Personalization Options for Your Award
Personalizing a recognition award for a recipient, organization or event (or some combination of all three) is an important component of almost all of our award projects - both predesigned and custom. With that in mind, one of the decisions you will need to make when you purchase a new recognition award is the personalization method you will use for the award. Personalization is typically done on an award’s base, although some awards support personalization on the award itself.
The information clients generally incorporate in their personalization includes some subset of the award name, recipient name, date of presentation, organizational logo or logotype, and organization tagline or slogan. Some of these personalizations also contain relevant messages, quotes, or sayings.
When ordering your award, one of our account managers will help you through the process of creating your engraving proof for your review and approval. Generally, there are three options you have when selecting an personalization method for awards or trophies:
Engraved Etchings in the Award's Base
In this method, the engraving information is laser-etched directly into the base of the award. This engraving method primarily applies to marble (or other stone) bases. In most instances, these etchings are filled with gold or silver paint to make them visually “pop” from the base. Gold fill is usually used for bronze awards or awards with a gold-like finish, while silver fill is typically used for pewter awards or awards with a silver-like finish. Many clients consider this the most “elegant” engraving method, although there are limitations. For example, different colors can’t really be utilized; there is a limit to the number of characters that can be used; and very small, detailed images are hard to capture. Thus, it is next-to-impossible to incorporate a multi-colored logo using this method.
Personalization Directly Into the Award
Some award designs support personalization directly into the award body itself (versus its base). These designs are typically acrylic, crystal and glass awards, although some of the custom metal awards we have created also supported this. There are some nuances regarding what can be done, depending on the specific type of award. For example, many crystal awards support personalization in the form of a 2D image engraved on the surface of the award, a 3D image engraved inside the award (sub-surface engraving), or a combination of the two. Acrylic awards may support personalization on the back of an opaque award, and additional personalization on the front of the award.
Engraved Plates Affixed to the Award’s Base
In this method, metal plates have the engraving information engraved or sublimated (a printing method) onto their surface. These plates are then adhered to the base of the award or trophy. Generally, these plates are silver- or gold-plated, although other colors are used as well (see slideshow below). A few of the advantages of engraved plates are their ability to support color images and logos, more text, and smaller/finer text and images. Engraved plates are almost always used for hardwood bases, and work fine with marble and crystal bases as well.
Types of Engraved Plates
Personalized engraving plates come in a variety of colors and materials. Some are two-tone or two-color, while others can display a full gamut of colors. The slideshow to the left shows some of the typical options we provide. As always, if you have any questions, give us a call we're here to help.
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When you work with Bennett Awards on an awards project, your Account Manager will help guide you through these options, and the recommend the best approach for your specific needs.