meet the team

We’re a small and passionate group of creative types.

Andrew Watson

Director and Industrial Designer

Andrew is the sole founder of Andrew Watson Design and spends his days building positive client relationships, managing quality control and agonizing over design details. When Andrew is not in the studio he can be found in the mountains either snowboarding or mountain biking. When he gets the opportunity, Andrew will spend his time in the ocean surfing or travelling the world in search of great food and more importantly, great coffee.

Dr. Kristy Pahl

Director of People and Culture 

Kristy is the resident Director of People and Culture. With a PhD in Clinical Psychology, she strives to provide a safe and supportive work environment for the team. Outside of work, you can find Kristy playing with her two young children and her extra large goldendoodle, skiing, hiking or mountain biking in the beautiful mountains of B.C. Kristy enjoys socializing and drinking oat milk lattes.

Karlo Coronel

Design Lead/Industrial Designer

Karlo was raised in Vancouver from the age of five. He played a lot of outdoor sports as a child but eventually found his love for art and design. His love for woodworking and contemporary modern design is what got him to become a designer. He completed his Industrial Design Bachelor degree at Emily Carr University (2016). Karlo now fathers 2 daughters: a new baby girl and a “threenager” toddler.

Nacho Martín Martínez

Graphic designer/Structural Designer

His name is Nacho. Yep, you heard right…like the snack! It is a common name in his country of Spain and as the Spaniard here, he is a huge foodie and an even bigger napper. Nacho loves nature and outdoor stuff when the weather is nice, of course. You can find Nacho lost on a trail in the woods or stuck on a mountain trying to chase the sunset. He also likes design and minimalist things and is terrified of spiders.

 

Angela Davies

Graphic Designer/Maker

Believes a good cup of tea and honest conversation can help fix most things. Coffee: black, good, light to medium roast, never dark. Patterned or plain: patterned. Bright or muted: Bright. Shy. Wearer of multiple hats both literally and figuratively. Board sport-er. Multi-pet mama. Cold water dipper.

Nat Tuke

Graphic Designer/Maker

Nat grew up in Melbourne, Australia, and moved to BC, Canada, in 2017 in pursuit of snow. Nat fills her days rock climbing, touring, downhill skiing, and trail running. When she isn’t out exploring in the mountains she is at home painting them, and tending to her low-maintenance, albeit somewhat neglected houseplants.

Sabrina Zikic

Office Manager

Sabrina was born in Toronto and moved to British Columbia in the summer of 2022. She graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in Sociology. If she were to build her own house, the kitchen would take up the majority of the budget. She enjoys coffee a little too much and is addicted to chocolate-flavoured dessert and trash T.V. Currently, Sabrina is torn between traveling the world and owning a small cabin in the woods.

Kate Jones

Graphic Designer/Maker

Kate made the move from England to Canada a decade ago after falling in love with the Sea to Sky lifestyle and most importantly Whistler Bike Park. Like any true Brit - she's great at talking about the weather... On rainy Squamish down days, she's a packet of biscuits and 5-10 cups of tea a day kinda person. When the sun's shining she's likely out and about exploring the trails and mountains on foot, bike or splitboard. 

 

Janet Kan

Graphic Designer/Maker

Janet is a Melbourne native who's craving for an outdoor lifestyle first brought her to New Zealand and ultimately to BC, Canada. On sunny days you'll often spot her at Whistler Bike Park, flying a small plane overhead, hiking a mountain or by the lake with ice cream. Her dream is to live a perpetual summer, chasing endless sunshine and new experiences.

Tom Winning

Sales and Marketing Lead

Hailing from Nottingham, UK, Tom moved to the mountains of BC to pursue the incredible gravity based sports the area has on offer and a love for going fast downhill - whether it be on a bike or board. When not riding the mountain, Tom enjoys hiking, camping out in the hills, lake swims and a post-shred burger and beer. A Newcastle United fan, he still keeps an eye on the football results back home (usually when they win).

Chris Pall

Graphic Designer/Maker

Born and raised in the North East of England, Chris grew up riding bikes and has always aspired to come and ride the legendary trails of British Columbia. He finally made it happen and the opportunity to simultaneously fuel his passion for design and be creative while residing in his idea of paradise means he is truly living out his dream. Chris swaps biking for Snowboarding in the winter and is also big into music and cooking, often Italian cuisine, "Eat Pasta, Ride Fasta!" he says.

Oscar

Woof.

Oscar joins the studio every Wednesday morning to offer endless cuddles and comfort to the team. He loves a good pat, will take any treat on offer and keeps everyone on their toes with the occasional loud bark. When not at the studio, Oscar spends his time running through the Squamish trails, hanging out with his dog friends and begging for food. His greatest joy is being at home, snuggling on the couch with his family.

mission statement

To create beautiful, timeless and meaningful recognition products that recipients will appreciate for many years to come.

methodology

Understanding our clients branding, communication goals and specific requirements is our main focus. Our methodology enables our clients to experience seamless design, production and fulfillment. From concept through to final creation, packaging and logistics, we will make it happen. We prioritize collaboration between our designers and clients and encourage clients to share their vision to assist in the design process.

our design process

In the initial meeting, we will discuss the overall vision of the project, communication goals, budget and timeline. The design team will take some time to process the information and create several conceptual options which will be presented to the client. Drawings are presented in full colour in PDF format.

