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Mistakes to Avoid When Ordering Framed Awards

Frames

Ordering a framed award should be about more than finding a frame that looks good. The biggest mistake is choosing the frame before considering how the entire story, article, photograph, personalization, and finished display will work together. At That’s Great News, we help customers turn newspaper and magazine features, professional accomplishments, and other meaningful recognition into custom displays, and one of the most useful steps in the process is seeing the design before production. Customers can request a free custom plaque preview before deciding to order.

That preview-first approach is especially valuable when the finished award is something you expect to display for years in an office, lobby, conference room, reception area, or home.

1. Choosing the Frame Before Thinking About the Story

This is one of the easiest mistakes to make.

You see a beautiful frame and think, That’s the one I want.

But a framed award isn’t an empty picture frame. The design has to accommodate the material you’re actually preserving.

A newspaper article may include:

A headline
Multiple columns of text
Photographs
A publication name
A company logo
Captions
Dates
Additional recognition
A personalized nameplate

Trying to force all of that into a predetermined frame can result in a display that feels crowded.

That’s Great News recommends starting with the achievement first and the frame second.

Ask yourself:

What do I want someone to notice first when they walk past this award?

That answer should influence the layout, size, and frame selection.

Whether you’re ordering from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, or elsewhere in the Eastern Time Zone, the principle is the same: design around the story rather than forcing the story into a frame.

2. Skipping the Preview

If you’re ordering a custom framed award without seeing how it will look first, you’re giving up one of the easiest opportunities to catch design problems.

This is particularly important when your award contains more than a simple name and date.

At That’s Great News, customers can request a free digital plaque preview before purchasing. The preview page explains that customers receive their design by email within 48–72 hours, with no obligation to purchase.

Request a Free Plaque Preview from That’s Great News

That gives you an opportunity to look at the actual proposed arrangement instead of imagining what the finished piece might look like.

What should you look for in your preview?

Check:

Is the recipient’s name correct?
Is the article readable?
Does the photograph have enough space?
Is the logo positioned appropriately?
Does the personalization look balanced?
Is anything unnecessarily crowded?
Does the overall design feel professional?
Does the size make sense for the wall where it will hang?

A preview isn’t just about catching spelling errors.

It’s about seeing whether the entire story works visually.

3. Making Everything Equally Important

Here’s an honest opinion from the That’s Great News perspective:

More isn’t automatically better.

Customers can sometimes be tempted to include every photograph, every line of text, multiple logos, additional borders, and several decorative elements.

The result can be a framed award where nothing stands out.

A strong display needs a visual hierarchy.

For example, if the reason you’re ordering the award is a newspaper feature about your business, the article may deserve to be the primary element.

A photograph can support it.

A personalized nameplate can identify the achievement.

Your company logo can reinforce the brand.

The frame finishes the presentation.

Each element has a job.

The goal isn’t to make every element compete for attention. The goal is to make the important part impossible to miss.

This is one of the areas where custom framing differs from simply putting a clipping into a retail picture frame.

4. Choosing a Size That Looks Good on Your Computer but Too Small on the Wall

A design can look perfectly readable on a monitor and still become difficult to read once it’s hanging several feet away.

That’s because your computer screen gives you the ability to zoom in.

Your office wall doesn’t.

When deciding on the size of a framed award, think about:

How much original material you’re preserving
The amount of text
The number of photographs
Where the award will hang
How far away people will view it
Whether it will be displayed by itself or alongside other awards

At That’s Great News, framed and plaque-style projects can vary considerably in size depending on the amount of content and the desired presentation.

Don’t ask only, “Will everything fit?”

Ask:

“Will everything still look good when it’s hanging on the wall?”

That’s a much better question.

5. Treating a Newspaper or Magazine Article Like a Regular Photograph

A photograph and a published article have very different design requirements.

A photograph can often stand on its own.

An article contains information that people may actually want to read.

That means the design has to account for readability.

This is particularly important for customers preserving:

Newspaper articles
Magazine features
Business profiles
Professional recognition
Community news
Industry publications
Media coverage

That’s Great News specializes in transforming published recognition into finished plaques and framed displays rather than simply placing a clipping behind glass.

The difference is important.

You’re not just framing paper. You’re preserving the story behind the paper.

6. Forgetting About the Personalized Nameplate

The article tells people what happened.

The personalization can help explain why the display matters to you.

A nameplate might include a person’s name, company, accomplishment, date, or another meaningful detail.

But the nameplate shouldn’t compete with the article.

It should complement it.

This is another reason to review the entire design before approving production. A line of text that seems small when you’re ordering can have a very different visual impact once combined with the article, photographs, frame, and other elements.

At That’s Great News, personalization is part of creating a finished recognition piece rather than simply reproducing the original publication.

7. Waiting Until the Last Minute

This mistake isn’t unique to framed awards, but it can cause unnecessary stress.

