Award Bases: Ideas to Elevate Your Design

When one thinks of the most famous awards, they may overlook the award bases. Often overshadowed by more ornate or detailed elements, award bases are nonetheless important. What good is a house without a sturdy foundation? How can a tree grow without strong roots?

The Cristaux International team is passionate about creating meaningful recognition pieces. Our work includes tying together all components of a trophy or gift’s design. For us, it’s important to make the base fit the client’s budget and vision. Award bases are another opportunity for us to make trophies shine.

Importance of Award Bases

A trophy base is the literal foundation for a recognition piece. With a supportive base, one can achieve so much for a design. There are countless benefits and possibilities for award bases.

• They add weight and substance. Everyone finds a light trophy to be underwhelming, but some materials can’t help but weigh little. With an added base, awards can achieve a new weight and feel more significant.
• Bases balance intricate design elements. A plain base can act like the blank walls of an art gallery, by highlighting the masterpiece. Beyond aesthetics, bases also provide physical balance for designs that need it. In some cases, bases are there to keep awards from falling over.
• They provide space for personalization. To add recipient details or company branding, one needs space, and trophy bases do a great job of acting like a canvas.
• While some materials add simplicity, others add complexity. By using different textures or finishes, a base can make a design more intriguing.

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Popular Materials for Award Bases

Some materials are not suitable as award bases. However, there are choices that we consistently reuse because they do such a great job at completing designs. Consider the following options for awards, trophies, and gifts.

Wood

Interestingly, wood trophy bases are perhaps the most popular. Wood is a traditional material that offers a natural effect for many designs. Whether working with walnut or cherry, recognition experts can help decide which variety is right for each award. There are endless options available for different budgets and visions.

Crystal

Crystal is a common choice for recognition pieces that need added weight. At Cristaux, we pride ourselves on how well we work with crystal. This hefty and radiant material will bring a special elegance and elevation to any recognition piece. Also, there are many colors and cuts to explore.

Stone + Marble

Stone and marble trophy bases provide great weight, while adding unique patterns and textures. Each slab of stone tells a special story and captures a truly one-of-a-kind effect. Strong and striking, stone will achieve a natural and beautiful sophistication for award programs.

Acrylic

Acrylic is a cost-effective solution for recognition pieces. We like to think of it as a chameleon of materials. Interestingly, acrylic can take on many different shapes because of how it’s processed and molded. Also, it can be transparent or colored. Acrylic is a truly versatile material.

Metal

Metal is bold, strong, and sleek. While metal is commonly used to make name plates, one can use it to make the bases of awards. Additionally, multiple effects can be achieved when finishing metal. It can be painted, polished, and more.

Ideas for Award Bases

Unique trophy ideas are endless. Whether choosing a special finish or creating a never-seen-before concept, we can make your recognition dreams come true. Consider the following ideas to make award bases stand out.

Personalization

Personalized awards make recognition truly special. Essentially, personalization includes any image or text featured on an award. For a classic award, designers typically engrave personal recipient and program details on the base of the piece. For instance, vendors can include honoree names, program name, year, company name, company logo, or an inspirational quote.

Name Plates

A trophy base with name plates is a traditional and classic choice for recognition programs. Whether decorating employee of the month plaques or sports trophies, this practice has been around for decades. Name plates are convenient and do a beautiful job of adding to a trophy and its history.

Company Branding

Featuring company branded elements on recognition pieces adds to an organization’s image. To feature its brand, a business can use its branded colors, recreate its logo, incorporate company values, and more. Ultimately, it’s important that awards act as an extension of an organization and add to its story.

Strong and Beautiful Bases

With secure award bases, we can create striking and one-of-a-kind recognition pieces. We can experiment until we’ve discovered the perfect design and fabrication for every client. From bottom to top, each element of a creation needs to contribute to the larger concept. Everything has a purpose, and we’re eager to help you realize your vision.

Contact Cristaux to begin designing your awards today.