What Do You Need Before You Start Designing a Charm Layout?
You need three things: a base case in your chosen gel colour, a handful of charms in mixed sizes, and about ten minutes to play with placement before you commit to an order. The Charmé Edit's build-your-own case starts at £26.99 and comes in White (Glitter Gel), White (White Gel) or Black (Black Gel), made to order for your exact phone model. Charms are sold separately as add-ons, from £1 to £3 each, in three sizes: Mini, Midi and Grande. Most people pick a case colour first, since it sets the mood (glitter for something playful, matte black for something quieter), then build the charm layout around it. There's no limit on how many charms you add, so the real decision isn't whether you can personalise your case, it's how you want it to look once it's finished.
How Do You Choose the Right Base Case?
Start with gel colour and phone model, since every other decision builds on top of these two. The custom case covers iPhone 6 through iPhone 18 Pro Max, plus Galaxy S, Z and A series and Pixel models, so most phones are covered. If yours isn't listed, you can still order and note your exact model at checkout. Glitter gel suits charms with warm metal tones (gold, rose gold, pearl) because the sparkle underneath lifts them. White gel gives a cleaner, more matte backdrop that lets charm colour do the talking. Black gel is the most forgiving base for bold or clashing charm colours, since it mutes everything slightly and stops a busy layout from looking chaotic. You can also add a pop socket at checkout, bringing the total to £36.99, which gives you one more surface to anchor a charm if your case gets crowded.
How Many Charms Should You Put on One Case?
Most beginner layouts work best with three to six charms, but there's no fixed number, it comes down to taste and how visible you want each piece to be. A good rule for a first attempt is to pick one Grande or Midi charm as your anchor, then add two or three smaller Mini charms around it so the eye has somewhere to land first. Too many same-sized charms spaced evenly can look flat, while an odd number (three or five) tends to read as more deliberate than an even one. If you're torn, start with fewer charms than you think you want. Add-on charms are only sold alongside a case or another Charmé Edit product, so you're not committing to a huge layout in one go, you can always order a top-up set once you've lived with your first design for a week or two.
What's the Difference Between Mini, Midi and Grande Charms?
The size names refer to the physical scale of the charm, and mixing sizes is what makes a layout look designed rather than scattered. Mini charms are the smallest, best used as filler pieces between larger charms or scattered along a case edge. Midi charms are mid-sized and work well as a secondary focal point, or paired two together. Grande charms are the largest and read as the hero of a layout, the piece your eye goes to first. The charm range spans all three sizes across themes like florals, shells and ceramics, alongside more playful shapes. A layout built from only one size tends to look uniform in a slightly flat way, while combining a Grande anchor with two or three Mini pieces almost always looks intentional, even on your very first try.
Three Easy Charm Layouts for Beginners
If you're not sure where to start, these three layouts are the easiest to copy and adapt to your own charms:
- The Anchor and Trio: one Grande charm in a bottom corner, with three Mini charms scattered loosely above it.
- The Mirror: two matching or complementary Midi charms placed on opposite top corners, with a single small charm in between.
- The Scatter: five or six Mini charms spaced unevenly across the bottom third of the case, more like a constellation than a grid.
Whichever you choose, keep most of the weight toward the bottom third or one corner of the case. A layout spread evenly across the whole back tends to compete visually with your phone's camera and buttons, while a grounded cluster leaves the rest of the case room to breathe and keeps the design feeling considered rather than crowded.
How Do You Actually Order a Custom Layout?
You build your layout by selecting your base case (colour, phone model and pop socket if wanted), then adding your chosen charms to the same order, since charms can only be purchased alongside a case or another Charmé Edit product. If you want to communicate exact placement, use the checkout note to describe where you'd like each charm positioned, for example "Grande shell charm bottom left, three Mini charms scattered above it." Every case is made to order, so allow four to seven working days for it to be ready, as the gel needs time to set properly before it ships. Because it's made to order, it's worth deciding on your full layout before you check out rather than adding charms piecemeal over several weeks, so everything arrives together and gets set into the case in one go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need design experience to make my own charm layout?
No, you don't need any design experience to put together a layout you'll love. The easiest starting point is to pick one larger charm (Midi or Grande) as your anchor, then build outward with two or three smaller Mini charms, which is a formula that works whether you're drawn to florals, shells or something more playful. If you're still unsure, copy one of the three beginner layouts above (Anchor and Trio, The Mirror, or The Scatter) using charms in colours or themes you already like, rather than trying to invent a layout from scratch. Most of what makes a layout look "designed" comes down to mixing charm sizes and keeping the weight toward one corner or the bottom third of the case, not any technical skill. You can always note your intended placement at checkout, so there's no pressure to get it perfect in your head before you order.
Can I mix charms from different collections on one case?
Yes, there's nothing stopping you from combining charms from different themes or collections on a single case, and many of the best-looking layouts do exactly that. A shell charm next to a ceramic flower, or a Grande bow paired with Mini pearls, can work just as well as a layout built entirely within one theme, as long as the sizes are mixed sensibly. The main thing to think about is colour and metal tone rather than theme, since a layout with gold, silver and bright enamel charms all together tends to look busier than one that sticks to a consistent tone. If you're new to building layouts, it's often easier to pick two or three colours you want to see and choose charms across different themes that fit those colours, rather than limiting yourself to a single charm collection.
What if my phone model isn't listed as a case option?
The custom case already covers a wide range of models, from iPhone 6 through to iPhone 18 Pro Max, plus Galaxy S, Z and A series and Pixel phones, so most people will find their model listed at checkout. If your exact model isn't in the list, you can still place your order and leave a note with your phone model at checkout, so the case can be made to fit. It's worth double-checking the model name against your phone settings before ordering, particularly if you have a Plus, Pro or Pro Max version, since case cutouts differ between them. Because every case is made to order rather than pulled from existing stock, there's flexibility to accommodate less common models that a mass-produced case range usually can't.
Can I add more charms after I've already ordered a case?
Yes, you can order additional charms at any time to build on a layout you already have, since charms are sold as add-ons alongside any Charmé Edit product rather than being locked to a single order. This means your first case doesn't need to be the finished design. A common approach is to start with a simple three or four charm layout, live with it for a couple of weeks, then add one or two more pieces once you know what the case is missing. Keep in mind that each case is made to order, so a later top-up of charms would need to go through as a separate order rather than being added to a case you've already received. It's a flexible way to build a collection of charms over time rather than deciding on the entire layout in one sitting.
Roughly how much does a custom charm layout cost?
A base custom case starts at £26.99, which covers your chosen gel colour and phone model with no charms added yet. Charms are priced individually, mostly between £1 and £3 depending on size, so a layout of four to five charms typically adds somewhere in that range on top of the base case. If you'd like a pop socket included, the case and pop socket together come to £36.99, which also gives you an extra surface to add a charm to. There's no set package price for "a full layout," since the cost scales directly with how many charms you choose, which means a simple three-charm design and a fuller eight or nine-charm design will land at noticeably different totals. Building your order around a specific budget is straightforward: pick your case, then add charms one at a time until you reach the number that feels right.