It should be pretty obvious that people are intrigued by lists. Humans have been making them for thousands of years, from the long catalogs of Sumerian kings dating back to the 26th century B.C., to the latest top 10 “listicle” that are featured on your favorite blog or online news feed.
Lists even come up in daily conversations whether we realize it or not. “What are your top 5 movies?” or “What are the best places you’ve been to?” are simple questions that we ask and answer daily. We always have our favorites, meaning there’s always an informal list in the back of our head for pretty much anything and everything.
The general consensus is that we enjoy lists because they’re quick and easy to read and often entertaining. They also help us add to our own opinion and introduce us to different ideas and topics that we normally wouldn’t chase after. You can always learn something from a list, even if you’re a so-called expert.
But when a list records a succession of those who have filled a certain role or won a certain honor, it can also be a kind of mini history lesson. Looking down a list of Oscar-winning films, for example, from the silent “Wings” in 1929 to 2022’s “Coda,” is likely to evoke a strong sense of how the movies – and the world – have changed over the last century. A list of Nobel Prize-winning physicists is a capsule history of that science in the last 120 years. Think local: the list of the valedictorians at your high school or each year’s football captain. There will always be succession, and it’s important to immortalize the past and the present for all to see.
A Perennially Interesting List
A perpetual plaque is a kind of list, and one that can stir a sense of history and continuity within your company or organization. Perpetual plaques are one of the easiest ways to commemorate and recognize achievements in sequential order. Not only do they provide motivation to onlookers but they can also be a great way to honor the winners of the past, creating a literal link between recipients over decades.
Looking over a register of all the employees who have won a certain honor over the years may spark reminiscing about work colleagues who have moved on or retired, and how much the company has evolved over time. Those whose names are included on the perpetual plaque will be reminded of the year they won the recognition, with whatever other highlights it may have included.
Even if a perpetual plaque is one that’s updated monthly, it still provides an ongoing link to the past – especially if each plaque that’s filled up with names is saved and put on display. And employees who see the lists of those honored over the years will likely feel an urge to see their names included some day.
Designing The Perfect Plaque
When it comes to choosing a perpetual plaque, consider both function and style. Depending on what you want to showcase and highlight, your first course of action will be to find a plaque that can fit the names you need. There are handcrafted plaques that feature as little as 12 plates if you’re honoring monthly. There are also plaques with space for hundreds of names if you intend on recognizing multiple individuals on a weekly basis.
Consider where the plaque will be displayed, as well. Will the plaque hang in hallways where all can see, or is the perpetual list meant to be more intimate? Not all perpetual lists take the shape of rectangular plaques that adorn walls. There are a variety of out of the box options, like crystal awards that sport perpetual lists. Awards like these can be displayed in waiting room shelves or shared office spaces.
Like all lists, perpetual plaques are endlessly customizable and can fit as many items that cater to you and the organization’s needs. Our wide array of perpetual plaques seek to honor those whose achievements are worth recognizing and honoring for years, perhaps even decades to come.
