Plaques

A plaque is a plate of metal, wood, stone or ceramic that is attached to a wall, freestanding stone, building, or any other vertical surface. They are used to commemorate historical events like a war or a battle. They are also used as memorials and dedications to people who have had significant influence on places, events and organizations. They are frequently used as awards and also simply as a decorative markers for homes and businesses.

Wall Plaques

Virtually anything can be made into a plaque. Various kinds of plaques include engraved metal plaques, engraved wood plaques, and mounted plaques. Mounted plaques are especially versatile because anything made of paper can be made into a plaque, including certificates, newspaper clippings, diplomas, drawings, photo prints and anything else that has a light paper base.

Award Plaques

Simple wall plaques are often used as awards instead of things like trophies. Plaques take up far less space and allow for much more creativity than sculpted trophies. In addition, award plaques can be made in any shape or style, in a variety of colors and with innumerable additions. They can include sculpted pieces, photographs, metal etchings and engravings.

Perpetual awards that reside, not with the person who won the award, but with the establishment that gave it away, allow a person’s name and deed to be put down forever with his or her fellows who won the same award. This kind of award has a different kind of permanence than the awards we take home. Perpetual award plaques show us who came before as well as immortalizing the current winner for future generations to see and wonder about.

Memorial Plaques

Yet another kind of visual recognition is the memorial plaque. These plaques are often dedicated to a person who has passed away but they can also be a means of commemorating a significant historical event, like a war or a large-scale public tragedy. Memorial plaques can also be used in place of traditional stones as grave markers, or to accompany urns as a deceased’s final resting place. Memorial plaques can include poems that remind the living of the one who passed on, personal quotes from that person or famous quotes that he or she liked. These plaques can also have die cast additions or etched likenesses of the person or place that is central to the memorial. Memorial plaques show love and respect to those who have passed away by continually reminding the living of their contributions to family and society.