I make awards for running events and one thing we do is have an option where a person who participates in two separate events gets a third award and the idea is that award goes in the middle as as a sort of connector.
We create these awards with different layers, like shown in the picture here. What I’m trying to do is make only the bottom layer of the three awards connect together, sort of like a puzzle, but it isn’t absolutely necessary for them to be firmly connected, just enough to have them more or less fit together.
The tricky part is that whatever I do needs to still look okay when either of the awards (left or right) stand alone. It’s fine if the middle piece is a little awkward on it’s own.
Anyone willing to share suggestions on advice on how to achieve that or the speediest way to make something like that? I move files from Illustrator into Lightburn, but I’m still learning the finer points of Lightburn and it gets a little tougher trying to make shapes that fit together like that.
I’m attaching the files and pictures of the test runs so far. The way it looks and fits together right now isn’t very nice looking. Hoping to figure out a more elegant solution!
Thanks a lot. That’s a great question. These are actually “medals” for run participants. so they are not mounted. I hadn’t added in the hole for the lanyards yet when I took that picture. Each of the three pieces will have a lanyard attached, like this:
Ah, very nice. I thought they were much bigger.
So the idea is to allow the participants who get all three awards to wear them as one item?..two of them won’t have lanyards & should not be permanantly joined together.
So you could cluster them, with/without overlaping.
Horizontal, with/without overlapping.
Verticle, with/without overlapping.
And the piece holding all three has to be laserable and have a link/hole for lanyard.
Attaching medal to frame/holder could be done with Velcro or mini magnet.
How about a Triangle-frame with a circle at each point (Centre of circle at each point of the Triangle)
Laser out the shape of the magnet or velcro and insert into cutout, so magnet/velcro is just proud enough to bond with its opposite, on the reverse of medal.
If you want the medals to slightly overlap, build up the second medal magnet/velcro with extra laser cut circle (same thickness as medal material) so it sits just over the first, and the third…just over the second.
Flat, round/square magnet set into lasercut hole in circle (also for velcro version).
Horizontal and verticle arrangement would only require the middle medal to sit above/proud of the other two.
The magnet version is heavier and medals could become detached if jostled…during the afterparty, but could also act as fridge magnet.
The velcro should be pretty secure, and could be placed on a sideboard like a picture if a leg were attached to the back like with desktop picture frames.
Yes, all 3 would end up having lanyards and they might be worn while linking together (mostly for selfies).
Here’s are examples of the metal versions done in 2011 and 2021. In the case of the 2011 one, the turkeys’ “fists” fit into a corresponding cut-out space in the “middle medal” (also frequently called the “connector” medal).
The participants at both events receive their respective award. But then a smaller portion (a few hundred) who do both get that “middle medal” and connect them to make a sort of “mega medal” there!
So I’m primarily trying to figure out a sort of jigsaw-ish connection between the left and right medals and the middle medal – that still looks acceptable for the left and right when they stand on their own. I could keep that connection the way it is right now, but it’s aesthetically about a 3 on a scale of 1-10!
Well they all look pretty cool in their own way.
But its the orange/brown Turkey etc designs at the top your using this time and a puzzle type linkage…with lanyards on!..well I’ll keep thinkin and let you know if anything comes to mind.
