The United Kingdom have had a music chart #1 award for some years now. This provides the chart with huge exposure, especially across social media platforms. However, physical marketing offers unique touch points that are not possible with digital marketing alone. 

Speaking with Mark Crossingham, board member of IRMA and Managing Director of Universal Music Ireland, he explains that this award takes influence from this. These awards are designed to celebrate the industry and boost the exposure of both IRMA and artists. 

Conceptual Design

When creating the concept for the IRMA award, the team knew that to create something worth celebrating, a stand-out design would be needed. Luckily, the Chairman of IRMA, Willie Kavanagh, had contacts with the National College of Art & Design (NCAD), and a competition was initiated with local students to design the new award. 

Students were tasked with both designing and researching manufacturers to deliver a quality product at the right price. From this, the students found our team here at Midton. Following eleven fantastic designs, the entries were judged by the IRMA board and Blathanid Treacy, who presents the Irish Chart run down on RTE’s 2FM.

Following the announcement of the winning students, Kate McKenna and Katie O’Brien, IRMA officially approached us to move forward with production. 

Manufacturing 

The winning treatment was designed to be cast from black acrylic, with two brushed aluminium plates. Both plates represent a number one and a music note, blending the thought process behind the award.

The Sustainable Choice

The manufacturing enquiry arrived at the perfect time for both Midton and IRMA. Having recently developed our new material, Remade, we knew this would be the perfect award to showcase this sustainable option. Composed of 65% industrial waste, and 100% recyclable, Remade offers an eco-conscious option to virgin acrylic, with the same stunning result. The material lends itself to a number of processes, acting the same as virgin acrylic in its ability - making this the obvious choice for awards such as IRMA’s. In a world where we are ever aware of the impact our choices have on the environment, every choice makes a difference. 

Following discussions with the team at IRMA, they were on the same wavelength as us - agreeing that the sustainable choice was the right one. It is always a pleasure to work with clients that share our vision on sustainability! Alongside this, with Midton’s tree planting scheme, this award has already planted hundreds of trees - helping offset our carbon footprint. 

The Result  

The end result of the design and manufacturing process has seen great success. The very first award was presented to Irish band, Inhaler, for their incredible #1 album, “It Won’t Always Be Like This”. Following this, the award has been a huge success, with recipients such as Billie Eilish, Dave, and Ed Sheeran.