Between stag and legend – how we show our appreciation for each other with medals

Since 2017, we have been recognizing the work of our colleagues by awarding medals. An insight into the background of these awards has been available for some time in the article on "Company Gamification". Over time, however, a lot has happened in the area of our medals: a complete redesign through the switch to internal 3D production and the introduction of new medal levels to match the growing number of long-standing employees.

Appreciation is not just a cliché for us, it is something we live by

Did a colleague cover for you during a tricky project? Did a teammate do a remarkable job filling in for you while you were away? Or did the dev team quietly and reliably work through bugs and tickets week after week? We experience moments like these time and time again. And for eight years now, we've been making sure they don't go unnoticed by awarding our medals! This ritual takes place at irregular intervals, whenever someone on the team deserves a special moment of appreciation.

To ensure that these special moments are not overlooked, we rely on everyone's commitment: nominations are not made by a designated committee, but come from the entire team. Anyone can nominate anyone, and that is precisely what makes our medals so valuable – because they are awarded on the initiative of individual employees. To ensure that medals are not awarded arbitrarily, the person proposing an award gives a short laudatory speech and explains why and for what the medal is being awarded.

The effect of badges as a form of recognition

When employees receive a badge – for example, as a token of special achievement, commitment or attitude – it has an impact that goes far beyond mere symbolism. From a psychological point of view, such visible awards have several effects: they create visibility, a sense of belonging and motivation.

According to Thomas Ellenberger, who researched how game-like elements work in companies for us, gamification approaches can help to change culture and behavior in a targeted manner. Our badges serve as an indication of the values and behavior that are desired within the company. They promote a common recognition system that all employees are aware of: "This is what counts for us." They create motivational dynamics by making employees realize: "My performance is seen and valued."

By regularly awarding such badges, appreciation becomes visible not only in individual cases, but also becomes part of the corporate culture. The public nature of the award – combined with a short laudatory speech – reinforces the effect: it creates a moment of recognition in front of the team, which in turn recognizes what behavior is considered exemplary.

Badges serve not only as rewards, but also as tools for reinforcing cultural and behavioral goals. They help to embed desired standards in everyday life, make commitment visible and strengthen the sense of community.

Our orders are divided into three categories: loyalty, merit and special

Loyalty

Loyalty medals are awarded for 3, 5, 7 or 10 years at Apps with love. An update will soon be needed here, as the first employees will reach their 15th anniversary in 2026! In addition to the medal, employees receive a wish. Apps with love helps to fulfill this wish either by financing or implementing it.

Merit

Orders of Merit are awarded when employees impress with their performance, attitude and cleverness. The entire team is encouraged to continuously nominate colleagues. Until the end of 2024, there were only four levels of merit awards. The first is achieved upon the first nomination, the second upon the second, and so on. So it was only a matter of time before some of our long-standing colleagues would reach the highest level.

That is why we have increased the number in 2025: five new levels now bring the total to nine. That should suffice for now.

Special

Special orders are awarded when a "normal" order of merit is not sufficient to express recognition. The special order is the rarest of all categories and therefore its award is something very special: in all these years, only 16 of these awards have been presented.

Ceremonial handover

The awarding of a medal is, of course, a solemn occasion that deserves to be celebrated. That is why it takes place during a team meeting or at another suitable event, such as the Christmas dinner or strategy day. A fanfare is played, everyone stands up, the medal is presented, the laudatory speech is read out, and there is applause.

Since introducing our "award system", we have already presented a total of 265 awards to our employees.

Modelling, 3D printing, magnets and lots of love

If we wanted to make it easy on ourselves, we would simply mention the nominee at the team meeting and give them a small thank-you gift, such as a bar of chocolate, but where would that leave the fun of making things ourselves? That's why we make our own medals using our 3D printer called "Antonio Filamenti". Like all our employees, Antonio is very reliable. He may soon be nominated for a medal. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ideas & Modelling

The initial ideas are usually sketched out with pen and paper. These ideas are then digitally traced and refined in Adobe Illustrator. Only then do we convert the medals into 3D objects. To do this, we use the open source software blender.

Slicing

Once the models have been completed in the 3D tool, we export them as a 3D exchange format such as STL and then prepare them for 3D printing in a so-called "slicer". A slicer "cuts" the 3D file into thin horizontal layers (slices), which the 3D printer outputs one after the other, on top of each other. The slicer automatically calculates the speed and temperature of the print head from which the molten plastic is extruded. Despite many automatic functions, it is sometimes necessary to manually override the print settings in the slicer in order to achieve the perfect result.
A print pause can also be pre-programmed in the slicer. We need this to insert a magnet into the medal during printing. So that the medal can be worn like a pin on clothing, there is a front part with the motif and a back part that is attached under the clothing.

Print

Antonio is in demand after the slicer. On average, it takes 15 minutes to print a medal. Two colours are used per medal: the respective main colour of the medal and one colour (black or white) for personalisation on the reverse side.

The colours are referred to as filaments. Filaments are available in every conceivable colour and type. It is a thin plastic thread (filament = Latin filamentum, filum = thread) that is usually 1.75 millimetres thick. Although we only need about 10 different filaments for our medals, our stock has grown considerably because we also use our printer Antonio for purposes other than medals. For example, for all kinds of spare parts, because we prefer to repair rather than throw away.

The (new) motifs

While the Order of Merit simply bears the respective year on the medal, the Order of Distinction is somewhat more detailed. The motifs reflect a tiered system, starting with the "Stag" and ending with the current highest level, "Legend".

1. Stag – based on the motto ‘You are a deer’ (a Swiss German saying, roughly translated to: you're a natural), this motif forms the first medal

2. Fox – for clever, cunning ideas that make a difference

3. Hero – for employees with superhuman powers and unshakeable team spirit

4. Guru – the masterful level for skilful excellence and calm confidence

5. Brain (new) – for brilliant flashes of inspiration that advance projects at lightning speed

6. Virtuoso (new) – for those who use their skills skilfully, precisely and elegantly

7. Luminary (new) – the title for people who shine with a high level of competence

8. Icon (new) – for stylish appearances that set standards 

9. Legend (new) – simply epic what this person achieves

The level of the order is also indicated by the number of corners. The lowest level, Deer, has three corners, Fox has four corners, etc. From the Brain level onwards, the number of corners is limited to eight, as no quick identification can be made based on the corners, or the shape would be too close to a circle.

In conclusion

Expressing appreciation through medals has long been established in our company. It is a ritual that makes our culture visible. Each medal carries a little story and remains in our memory for a long time. At the same time, we are reminded that appreciation and recognition are not a one-off event, but a continuous process that should be firmly anchored in our corporate culture.

Would you like to introduce your own filing system? We are happy to share our experience and help you with step-by-step logic, naming and design, 3D modelling and printing, right through to the appropriate handover ritual. We look forward to hearing from you!