Functional Awards: 20 Creative Ideas for Thoughtful Recognition
A dress with pockets. An ottoman with hidden storage. A retractable Murphy bed. What do all these things have in common? Great functionality! Humans love innovative designs that make life easier. In the world of recognition, functional awards are the Swiss Army Knife of high-quality, custom awards and gifts. These pieces bring a new experience to life, by giving recipients something to interact with.
Why can’t awards be practical? We can celebrate outstanding achievements with grace and class. while providing recipients with a handy-dandy tool or gift. We’re excited to dig in and discover what makes a functional award.
What Is a Functional Award?
A functional award is like any other recognition piece, but it possesses a special function or capability. It’s like a trophy with a superpower. An example would be a wine glass engraved and gifted to an award recipient.
For some designs, functional awards are hands-on and feature elements that are added to the original piece. For instance, you can create plaques for a certification program. Instead of creating a new piece each year, you can create one that hosts medallions that represent each year.
Benefits of Functional Awards
When you discover anything in life that appeals to the eye yet is still practical, you feel like you have hit the jackpot. Perks of functional awards include:
- Smart designs
- Usefulness and practicality
- Brand association with purposefulness
- Grateful, fulfilled recipients
- Positive culture of recognition and appreciation
20 Ideas for Functional Awards
Anything can be used as a functional award or gift. Sometimes, it’s as easy as creating company swag. Regardless, here are 20 ideas for functional awards, gifts, and recognition.
- Years of service awards complete with yearly add-ons
- Clocks
- Personalized box or humidor
- Badge clips or reels
- Luggage tags
- Magnets
- Paperweight
- Wine accessories like openers, corkscrews, and chillers
- Champagne flutes
- Ring holder
- Kitchen and dining ware like crystal bowls and wooden cutting boards
- Pen and pen case
- Book ends
- Glass dish or vase
- Business card holder
- Flashlight
- Company branded mug or thermos
- Keychain
- Photo frame
- Desk name plate
Function Meets Finesse
Beauty and convenience are not mutually exclusive. When designing custom awards and select creations, we can have the best of both worlds. Functional awards and gifts provide award recipients with something they can admire and use in everyday life or on special occasions. Ultimately, innovative and purposeful designs allow recipients to relive those unforgettable moments of recognition.
Contact Cristaux to begin designing your functional awards today.