Sky had worked hard on the solo piece that his private euphonium teacher had wanted him to play. He practiced more when he had solo parts to play in the school band, and this applied even more so, to an entire solo piece. Sky bugged his band teacher to let him play the piece at the next high school concert. His band teacher consented, and the evening had arrived. I was more nervous than my son, as he began to play the beautiful 7 ½ minute piece entitled Morceau Symphonique, with piano accompaniment. At the end of the piece the audience rose to their feet and gave him a standing ovation. It was to be the beginning of a major turning point in Sky’s life. (more…)
Archive for February, 2009
A continual change
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009Corporate Engraving and Awards
Engraving and corporate awards have changed considerably since 1992, when I first got into the awards industry. The use of the laser engraver has made production faster and given engravers the ability to do more detailed graphics and logos. In earlier times plain gold brass was used, then came black brass, and now we see many colors and marbled colors on plates. Many have their own graphic designs silk-screened into them. Plaques themselves have taken on a greater variety as noted by rosewood and black piano finish, and high gloss walnut.
Acrylic awards have become increasingly popular and have also gone from clear and jade to full color with green, blue, and red marbled backgrounds, or colored accents radiating from the bases. There are more acrylic pieces that are free standing, or have posts or frames into which they fit. Some have insets in the base for easier attachment.
Glass pieces are also popular, but this is one product that the laser has yet to conquer. Most glass pieces need to be sandblasted in order to achieve a high quality of engraving. They are still much more time consuming to create, but the finished product is very high end.
An item that has not changed much is the perpetual – the plaque with all those little plates on it – except that the plates are not black brass instead of gold brass. It is a wonderful idea to have a permanent recording of accomplishments displayed on the office wall, to honor those who have achieved.
Corporate Awards and gifts will continue to change with new technology and customer preferences. It will be exciting to watch.
Sports Award Advances
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009Just as corporate awards have changed with new technology, sports trophies have changed even more, and faster. The traditional trophy with a column or columns, and a sports figure have given way to resin trophies of all kinds, first gold and silver, and now in full color. The resin trophies also include holographic effects that create movement and interest. Other popular features right now are the moving and/or spinning parts. Out this spring by one supplier, are sports figures with bendable arms and legs that can be posed, so that each trophy figure is unique.
Medals have also changed from the traditional gold, silver, and bronze, to full color, some have spinning center pieces, cut-outs, holographic inserts, and more. The neck ribbons are often clip-on style for faster assembly. Backs of medals often have a framed area to insert a plate or mylar with the engraving information. Using a separate piece of material for the engraving shortens the assembly time, because the inserts can be engraved so much faster. The engraving, usually on a mylar material, is much more vivid and therefore easier to read than when it is engraved right into the medal.
Some custom medals are now available in record time. Using a stock medal with a custom insert , you can receive personalized medals in 3 to 8 days, plus shipping time. I should caution that this 3 to 8 days is after the artwork has been approved, so it is best to plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time before the day of the event.
Custom pins, like custom medals, can also be created in a short time period. Again, using stock pin hardware and inserting the custom artwork, you can have the finished product in about 2 weeks, as discussed above.
More acrylic awards are being used for Sports presentations, but we also see many traditional items, including trophy cups and perpetual plaques.
These are just a few changes we have seen in Sports Awards. They will continue to change, just as the Corporate Awards have, with new technology and customer demands for the new and different.
Plaque Wording – Samples
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009If you’d like to see examples of Plaque Wording you can login to your account.