Elevating the standards of awards design

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[["images-card",{"images":[{"url":"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dpcbzfiye\/image\/upload\/v1458675065\/pcsdixbpofrotyziabmc.jpg","id":"1501"}],"caption":"The appealing curved form and engraved leather band make the tactile Ovali make it difficult to put down."}],["images-card",{"images":[{"url":"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dpcbzfiye\/image\/upload\/v1458675183\/di2yelo6ud6qw3ahkkjv.jpg","id":"1511"}],"caption":"Custom-designed honor award for the Texas Society of Architects"}]],"markups":[["em"],["a",["href","Link to http:\/\/www.trophyology.com\/","target","_new"]]],"sections":[[1,"h2",[[0,[],0,"Austin-based\nTrophyology aims to redefine the architecture of recognition\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The word trophy has a bit of a stigma behind it. What should evoke honor, glory and excellence instead conjures up visions of little plastic soccer players painted gold and glued onto hunks of marble. Professional awards are not much of an improvement: a lot of stock brass nameplates fixed to particle board flimsily veneered in wood grain. We place great value on reward and recognition in the professional environment, but so often the physical manifestations fall short of the honors that they represent and the accomplishments of their recipients."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"As an architect who has worked in award-winning firms, Eva Schone, AIA, is very familiar with the lack of innovation and craft that goes into the average award. \u201cAwards used to be made by jewelers like Tiffany and Company, of high quality design and craftsmanship,\u201d she laments. \u201cSomewhere down the line they become a commodity as demand increased, and the quality has naturally suffered.\u201d"]]],[1,"blockquote",[[0,[0],1,"\u0022Awards used to be made by jewelers like Tiffany and Company, of high quality design and craftsmanship. Somewhere down the line they become a commodity as demand increased, and the quality has naturally suffered.\u0022 "],[0,[],0,"Eva Schone, AIA"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Not content to see great achievements be honored with substandard tokens of appreciation, Schone decided to take matters into her own hands. Her Austin-based business "],[0,[1],1,"Trophyology"],[0,[],0," is seeking to steer the awards industry away from kitschy design and cookie cutter predictability."]]],[1,"h3",[[0,[],0,"Filling a Niche"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Schone founded Trophyology in 2011 while working as an architect at Tom Hurt Architecture. She recognized a prime niche to fill, a business devoted to the design and fabrication of professional awards geared toward a design savvy clientele. The demand was certainly there. Her business has grown quickly over the past four years, acquiring a solid client base that includes Design Within Reach Austin, the Texas Society of Architects, the School of Visual Arts NYC, Austin\u2019s Center for Creative Action, and various AIA chapters across the country. Trophyology is now her full-time job."]]],[1,"blockquote",[[0,[0],1,"\u0022I\u2019m interested in the psychology behind awards and award-giving, the way honors and appreciations are expressed in a physical form.\u0022 "],[0,[],0,"Eva Schone, AIA"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Trophyology awards are defined by bold geometric forms and striking design gestures, like monuments built on a portable scale. But like great architecture, their appeal goes well beyond the visual realm."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI\u2019m interested in the psychology behind awards and award-giving, the way honors and appreciations are expressed in a physical form,\u201d says Schone. \u201cWhen designing an award we consider how an award is handed to the honoree during the ceremony, and how the feel and weight of the award lends importance to the occasion.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[]],[10,0],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"That level of thoughtfulness is evident in pieces such as Ovali, a graceful teardrop shaped wood form wrapped with a hand-dyed, engraved leather band. Its appealing curved form and inviting tactile qualities beg it to be picked up, held, and admired up close. These awards are not intended to collect dust; rather, they are heirloom quality objects intended to stand the test of time and be valued for generations."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Schone brings an architect\u2019s approach to the design of each award, which is appropriate given that so many of her clients are architects themselves. Take the custom walnut and brushed stainless steel stationary box she designed for Dallas architecture firm Corgan, designed to recognize employees with 25 years of service. Schone worked closely with Corgan to understand and interpret the firm\u2019s culture into a meaningful, timeless design. She worked with sketches, renderings and physical mockups to present a number of schematic options before settling on the most appropriate design. The final awards were met with overwhelming enthusiasm and gratitude amongst the recipients at Corgan; there is little doubt that she\u2019s established a return client."]]],[1,"h3",[[0,[],0,"Collaboration is Key"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Collaboration is a crucial component of Trophyology; the striking designs are only as strong as their attention to detail, craftsmanship and materiality. Having grown up in East Germany, Schone points to her heritage as well as the native Bauhaus movement as major influences to her particular sense of design and the value she places on craft and collaboration. Ever mindful of recognizing the hard work and accomplishments of others, Schone is quick to acknowledge the team of local artisans key in making Trophyology designs a reality."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Philip Hernandez is the owner of Austin-based furniture maker Domi Goods. He handles the woodwork for Trophyology, meticulously translating Schone\u0027s designs into sustainability-minded North American hardwoods like walnut and maple. Like everyone involved with Trophyology, he is passionate about good design and committed to the highest standards of craftsmanship."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThese awards really have a lot of appreciation built right into them,\u201d he says. \u201cIf a piece is off by 1\/32 of an inch or there\u2019s a hairline crack in the wood, we discard it and start over. Awards are meant to reflect greatness, so we try to honor that through the quality of our work.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Mike Williamson is Quality Manager at EVS Metal\u2019s Austin facility. While he is tasked with maintaining metalwork standards for everything from electronics to medical equipment, he recognized an elevated challenge in the Trophyology work from the start."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cEva\u0027s designs are clean and precise, so there\u2019s not a lot of room for error on our part,\u201d he says. \u201cThe standards are very high, but in the end, I\u2019m really proud of the work we are producing.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"His attention to precision and craft are crucial for pieces like the custom-designed honor award for the Texas Society of Architects, a cantilevered block of beautifully grained long leaf pine supported by a meticulously fabricated carbon steel frame."]]],[1,"p",[]],[10,1],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cI\u2019m inspired by people who do absolutely incredible things,\u201d Schone says. \u201cThings that you can\u2019t even imagine being accomplished.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Shouldn\u2019t the tokens of appreciation strive to match those accomplishments? Although four years young, Trophyology has amassed a portfolio of work that strives for just that."]]],[1,"p",[]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Dan Madryga is an associate editor for Competitions Magazine and an intern architect for One World Architecture in Louisville, Ky."]]]]}