Designing an award is not a particularly easy process; there are a lot more things to take into consideration than you might first think. Awards aren’t all trophies; some are certificates or plaques, have you thought about what format your award will be in? The materials you use? Whether it will be re-used next year or whether you will simply make a new one each year? As with any design process there are questions you have to ask yourself and the answers will help you to formulate a plan for your design.
What is the achievement for which you are rewarding the recipient? The purpose of the award itself will often dictate a large part of the award’s design. Things like the trophies and medals often have an engraving or shape that reflects on the activity, which is most commonly sport related. In such instances it becomes fairly easy to select the primary features of the design; races use medals because it provides a cost effective way of providing an award to multiple people, often engraved with their position and some information about the race. While a football trophy is usually larger and more decorative as it will be used as a display for the winning team for the next year or season, rather than a reminder of their accomplishment the way a medal is.
Understanding the different ways in which the awards will be interpreted helps to understand which form of award and design for the award would be most beneficial and suitable to your needs. When it comes to corporate awards a plaque or certificate are the most popular options, but small trophies can also be an excellent way of marking a considerable achievement, particularly within a larger company. While your budget will dictate a certain amount of the design you should always be sure not to select awards based solely on finding the lowest price.
The material you select can be an important part, as well as impacting rather heavily on the cost. For example; if you’re a big company with a big budget gold and silver awards are always appreciated, staff members will feel particularly important having been given such a pricey award, but who really has the budget for that these days? I will always recommend glass when it comes to plaques and trophies; technology today means that there is an awful lot we can do with glass and it is a relatively low cost material. If done right however, it can be used to produce a very professional and attractive design.
Particularly when it comes to corporate awards there are things you may want to include, because it is likely to be something that your employee will value and display for the rest of their working life and even into retirement. The reason for the award or name of the award should be present, this might be something simple such as ‘employee of the year’ or it might be something much more in depth and meaningful such as ‘awarded for demonstration of excellence in management and outstanding integrity as a person’; providing a reason for the award where it can be a constant reminder to that person will make them feel more accomplished and motivated, as well as making your employee look better in the eyes of anyone who sees their desk decoration.
Other things to include in a corporate award could be; the name of the recipient, the company name and logo (after all you want the employee to associate their accomplishment, and anyone else who sees it, with your company) and of course any additional information that you may feel would be of benefit to the general design of the award, such as who nominated the recipient, what their position in the company is or even just a decorative design. Naturally anything you choose to include is entirely your own decision and something you should think about carefully according to your own needs.
About the Author;
Kate Critchlow is a passionate young writer with a keen interest in business and corporate awards.
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