Recognition Design & History Walls
Recognizing donors is vital to most non-profits and foundations. Creation of a “donor wall” is a powerful way to publicly express appreciation. To create the best design, Visual Communications takes into account the building’s overall visual aesthetic as well as the tone and message to be conveyed. Structurally, our donor walls function as an extension of the facility, with flexibility for adding on new names in the future. For individual acknowledgment, Visual Communications also creates personalized plaques and other recognition items that complement the donor wall; these are often presented to contributors during commemoration ceremonies.
Our Gallery contains a wide variety of projects we have completed in this area. One unique example is the donor recognition wall we designed for Lifeworks, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to fostering greater understanding of people with disabilities. Our solution for the design of the wall directly reinforced the Lifeworks mission, showcasing the talents of clients with disabilities by engaging them in some of the work (a tactic that also helped save money on the project). Our design started with a large, eye-catching support structure to which colorful slumped glass components in various shapes were attached, each carrying a donor’s name. Lifeworks clients created the tiles as part of their decorative glass art class, generating a spirit of pride and ownership throughout the organization. At the unveiling event, as an expression of thanks, donors received a memento gift that matched their tile on the permanent display.
For over 20 years, Visual Communications has also been adventurously assisting the HealthEast Foundation with creative designs for their facility donor recognition. These include a capital campaign, employee campaign and area donor recognition at HealthEast Saint Joseph’s Hospital; donor recognition, legacy recognition, and physician donor recognition at HealthEast Saint John’s; and many other donor programs at Woodwinds Medical Center and Bethesda Hospital.
