Developing Custom Plaques for a Corporate Client

Ad Crucem supplies custom plaques to the benefits management firm, Portico.

Recently, Portico Benefit Services asked Ad Crucem to make eight custom plaques to be gifted to departing Board Members. Portico’s representative had a firm idea for the solid cherry wood plaques, which made quoting and final execution relatively straightforward.

The client selected Ad Crucem’s 12-inch 3D Luther Rose in a ‘roundel’ format with a custom typeface for the solas, and a few other unique touches. There was also a request for the plaques to include a stand for each one so that they could be displayed, say, on a desk, rather than hanging on a wall. Finally, each plaque needed to have a customized message laser-engraved on the reverse. It was also critical to ensure we had sufficient inventory of the raw materials, finishing products, and packaging. Ad Crucem used 90% American-sourced and made raw materials for this project, and 100% American labor.

Ad Crucem’s Luther Rose 3D Model

Ad Crucem’s Luther Rose Solas plaque.

With the details and expectations clarified, Ad Crucem could provide a quote for the whole project from customization to final delivery by a specified date.

Our design engineer started with vectorizing the requested custom font based on a supplied image. Then, he modified the original 3D Luther Rose for the new design. That provided the basis for a rendering that the client was asked to approve for the first prototype.

Rendering of the custom Luther Rose plaque.

With the rendering approved, we worked with our design engineer to optimize production, prioritizing high-quality finishing over speed, despite having to do eight plaques with stands on a fairly tight deadline. The project was priced in a way that did not allow for any production errors, so the highest risk was any mistake that caused one or more plaques to be discarded. The risks were not confined to machining, but also to the required hand-finishing touches (final routing, sanding and polishing, sealing).

Bits were selected for roughing and finishing, and then coded for output, using a combination of Vectric V-Carve and Aspire, to the CNC machine, enabling the first prototype to be made. That sample revealed a small error, which was corrected.

CNC milled in phases. The right-hand side shows the initial “roughing”. The left-hand side shows the completion of the first 3D finishing phase.

Luther Rose 3D milling and v-carve text completed. The next step is cutting out the ‘roundel’.

Finished Custom Luther Rose plaque prototype.

With final approval for production, the CNC was freshly greased, cleaned, and checked over for almost 70 hours of total output, a lot of which would run overnight (our neighbors are grateful for the insulation in our garage that traps most of the noise). The whole project took approximately 110 hours, including every aspect of production - liaison, design, CNC, laser, finishing, boxing, and shipping.

Reaching the end of final hand-finishing.

With plaque production moving to completion, attention turned to the stands, which had to be fully customized to fit the plaques, be attractive, and not topple over. Several models were created and then tested with scrap materials. After a little trial and error, a good design emerged and was adorned with a simple 2D Luther Rose to give it more character.

Final prototype of the plaque stand.

Mass production of the plaque stands, which are made from the highest quality Baltic birch plywood.

Since each plaque was personalized with a laser-engraved message and logo on the reverse, the client was sent a document to approve the text for each one. This added another layer of risk because any error with the laser engraving would require a new plaque to be made.

With each plaque being lasered, design and development shifted to the presentation boxing. We wanted each plaque to have a sturdy, attractive box that included client branding and that would have “unboxing impact”. Boxes were sourced that fit the overall dimensions, and custom inserts were created from foam core using the laser to cut the design and engrave the logo. This ensured each plaque was secure and would not be damaged during shipping.

Final packaging of the custom Luther Rose plaque and stands.

With all production completed, the plaques were individually packaged, boxed, and shipped to Portico in Minneapolis, well ahead of the deadline for presentation to the recipients.

The final eight plaques with stands (one in the box at right).

It’s always a little nerve-wracking to send off a custom bulk-order shipment like this because it is not inexpensive for the client. You want the recipients to be delighted, so that the client is pleased, while balancing the time and cost required to achieve a result that is not ridiculously expensive.

Fortunately, the outcome was terrific for us and the client, and Ad Crucem has won repeat business.

We want your business, too! If you have a custom or bulk order project that will be unique and unlike any of the corporate gifts imported from China, please feel free to send us an enquiry.