The Design Process of The 2017 Medals
Every design has a process that embodies the artist's intent. We wanted our medals to be unique while maintaining the traditional aspects of the rewards. Our designers worked very hard to accomplish this task and we at Jiu Jitsu World League are very happy with the results. Below is the story of how our artists designed the 2017 super championship medals to stand alone as unique pieces while combining into something greater as a whole.
1. Make the Concept
2. Design the Shape
3. Add the details
4. Make the Prototypes
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The main idea we wanted to convey with the medals this year was “The Leagueâ€. We wanted to represent the road a competitor travels throughout the year to became a World Champion. A season is a culmination of all of the events not just the individual tournaments. When displayed together the medals illustrate this concept. To earn the 1st place ranking one must earn points at each tournament or risk falling from the top. For those dedicated competitors we hope these medals are a reminder of their efforts along their journey.Â
The first idea that we came out with was a puzzle, something where all the pieces came together creating a bigger canvas.
Our head designer is an important part of Jiu Jitsu World League who has a lot of decision making power when compared to other companies. We contacted him regarding the creation of medals that could combine into something greater than themselves. He loved the concept and immediately started working through different design options.
The first concept he presented was very "blocky" and not as innovative as what we had in mind. After speaking with him, he assured us that it was only his first draft and a rough outline of his plans. With the basic design created he intended to smooth out the edges and instill some inspiration from the environment. Through a bit of deliberation while refining the drawings, he came up with the idea to make the medals look like a snowflake. He told us that the snowflake is one of the more beautiful and perfect shapes in nature, while it is very unique it is also organized. We asked for something like a puzzle and that is what we ultimately received.Â
This first sketch reminded us of snowflake crystals, which I believe are one of the most perfect structures in nature. We decided to go with this idea of a snowflake. The final design is a pattern inspired by natural wonder where every piece is unique but combines into something special.
If you look closely you will see that some of the medals are similar, but they are all unique in their own way. It is very important for us not to become a cookie cutter company no matter how successful or fast we expand.Â
Everything is important- success is in the details.
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