Making-of
- Leon van Vive
An award does not have to be a cup, a trophy or an abstract object. Sometimes the design is already in the brand guidelines. That was the case for Conspect: its own mascot became the basis for a custom award, cast in resin, as an edition and with a gold-coloured finish. Recognisable to anyone who knows the company, and Conspect's alone.
Conspect's mascot has a simple, friendly shape with a character of its own. That made it suitable for three dimensions: a figure that works on paper does not automatically work as a sculpture. A drawing has no back and no side. We designed those with it, with recognisability as the only measure. Where the drawing gave no answer, the sculpture chose what a Conspect employee recognises at a glance.
A mould was made from the finished model, and the sculptures were cast in resin from it. That made it possible to produce several identical pieces without the shape or the details losing definition. Resin suits an edition of this size and a smooth, fully covering finish.
That finish became gold-coloured. In one step the mascot gained the weight of an award, without anything changing in its character.
Each sculpture stands on a black base. On the front is a plate with the words Job Award and the recipient's name.
The name plate is not the personalisation here; the sculpture is. The mascot makes it clear at once who the recognition comes from. The plate only adds who it is for. That is the difference with a standard award and an engraving: there the plate has to carry the whole story, here it does not.
The beauty of this project is the simplicity of the idea. With its mascot, Conspect already had a strong and recognisable element in hand. Taking it as the starting point produced an object that exists nowhere else, and one we make for no one else.
That makes the sculpture useful beyond a single award. The same design can return for an anniversary, as an internal distinction, at gift scale for every employee, or as one large piece in the entrance hall. The character stays the same; the scale and the moment change.
Do you already have a mascot, a character, a product or another recognisable element within your organisation? Then that is a good starting point for a custom sculpture or award. And if all you have is an idea, we start at the first sketch.
Leon van Vive -
Read more about sculptures that grow out of a brand under sculptures for a brand icon or campaign. What resin does as a material and when we choose it is on the resin material page.
Brand icon and campaign
A sculpture does not have to be bronze, silver or a single colour. Sometimes the strength lies in colour, and in a lot of it. Resin gives us the freedom to combine almost any form with a colour palette entirely your own, from restrained brand colours to an outspoken full colour art object. And because it is cast, the same design can be made as an edition without ceasing to be handwork.
When a dental practice turned 25, the staff wanted to surprise the management with a sculpture that matched their own field. They arrived with a clear brief: a large tooth at the centre, with one person chiselling and another flossing. The material was a deliberate choice too: ceramics is a material used within dentistry.
A bottle of wine, a nice hamper, a good pen: fine gestures, but a few months later they are usually gone. Some moments deserve something that stays. For a larger group of employees, clients or partners, that is one design, made specifically for your organisation and then produced as a series. These are seven moments where that works.
