How to be a retirement gift giving hero
A colleague is retiring and you have been given the unenviable task of organising the retirement gift.
Panic sets in and through the cold sweat you think, ‘What to get, what to get!’
Your workmates are of little help “I’m sure you’ll think of something great” they say as they scurry away.
The office seems to spin around you as you stand there in panic! Where to start!!
Know the feeling?
Want to be able to laugh in the face of the chore of retirement or award gift decision-making and procurement and have pats on the back every time?
Well choosing the perfect retirement gift that will bring laughter and joy, plus remain a memento for years to come, is easy.
There are two important considerations in dealing with a retirement gift.
The first is maybe acknowledging where the person has worked. This is why gifts are often engraved, to remind the retiree of where the gift came from.
So a coffee mug may have ‘All the best from XYZ Company’.
The second is to look at what the retiree is planning on doing after leaving work. They may be going to a new career or undertaking a favourite hobby.
In this case they may receive a set of golf club head covers…or well, you get the idea.
However, it is possible to present a leaving gift that covers each, or both of these needs and will give the givers and the recipient great joy.
The solution is to give a retirement caricature gift.
A retirement caricature is a fun picture that shows the ‘victim’ in a scene or pose that is humorous. This could be based on their working career or on their future, or a combination of both!
This means there is huge scope to include aspects of their time spent at the place of employment plus if desired aspects of the person’s future plans.
By using a web-based caricature service you can get the caricature drawn from supplied photos.
Digital caricatures provide the best flexibility in use – but should not be confused with a warped photo. A caricature will first be hand sketched by the artist using the supplied photo as the reference. Then they ink in the main lines and scan the image into their computer.
From there they use digital colouring tools, often in programs like Photoshop, to add the colors and textures.
Depending on the artist the image will be vibrant or perhaps more of a gentle pastel colour. This is the great think about sites like caricatureking.com – you have a selection of artists to choose from!
Once your digital caricature is delivered by email, you have great scope in how to use it. Uses can include:
- Framed (they look great on the wall)
- On a Tshirt
- Printed on a coffee mug
- Printed on a range of other items
US and Australian customers can even order a printed and framed ready to present package!
On the day, at the presentation people will remember the person leaving, but what they will remember is the amazing response from the person leaving and the fact that you were Sooooo clever in getting such a great gift!
