Award Differentiation

One theme we see in some of our award inquires is the requirement to distinguish between different “levels” of awards within a common award family. For example, a client may want to differentiate awards that are given to first, second and third place finishers in a sporting event - one of the most recognizable examples of this, of course, are the Olympic medals. Or, a client may want to differentiate employee service awards based on the years of service recipients have achieved (different awards for 10, 20, and 30 years of service, for example). Another example is clients that want to distinguish awards based on different performance levels: different awards for different levels of sales achieved, for instance.

There are many different ways to differentiate awards yet still maintain a common theme and design, ensuring that all of the components of the award program remain integrated and consistent. Here are just a few of the methods we have used to help clients achieve this objective:

Engraving: This is probably the most simple and obvious approach. Certainly, different levels of awards can be distinguished by the text or images that are engraved into the base of the awards. However, another less obvious method is to use different colored plates (gold, silver, and bronze for example) to distinguish the awards.

Different Size Awards: Custom awards can be created such that different sizes (but the same design) convey different levels of performance or achievement. We also have many stock sculpture award designs that have multiple size options to meet this objective.

Different Finishes: Different award levels can also be achieved by using different finishes to distinguish the awards. For bronze awards, different patinas can be applied to differentiate the awards. For pewter awards, different plating options (e.g., gold, silver, bronze, brushed pewter) can be used.

Different Customizable Components: Some of our stock awards (e.g., Gratitude, The Benny, Envision) have a primary award shape that can hold or house a customized component, enabling custom awards at a lower price point. These components can be used to distinguish the award levels – either through their shape or finish.

Additive Components: We have created custom awards for clients that have additive components that can be used to convey different levels of performance or achievement. For example, we created one custom award design that used stackable sculptured shapes to signify years of service with the company. For each five years of service, the employee received a new stackable sculpture that could be added to the top of the award. The higher the award, the more years of service the employee had achieved.