Effective engraving on your trophies and plaques

Choosing a great trophy or plaque to represent your company and recoginise employees is the first part in creating your award. Ensuring you have effective engraving and an aesthetically pleasing layout, font and design is also key. The engraving can completely change the look and feel of your trophies and plaques, ensuring you achieve the desired impression means finding an awards maker who has experience or qualified graphic designers onsite.

The first thing to consider is the text itself. All the important and relevant details must be present; the recipient, what they are being recognised for and the date are obvious must haves. The recipients name is the most important part of the engraving, so this must be done i na larger and bolder font. What they are reciving the award for is also paramount. The whole point of presenting trophies or plaques is to reward and reinforce a certain behaviour, thus it is very important to make it clear exactly what one achieved. Where possible, be as accurate as possible; specify exact sales numbers or milestones.

Appropriate fonts should be used that complement your company branding, livery and values. Often companies will have branding guidelines that must be adhered to as well. These can often be quite involved with pages of documentation. Ensure your trophy or plaques supplier has qualified staff who can create the artwork to specification.

Secondly the overall layout is also key. The positioning of the logo, text and the sizes and proportions of each element of the design must be put together properly to create the desired look. Graphic designers are trained in knowing what layouts and proportions are best, as well as knowledge of appropriate fonts and layouts. They can also add additional design elements to add to the appearance of the trophy or plaque. Things such as floral accents or lines can be used to space out content clearly and add asthetic value to your trophies and plaques.

With the above in mind, always ensure your trophy or plaque supplier provides you with a proof before they go to print. You can always pass this past any designers in your company or people with a good eye to ensure you get the most from your engraving. Visit Xpress Awards NZ for some examples of well designed engraving and printing onto trophies and plaques.