Digital Badges: What They Are and How to Issue Them
Digital badges are verified digital credentials that represent skills, achievements, or competencies. They contain embedded metadata including issuer details, criteria, and verification links following the Open Badges standard.
What Are Digital Badges?
Digital badges are image-based digital credentials that contain embedded metadata about the achievement they represent. Unlike a simple image or PDF, a digital badge carries machine-readable information including who issued it, what criteria the earner met, what skills it represents, and a link to verify its authenticity. This metadata follows the Open Badges standard maintained by 1EdTech, making badges portable and verifiable across platforms.
How Digital Badges Differ from Certificates
Digital badges are compact, shareable credentials designed for online display and verification. Certificates are formal, printable documents typically used for course completion or professional development. Many organizations issue both — a badge for online visibility and a certificate for formal records. IssueBadge supports issuing both a digital badge and a PDF certificate together in a single issuance.
What Metadata Is Inside a Badge?
Every digital badge issued through IssueBadge contains: the issuer name and organization details, the badge name and description, the criteria the earner fulfilled, skills and competency tags, the date issued, an expiration date (optional), and a unique verification URL. This metadata is embedded in the badge image file and can be read by any Open Badges-compliant platform.
Designing Digital Badges
Effective badge design communicates the credential's value at a glance. The badge image should include your organization's branding, the badge name, and visual elements that indicate the type of achievement. IssueBadge lets you upload custom badge artwork in PNG, JPG, or SVG formats. For organizations that also need formal certificates, the drag-and-drop certificate designer creates PDF certificates that are automatically attached when badges are issued.
Badge Image Best Practices
Use square images for consistent display across platforms and social media. Include your organization logo for brand recognition. Use clear, readable text even at small sizes. Consider using different visual styles for different achievement levels — for example, bronze, silver, and gold variations.
Certificate Design
IssueBadge includes a visual certificate designer where you can place text, images, and dynamic data fields on a canvas. Dynamic fields like recipient name, date, and badge title auto-populate when certificates are issued. Certificates generate as high-quality PDFs.
Issuing Digital Badges
IssueBadge supports issuing badges individually or in bulk. For bulk issuance, upload a CSV or Excel file with recipient details — the platform processes each row and sends personalized badge notification emails to every recipient. You can also issue badges one at a time through the dashboard for individual recognition.
Bulk Issuance via CSV/Excel
Upload a spreadsheet with columns for recipient name, email, and any custom fields you have defined. IssueBadge validates the data, generates individual badges with certificates, and sends notification emails. This is ideal for course completions, event attendance, or training program graduates.
Email Delivery & Custom SMTP
Badge notification emails can be sent through IssueBadge's default delivery system or through your own SMTP server for branded email delivery. You can configure custom Reply-To addresses so recipient replies go to your team, and set a custom From Name to match your organization's identity.
Badge Verification & Standards
Every badge issued through IssueBadge has a unique public verification page where anyone can confirm the badge is authentic. The verification page displays the badge details, issuer information, recipient name, and the criteria met. Badges also include a QR code that links directly to the verification page, useful for printed certificates.
Open Badges 2.0 & 3.0 Compliance
IssueBadge supports both Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0 specifications maintained by 1EdTech. This means badges issued through IssueBadge can be recognized and verified by any compliant platform or backpack. The badge metadata is embedded following the standard JSON-LD format.
Badge Revocation
If a badge needs to be revoked — for example, due to a policy violation or credential expiration — IssueBadge supports badge revocation. Revoked badges display a clear revocation notice on their verification page.
Who Uses Digital Badges?
Digital badges are used across education, corporate training, professional development, events, and associations. Universities issue badges for course completions and micro-credentials. Companies use them for employee training certifications and recognition programs. Event organizers issue attendance badges. Professional associations use badges for continuing education credits.
Frequently Asked Questions
A digital badge is an image-based credential that contains embedded metadata about the achievement it represents. The metadata includes the issuer, criteria, skills, and a verification link, following the Open Badges standard.
An organization creates a badge template with criteria and metadata, then issues it to recipients via email. Each badge has a unique verification page where anyone can confirm the credential is authentic.
No. Digital badges are compact, metadata-rich credentials designed for online sharing and verification. Certificates are formal documents for printed records. IssueBadge lets you issue both together — a badge for online display and a PDF certificate for formal use.
Open Badges is an open technical standard maintained by 1EdTech that defines how digital badges are created, issued, and verified. IssueBadge supports both Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0 specifications.
Yes. IssueBadge does not require recipients to create an account. They receive their badge via email and can view, download, and share it directly from the public badge page.
Every badge issued through IssueBadge has a unique public verification page with a URL and QR code. Anyone can visit the verification page to confirm the badge is authentic and view the issuer details, criteria, and recipient information.
Continue reading
Related guides on digital credentialing.
Digital Certificates
Digital certificates are formal credentials generated as PDF documents with recipient-specific data. IssueBadge provides a drag-and-drop certificate designer and bulk generation tools to create and deliver professional certificates at scale.
Credential Verification
Credential verification is the process of confirming that a digital badge or certificate is authentic and was issued by a legitimate organization. IssueBadge provides public verification pages, QR codes, and Open Badges compliance for instant credential validation.
Open Badges Standard
Open Badges is the international technical standard for digital credentials maintained by 1EdTech. It defines how badges are created, issued, displayed, and verified across platforms. IssueBadge supports both Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0.
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