A custom display involves more than putting something into a frame.

There may be:

Design preparation
Previewing
Customer revisions
Approval
Production
Finishing
Shipping

If the award is for a retirement, company celebration, anniversary, office opening, conference, or other specific event, give yourself enough time to review the design rather than rushing through the process.

Other award companies commonly recommend allowing several weeks for custom award projects, particularly when design approval and production are involved.

The more important the presentation, the less sense it makes to leave the ordering process until the last possible moment.

8. Assuming the Cheapest Frame Is the Best Choice

Price matters.

But the lowest-priced option isn’t necessarily the best value when you’re preserving something meaningful.

Think about what you’re actually buying.

You’re not just buying a frame.

You’re creating a display for something that may represent:

A major career accomplishment
A business milestone
A professional recognition
Years of hard work
A memorable media feature
A personal achievement

The frame becomes part of how that achievement is presented.

That’s why Classic Frame is an option worth considering when you want a traditional, professional presentation. It can give a newspaper or magazine feature a more finished appearance while helping the entire piece feel like a recognition display rather than a clipping placed in a standard retail frame.

You can explore the different presentation options available from That’s Great News through the company’s frame and plaque examples.

Explore That’s Great News Frame & Plaque Options

9. Trying to Design Everything Yourself

There’s nothing wrong with having a vision.

In fact, you should.

You should know:

What achievement you’re preserving
Who you’re recognizing
What content matters most
Where the finished award will be displayed
What kind of overall look you prefer

But there’s a difference between knowing what you want and knowing exactly how to lay everything out for a physical display.

A framed award has real-world considerations that aren’t always obvious on a computer screen.

The finished piece has:

Physical dimensions
Readability
Spacing
Material considerations
Frame proportions
Wall presence
Visual hierarchy

That’s why a preview is so useful.

You bring the story.

The design process helps turn that story into something that works as a physical display.

10. Forgetting Where the Award Will Actually Hang

Before ordering, look at the wall.

Seriously.

Take a few minutes and consider the actual location.

Is it going into:

A reception area?
An executive office?
A conference room?
A hallway?
A medical office?
A law office?
A home office?
A lobby?
A collection of other awards?

The surrounding environment can influence the appropriate size and style.

For example, a large framed recognition piece can make sense as a focal point in a lobby. A smaller display may work better when several awards are being arranged together.

The best frame isn’t necessarily the prettiest one by itself. It’s the one that makes sense with the achievement and the space.

11. Not Thinking About the Person Who Will See It Every Day

The person ordering the award isn’t always the person who will display it.

You might be ordering for:

A business owner
A physician
An attorney
An executive
An employee
A retiree
A family member
A professional colleague

Think about what would make that person proud to put it on the wall.

A generic award can recognize an accomplishment.

A thoughtfully designed framed display can tell the story of the accomplishment.

That’s an important distinction.

A Better Way to Order a Framed Award

Instead of starting with:

“Which frame should I buy?”

Start with these questions:

1. What am I preserving?

Is it an article, photograph, publication, award, announcement, or combination of materials?

2. What is the most important part?

Choose the element you want people to notice first.

3. Where will it be displayed?

Think about the actual wall, not just the product page.

4. How much content needs to remain readable?

More content may require a larger finished design.

5. What personalization should be included?

Decide what information adds meaning without overcrowding the display.

6. What frame style fits the achievement?

Consider whether a traditional Classic Frame or another presentation style better matches the setting.

7. Can I see the design before ordering?

This is where a free preview from That’s Great News can make the decision much easier.

See Your Custom Plaque Design Before You Order

What Makes a Framed Award Worth Displaying?

The best framed awards don’t simply contain information.

They make the achievement easy to understand.

Someone walking into the room should be able to look at the display and recognize:

Who was recognized.

What happened.

Why it mattered.

And ideally, why the person or organization was proud enough to preserve it.

That’s what makes the difference between a newspaper clipping in a frame and a professionally presented recognition display.

That’s Great News has built its process around helping customers preserve published recognition as a finished plaque or framed display. The company’s website currently highlights a three-step process: request a free preview, review the preview, then select options and order.

For customers throughout the Eastern Time Zone—including Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and other Eastern Time locations—the same basic rule applies:

Don’t choose the frame first. Start with the story, see the design, then choose the presentation that makes the achievement look its best.

Ready to See Your Framed Award Before Ordering?

If you’ve been featured in a newspaper or magazine, or have another achievement you’d like to turn into a professional display, you don’t have to guess what the finished design will look like.

That’s Great News lets you request a free custom plaque preview before you purchase.

The preview gives you the opportunity to see the proposed design, consider the layout, and decide whether the finished presentation is right for your achievement.

Request Your Free Preview from That’s Great News

Your achievement already has a story. The right framed award makes sure people see it.

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