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.
When it comes to an award ceremony,
regardless of the reason for it, you want to be sure that the purpose and
meaning behind the occasion are demonstrated and fully celebrated. Awards are a
popular way of boosting motivation, particularly within a professional
environment, because (as we all know) the proper motivation can greatly boost
performance. One of the most important factors is, as you would expect, the
planning that goes into the ceremony.
Venue;
The first stage of proper awards ceremony
planning is figuring out where to host it. There are a number of factors you
will need to take into consideration, such as how important the event will be,
how long it is likely to last, what the theme or level of professionalism there
is likely to be and of course how many people you will have attending. Take
into account the size of the venue, the proximity of the venue to your usual
location (your business or organisation’s office) and what the venue actually
offers. Popular venues such as hotels will often provide a selection of
packages which will include catering and even some entertainment; these may be
worth looking into if you want to save a little money.
Food
& Drink;
Of course, if the venue you have selected
do not have a catering option you’re going to have to arrange that. Take into
account the number of options you’re going to have to provide and the number of
people you’re going to be feeding; will there be served meals or an open access
buffet? Will there be alcohol served or access to a bar on the venue property?
Some venues prefer that you don’t provide alcohol with your catering so that
they can make more money from selling drinks at their own bars, while others
are happy enough for you to provide anything you like. Wine and champagne are
often perfectly acceptable and set the theme very well for a mature,
professional ceremony.
Staffing
the Ceremony;
Who is dealing with the preparations? Have
you decided on a host or will you be doing that yourself? Are there waiters on
hand to serve food and drink or are you entrusting your staff not to turn it
into a free-for-all? You’re going to need people who will greet your guests,
people who will provide information and ensure that everything is running to
schedule, people who will operate the bar or buffet if you have one, people who
will serve the food and drink. You’re going to have to deal with just about
everything if you aren’t using a venue that handle all of the work. From
preparation to operating there will have to be people on hand to ensure everything
runs smoothly.
Preparing
the Materials;
Ceremonies these days usually come with
presentations; photos, information, videos and so on. They provide a way of
presenting the information in a way everyone can see and understand and offer a
focal point for your ceremony. Who is going to prepare the PowerPoint
presentation? What will be included in it? Where are they getting that
information? Have you given them the pictures that you want included? Is
someone going to manually change the slides during the presentation or are you
just hoping you get your timing right? Have you run through it and checked that
everything is there? Have you decided on seating arrangements during the
ceremony? Do the people getting awards know they’re getting awards? Everything
you need has to be prepared in advance and checked to ensure all of the
materials are there.
Prepare
the Awards;
Naturally, one of the most essential parts
of your award ceremony, is ensuring that the awards are selected and prepared.
Decide on the sorts of awards you’re going to give, take suggestions and ensure
that the selection process for the winners is fair and carefully thought
through. What are the qualifications for the awards? Why were the winners
selected? What will you say about them once you have declared them the winner
of the award? If you’ve ever watched any sort of awards ceremony you will
understand what is expected; you name the award, you explain the
characteristics of the winner and why they were selected for the award, then
you call them up to collect it.
Acquire
the Awards;
This is one of the most essential parts and
should certainly not be forgotten. Buy the awards! You will have to decide
whether the same award will be used each year, kept for a year and then
returned to be awarded again (common with sports trophies), or whether it will
be made specifically for that person to be kept and treasured by them forever
(more common with things like retirement plaques) and of course deciding on
this will impact on your decisions with regards to things like engraving the
awards.
About
the Author;
Kate Critchlow is a passionate young writer
with a keen interest in business and corporate awards.
