Coin and medal designer Jody Clark on the craft of medallic sculpture, his work for The Royal Mint, and the projects shaping his practice today.
Jody Clark’s work spans commemorative and circulation coinage, medals, and private commissions, alongside editorial illustration, packaging and apparel design. Central to his process is a bas-relief modelling approach that combines hand-drawn development with digital sculpting techniques, enabling precise control over depth, texture and surface relief for coins and medals.
Clark rose to wider prominence after being selected to design the fifth definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for UK coinage. Introduced by The Royal Mint in 2015, the portrait appeared on billions of UK coins and remains one of the most widely distributed contemporary currency designs in history.
Alongside this commission, his work for The Royal Mint includes major contemporary series such as the Queen’s Beasts collection, which reinterprets historic heraldic figures through a modern sculptural language, as well as commemorative issues including Britannia and medals produced for international events including the NATO summit and the Ryder Cup.
Across these projects, his practice operates between established medallic tradition and contemporary production methodologies. While grounded in classical sculptural principles, it reflects the increasing integration of digital modelling within coin and medal design, particularly in achieving greater complexity of relief and refinement of surface detail.
He continues to work on international coin and medal programmes, collectible art projects and private commissions, with his designs circulating within institutional minting frameworks as well as the broader numismatic collecting market.
In conversation with The Exclusivist, Clark discusses his path into the discipline and the development of his practice across major numismatic projects.
Interview with Jody Clark
Beginnings & Path to the Royal Mint
How did you first get into design and illustration, and how did that journey lead you to working in coin and medal design with the Royal Mint?
My journey into coin design has been a natural evolution. After starting out as a freelance illustrator following my degree in the subject, I took on a specialised role in the packaging industry, creating embossing dies for items such as whisky bottles and media cases — a position that required high‑level precision and an understanding of relief sculpture. This unique combination of creative storytelling and technical manufacturing put me in good stead for my work as a coin designer. It’s a fascinating discipline that allows me to bridge the gap between fine art and engineering, ensuring that a design is not only aesthetically beautiful but also technically viable for the minting process.
The Queen Elizabeth II Portrait
When creating the fifth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, how did you balance artistic interpretation with the responsibility of producing an official national image?
Creating the fifth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was a significant balancing act. I wanted to honour the progression of the previous effigies while capturing a faithful likeness of Her Majesty as she appeared at the time. My aim was to create an image that served both as a dignified symbol of UK currency and a highly functional design capable of being minted millions and billions of times without losing its integrity. It was essential to bridge the gap between a modern, relatable depiction and a timeless icon that could withstand the technical rigours of mass production for years to come.
© Royal Mint
Queen’s Beasts Series
How did you approach your work on the Queen’s Beasts series, and what was it like developing a collection that has become so significant among modern collectors?
The Queen’s Beasts was a deeply meaningful project for me, and I’m so pleased to hear that the series continues to resonate with collectors. My original vision was to take heavy inspiration from the world of heraldry but push the beasts into a more realistic, dynamic interpretation that felt fresh for modern coinage. At the time, we had no way of knowing how successful the series would ultimately become, so it means a lot to me when people still reach out today to share how much they enjoy the designs. Knowing that the specific “angle” I took has left a lasting impression on the numismatic community is incredibly rewarding.
Personal Connection to Your Work
Is there a particular design or project from your work with the Royal Mint that you feel especially connected?
From my perspective, the 2014 Britannia remains a standout achievement and a defining moment in my career, representing my first major success in coin design. It was a privilege to work on such a long‑standing theme that holds deep personal meaning for collectors across the UK and the world, and I am truly grateful for the warm reception it has received.
From Sketch to Coin
Can you talk us through how a coin design develops from initial sketch to finished minted piece? How long does that process typically take?
Once we have a theme to work on, the initial sketch and concept design stage typically takes about a week, depending on any client amendments. From there, I move into the digital sculpting phase to create the low bas‑relief, which generally takes another week to perfect. Once that is approved, we engineer the design for the minting process, create the production dies, and move into the mint for the final striking. All in all, the entire process from initial concept to a finished coin represents about two months of dedicated work.
Permanence & Perception
Do you think about the permanence and visibility of a coin design while you are working on it, or does that only become apparent afterwards?
I focus primarily on the evolution of my process rather than the permanence of any single design. My main driver is the continuous refinement of my sculpting and design techniques, ensuring that each new project builds upon the last. By concentrating on these incremental improvements and striving to make every design slightly better than the one before it, I find that the work remains dynamic and my growth as a creator stays consistent.
Current Work & Direction
What have you been working on since leaving the Royal Mint, and are there any recent projects you’re particularly excited about?
Since moving on from the Royal Mint, I’ve been working for the largest private mint in the UK, the Commonwealth Mint, on some incredibly exciting commercial projects spanning the globe, from Japan to the United States. Regarding the “Queen’s Beasts” series we discussed earlier, I am currently developing the evolution of that collection for an American client, titled “The King’s Pieces.” We view this as a natural successor to the original series, but by utilising modern ultra‑high‑relief minting technology, we are pushing the boundaries of what is technically possible.
Continue reading on the Royal Mint’s Queen’s Beasts series: Queen’s Beasts: Guardians of a Royal Lineage
Photo credits (right-hand side, top to bottom): © Royal Mint
