms and Heraldry.

Use yon shield-buttons upon the scrying glass to craft thy noble device.

Choose your shield type (Single or Quarterly): -

Choose a shield to load.

Choose a slot to save the shield in.

A charge is really anything that is drawn on the shield or on another charge. Charges have been grouped into several categories including the important major shapes known as the ordinaries and the less important known as the sub-ordinaries. Other charges are grouped into categories such as crosses, animals, birds, monsters, reptiles and fish, etc.

The Rule of Tincture: The most important guideline for colours use is the Rule of Tincture, which ensures contrast and visibility. There are two main categories of tinctures: -
Colours (dark)
Gules - red, Azure - blue, Sable - black, Vert - green, Purpure - purple,
Metals (light)
Or - (gold/yellow), Argent (silver/white)

A color should not be placed on another color, and a metal should not be placed on another metal.

Examples:
A gold lion (Or) may be placed on a blue field (Azure).
A red cross (Gules) should not be placed on a green field (Vert)—that would violate the rule.

Come charges have secondary and tertiary colours.

Use this option to position several charges quickly in place. If you have a Bend (diagonal strip) on your shield click the Bend tab and choose the options to place three charges in position.

By default, the charge will be shown above the field and any divisions of the shield. But you may want some finer control of this.

Field
The charge will be shown on the field, but under any divisions that may have been added.
Division
The charge will be shown on the division but not on the field.
Counter
The charge's colours will be the reverse of the field and division at the position it is located. Any Secondary and Tertiary colours will not be affected.

By default, the ordinary will be shown above the field and any divisions of the shield. But you may want some finer control of this.

Field
The ordinary will be shown on the field, but under any divisions that may have been added.
Division
The ordinary will be shown on the division but not on the field.
Counter
The ordinary's colours will be the reverse of the field and division at the position it is located.

These options allow you to fine tune the position and size of the Escutcheon.

The small escutcheon acting as a charge is also known as an Inescutcheon.

These options allow you to fine tune the position, size and rotation of the selected charge.

The Spread option controls the distance between the individual charges if several are being added in one go.

The Sinister option will flip the charge horizontally.

The Drop Shadow option adds a bit a flair.

The minimum requirement of a coat of arms is the field otherwise described as the background colour of the shield. Tinctures in heraldry are the names given to the colours that are used on the shields or flags. There are six main colours: yellow, white, black, red, blue and green. These are also known as or, argent, sable, gules, azure and vert respectively. These colours can be chosen along with some colours that were less commonly used. Click a shield to apply a colour to the shield.

The second tab shows several furs that can be used to cover the shield. The designs are based on animal fur that were used to line cloaks.

The pattern tab has several complex geometric shapes that can be used as a background. A default of argent (white) and azure (blue) is given but these colours can be orerridden if you so choose.

Remember to click the Apply Changes button to apply the changes to the main shield.

Type:

Choose from one of the shield shapes offered.

Border Style:

Fine tune the shield's border by choosing its colour and width.

Details:

Enter an optional name or description of your shield.

Remember to click the Apply Changes button to apply the changes to the main shield.

In heraldry a shield can be divided into major sections. These are known as the Divisions of the field. The major divisions and their terms are shown. Each name starts with the term 'party per'. But the word 'party' can be left out so that 'per fess' or 'per bend' is enough to describe the division.

First choose the division then the colour you want to apply to it.

The line of the division can be enhanced by adding one of several standard line styles. In this designer not all of the divisions allow line styles to be added.

Remember to click the Apply Changes button to apply the changes to the main shield.

Welcome to the TimeRef Medieval Shield Designer.

Click the 'Field Colour' shield to choose a background colour and apply it to the shield.

Choose from a set of standard heraldic colours, furs and patterns.

Remember to click the Apply Changes button to apply the changes to the main shield.

You can save up to 16 different shields. Shields are stored locally on your computer in local storage inside the browser.

The save and load options can be found under the Shield menu option.

If you are currently on a laptop or desktop computer you can export the shields as png, jpeg and webp. See the Export menu.

This popup will show the blazon for the current shield.

[Please note that this functionality is incomplete]

[Thanks for using this shield editor. I'm working hard to complete the functionality (Aug 2025)]

This designer has been inspired by Azgaar's Armoria.

Complex charge renders are from WappenWiki and available for non-commercial use only. Check out the license details added to svg files in the code.