We didn’t win the award this year. We made the awards.

We didn’t win it. We made it.

Petit Gaudí did not win this year’s Barcelona Comerç innovation award. But I was commissioned again to design and produce the awards themselves. I make these pieces under my personal design brand UNIC ICONIC, working with Mosaics Martí on the customised hydraulic mosaic. It is a chance to show the work behind an object that spends a moment on stage and many years with the recipient.

From brief to finished award

The first step is to understand what is being recognised, who is giving the award and who will receive it. Then I work out the shape, materials, structure and personalisation. Names, categories and dates must be checked before production: a spelling mistake can be engraved just as neatly as the correct text.

Barcelona Comerç, 2024–2026

In 2024 I created the awards for the nineteenth Barcelona Comerç ceremony. In 2026 I returned for the twentieth edition. The shape resembles a shopping bag, an immediately recognisable symbol of neighbourhood retail. Each piece combines a wooden structure with a custom-made hydraulic mosaic.

Two variants share the same construction. The standard version combines blue and grey tones; the award for European commitment to commerce includes a raised red V. The design distinguishes each category while retaining the material language of the collection.

The 2026 European commitment award recognised the late Francis Palombi and his work defending independent and local retail. Congratulations to innovation-award winner La Crema Kiosk and to all the people and organisations honoured at the ceremony.

COOOC: the third consecutive year

For the third year in a row, I have also produced awards for the Col·legi Oficial d’Òptics Optometristes de Catalunya. These personalised wooden pieces come in natural and blue finishes, celebrating professional distinctions and milestones such as 30, 40 or 50 years of involvement in the association.

What makes a series feel considered

An award is not only about its silhouette. I check how the wood and mosaic fit together, the edges, the mounting and the legibility of the engraving. The materials retain their grain, pores and subtle variations, but the assembly still needs precision and consistency across a series.

The Petit Gaudí principles

Made by hand. A recognisable icon. Visible imperfection. Those three ideas guide the projects I accept. Sometimes I make an object directly; other times a specialist craftsperson joins the work. Mosaics Martí’s hydraulic mosaic for the Barcelona Comerç awards is one such collaboration.

How to commission handmade awards

To start a proposal, tell me what you are celebrating, the number of pieces, the delivery date and an approximate budget. We can then agree the design, materials and personalisation, check every name and produce the final series.

Discuss a handmade award for your organisation.

Original article in Spanish · Original article in Spanish