We designed and crafted the SXSW Award for and in collaboration with the incredibly successful South by South West Festival. The chosen trophy design is a brilliant solution to the program. Because the award is crafted in Lucite, the color can be easily changed year-to-year and for multiple programs in any given year.
There is a sublime beauty in the simplicity of the design. The trophy is a perfect recreation of the festival’s iconic logo, thus making it instantly recognizable and very desirable for anyone familiar with the brand. Each award is crafted from luxurious Lucite acrylic, which has some of the glorious prismatic qualities of crystal with greater flexibility. In addition, the material is much lighter than crystal, and for this shape is a more durable choice. Despite a lower weight, the form feels remarkably valuable. To hold this custom trophy, it’s fully apparent that this is a luxury object.
The surface is expertly hand polished to a glossy sheen that emphasizes Lucite’s quality. For 2018, different colors of Lucite were chose for each honor (seven in total). The front of each trophy is engraved with the corresponding program name, which is then color filled with white for contrast.