Dove—
crown Awards

Dove partnered with Joy Collective to honor influential Black women and support the Crown Act (Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair), a law that bans discrimination based on hair texture and style.

This prestigious award recognized prominent figures, including Ruby Bridges, the first Black woman to desegregate schools in the South, Latoya Cantrell, the Mayor of New Orleans, and Issa Rae, the lead actress in the HBO Max show "Insecure." This event highlighted both the importance of celebrating trailblazing women and the ongoing fight for inclusion, representation, and equality.

The project involved creating an award that was wearing a crown, but was implemented in a way that flowed naturally and didn’t seem “forced” and visualized high-value.

Rapid prototyping in a jiff

A project where I’m working with minimal information is always a challenge but I tend to find that I can get enough information from the client during the first meeting to get them a design that is in alignment with their vision.

This particular client happened to have an event date that was incredibly soon after the initial inquiry of the project.

After managing the client’s expectations on what was feasible, I modeled, 3D printed, and finished several metallic gold versions for them to review. The client selected a design to use for the event, and afterward, I refined the final version to perfectly meet their vision.

3D Printed Crowns Before Painting.
UV Curing a Crown Prototype.
CAD of Event Model.
CAD of Final Model
Earlier Crown Iteration.
Another Earlier Crown Iteration.

The final design featured a metallic gold circular crown on a cylindrical crystal form with a regal, sharp facade— atop a lofted crystal base with fading chamfers.

Also, included are photos of the award made specifically to meet the event’s deadline— Issa Rae can be seen holding the award and giving an acceptance speech.