Idaho Business Review Awards

Idaho Business Review is one of Trademark's oldest and most highly-regarded customers. The relationship first formed in late 2009 when someone from the Review wrote an article about how Trademark, then a fledgling design company, secured its funding in the midst of a brutal recession. They were impressed with the skills and range of Trademark's designers, and consulted with Trademark about their upcoming Women of the Year awards. Trademark helped reshape their idea, adding an artistic touch that both companies were satisfied with.

From there, Idaho Business Review gave Trademark free reign for the 40 Under 40 awards.

Pieces of plasma-cut, power-coated steel were bent into the appropriate shape. The award recognized achievements of business people under the age of 40, so naturally the downward-pointing arrow is symbolic of the recipients' youth. Layers of laser-cut and laser-etched acrylic were then mounted to the steel.

Mirrored acrylic was used for the name plate, yielding an attractive, interesting, and meaningful award -- one that any business person would be proud to display on his or her desk.

Since then, Idaho Business Review has come to Trademark time and again for their awards, forging a lasting and satisfying business relationship. Sometimes design ideas are bounced back and forth, while other times the Review trusts Trademark with most of the creative process. Like any project, a more complicated design idea requires some brainstorming. For instance, to help visualize how these pieces of translucent acrylic would interact, Trademark's designers made several hand-sketches for the 2011 Grow Smart awards:

For these awards, it was important to highlight both the urban component, as well as the "green" benefits that careful planning provide. Three pieces of laser-etched acrylic were combined to make a beautifully layered scene. When viewed in bright light the piece simply glows.

The front piece was made with laser-cut, 1/4" plywood, and the award was assembled with simple yet attractive stainless-steel hardware.

The Best Places to Work in Idaho awards took the form of a more traditional wall-mounted plaque, but that didn't stop Trademark's designers from making the awards truly stand out.

A striking combination of acrylic and vinyl were cut and mounted to each other using VHB tape. Here's a series of partially completed awards on the assembly table:

Despite being mounted to the wall, these plaques are still very dimensional. The state of Idaho was cut from 1/4" acrylic, and the cast shadow really grabs attention. 

In previous years, the Women of the Year awards utilized custom blue glass features from a local glass blower. The 2012 Women of the Year awards remained consistent with this theme. Blue glass statues were laser-etched, and the final effect is both elegant and distinct -- the product of true artists.

Finally, and most recently, Trademark completed the CEO of Influence awards. Pieces of 3" square steel tubing were cut into the appropriate shape, and an attractive piece of laser-etched, mirrored-gold acrylic was mounted using stainless-steel hardware.

Finally, a piece of clear, laser-cut acrylic was mounted on top. The etched name, as well as the outline of the state of Idaho reflect off the mirrored underlay, giving a exceptionally clean, polished, and simple effect.

The awards are sturdy and beautiful -- a fitting and lasting tribute to some of Idaho's most influential businessmen.