Imaginables & XYZ Workshop Design Magenta, Gravity Defying, 3D Printed Trophies for DIA Graduates of the Year

3D printing is a winner all around as far as one of our most popular and contemporary technologies. With its accessibility and affordability come numerous and substantial benefits to users around the world who are offered the chance to be even more creative and innovative. 3D printing is a very generous technology as well in what it offers as far as customization options in design, self-sustainability in manufacturing, and more.

Recently, Imaginables and XYZ Workshop harnessed all these great benefits to allow for the celebration of six very special individuals: the Graduates of the Year (GOTYA) for 2015 at The Design Institute of Australia. At the end of the year, everyone is ready to get together and have some fun in looking back, looking forward–and most of all, saying goodbye to studies and projects for a while, at least. But it’s always important to take time out as well to give accolades to those special students we all know went far beyond the extra mile. This year, Imaginables and XYZ Workshop used 3D printing to make something relevant in terms of design, while offering personalization too.

“We worked within the design brief and the budget allocated to us to create the awards,” said Kae Woei Lim, who designed the awards. “The design blended a unique typography that expressed a sort of resonance emanating from the text.”

The awards, printed on an Ultimaker 2, have a very modern look, and certainly look like something you’d enjoy having on the mantelpiece much more than that of the traditional gold-plated and bulky style which has become very outdated–whether sports enthusiasts realize it or not. This award looks like something an artist would indeed receive, offering vibrancy, innovation, and aesthetics.

“I wanted to design a trophy that seemed to defy gravity. The lean in the trophies was achieved by carefully playing with the infill to offset the object’s centre of gravity,” Kae Woei explained.

“I think the addition of the engraved plates really helped finished the overall look of the awards,” said Kae Woei.

This GOTYA award is the culmination of a portfolio-based DIA program rewarding the most excellent students as they complete their final year. The 3D printed awards were given to those excelling in the categories of:

• Industrial Design
• Interior Design
• Interior Decoration
• Graphic Design
• Fashion Design
• Jewelery Design

Annually, teachers in every state are allowed to submit nominations for their best design students to be admitted to state level GOTYA programs. In that case, each designer submits three studio projects before actually being interviewed by judges.

The DIA was so thrilled with the way the awards came out that they have requested for Imaginables and XYZ Workshop to produce them for the best of the graduates next year also.

These awards are also a great example of the independence allowed through 3D printing–and especially for creating cool items within an organization. Rather than just sending out an order to a vendor who glues a plaque and a name on the towering conventional brass statue, artists themselves were able to design a very different take on the accolade, and make something extremely appropriate for the recipients. What are your thoughts on these designs?  Let us know in the 3D Printed Trophy Forum thread on 3DPB.com.