The holidays are a time for designers, design offices and studios to give and receive stockings filled with swag, from cleverly curated objects to bespoke food baskets and drink. Since 2020, however, I’ve noticed that the curated object category—especially products made by the gift giver that double as exemplary of their respective talents—has notably decreased. The likely reason is that manufacturing costs have sky-rocketed from tariffs. Even the once-elaborate gifts I used to receive have seen the quality of their novelty chipped away.
This year I’ve decided to give the best an award. And so the 2025 Best Designer Gift Custom Made or Curated goes to Frank Viva’s V&Co: Client Merit Badges.
To tell you the truth, it is the only gift I received this year.
“The idea came about during our annual team holiday promotion session, which always involves a lot of wine and takeout food,” Viva told me when I wrote to thank him, adding, “The main criteria for the project were:
“Practicality: Not too expensive and easy to mail.
“Tone: Cheeky, fun, and entertaining.
“Showcase: Something that highlights our strengths, particularly combining words with image, design and/or illustration.
“We created these ‘awards’ to communicate what the studio appreciates most in our client relationships. A couple of them focus on day-to-day issues, like providing thoughtful briefs and paying invoices promptly, while others reflect how we see ourselves—for instance, our focus on problem-solving (design thinking) and our commitment to striving for simplicity.”
This could become the standard for acknowledging the best of a sometimes prickly business relationship where the designer determines who’s been naughty or nice.
The post The Daily Heller: Merit Badges for Clients appeared first on PRINT Magazine.