development

Once the client has chosen a design direction, we continue to work collaboratively to review feedback and make the required changes. Another PDF is generated specifying production materials, processes and colours along with information regarding manufacturing considerations and general assembly. All drawings are made to scale. 

documentation

The most important part of the process is the final sign off. After the overall design is approved, by the client, we will create a proof of every single award that we are making for sign off. Production will not begin until everyone has had time to carefully review the proofs and everyone is happy to proceed.

history - watson design

Watson Design is an boutique awards business founded in 2009 by Andrew Watson after completing his Masters degree in Industrial Design. In 2012, Andrew moved the business to Vancouver, Canada. Since launching the business, Andrew and his team have worked with companies such as Google, Red Bull, Disney, The United Nations, Verizon Wireless, LG, West Jet, Mazda, Fuji Xerox, Ericsson (formally Sony Ericsson), Absolut Vodka, Volkswagen, PGA, X-Prize, Indian Motorcycle, Phillips, A&W, Gap Clothing, Wilson Sporting Goods and many more.

The business rapidly expanded over a few short years but has deliberately restricted the expansion to remain boutique and client focused. We are a small team of 11 and our goal is to expand our exploration of design, materials and manufacturing processes. Motivated by our passion for design and our ability to collaborate within our team and with our clients, we strive to produce the the highest-quality, custom unique awards for recognize outstanding achievement and success.

In 2024, Watson Design was awarded Platinum in the Custom & Unique Product Design category at the Design Skill Magazine Awards and a New York Product Design Silver Winners Award in the Figurines and Statues category.

 

we’re a proud living wage employer

Watson Design is delighted to have officially received 2025 certification as a Living Wage Employer for Families in BC.

We recognize that paying a living wage is an investment in the long-term prosperity of the economy and local community - and ensures that no one gets left behind. As a small business, we’re proud to be able to support our tight knit team with a wage that justifies the amazing work they do in creating custom awards, trophies, gifts and plaques and successfully delivering them to our clients.

 

follow us on social media

Follow us on Instagram to see our latest designs and work in progress…

Our Shark-Fin acrylic is an exclusive pre-design that provides a beautiful clean slate for your custom branding and designs to be applied through eloborate UV printing. We love the details and colours on these Shark Fins to help celebrate at the Que
These sleek and elegant corporate gifts were crafted for KPS Capital Partners using only sustainable materials 🙌 Each award features powder coated and anodized aluminum, precision cut wood and laser engraved logos and text. - [ ] #customtrophy #
In our Meet the Makers series, we're showing you the team behind the awards at WD, as each team member picks their favorite award and explains what makes it special 🌟 Janet - another important member of our Graphic Design and Award Making team - op
Last year we were delighted to partner with @electioncenternaeo on a big project that involved us crafting 3 different designs and over 500 awards ✨ Working primarily with wood and aluminum to maintain a sustainable approach, each design includes in
Matte gold anodized aluminum 🤝 Maple hardwood finished with clear Danish oil We love the material combination on these eco awards for @avivacanada. The aluminum is sculpted to fit around the wood centre front and back, integrating the two without a
Last year we refreshed our designs for the @globalenergyshowcanada 🍁 These custom acrylics go beyond a personalized and branded UV printed design with the inclusion of a brushed metal Canadian Maple Leaf logo fixed to the sides for a unique finishi
Is your business adapting to a greener approach this year? ♻️ Perhaps we can help. Our eco range offers environmentally friendly awards crafted from sustainable and recyclable materials - helping to make your event or employee recognition gifts gre
Utilizing bamboo and aluminum, we crafted these custom sustainable awards for the @asid_hq PA East Interior Design Awards 🙌 Detailed cuts and a vibrant brand purple applied to the aluminum allowed us to wrap it around the bamboo, exposing white pri
Featuring a sleek precision cut into the award, our exclusive, pre-designed Impossible acrylic are elegantly crafted for you to reward employees and highlight success with a sentimental corporate gift. As a team of designers, we’re specialist
It's time for another post in our Meet the Makers series, where we're showing you the team behind the awards at WD, as each team member picks their favorite award and explains what makes it special 🌟 Next is Nacho, Graphic Designer / Structural Des
To celebrate the best libraries and brightest talents in the production music industry, we combined aluminum and acrylic to create these beautifully modern and sleek designs for the @productionmusicawards 🎵✨ []-#customtrophy #customtrophies  #
We love the details on these custom awards crafted for ProAssurance 😍 A fun production process included a whole host of specialist techniques, including the use of laser cutting and engraving, a UV print transfer and charcoal anodizing for a clean
Do you have what it takes to climb 29029 vertical feet, the height of Mount Everest, in 36 hours? 🏔️ The @29029everesting 7 Summits event challenges hikers to do exactly that. Hike up, take the gondola down, and repeat - until reaching the 29029
Check out these custom aluminum tube awards we developed for @shapeproperties_ 🏙️ Using our state-of-the-art UV printers, we applied a fun pattern and colorway accompanied by multiple brand logos to showcase SHAPE’s partners. - [ ] #custom
As production gets back underway at Watson Design, we’ve picked out our top nine awards from last year across our custom and acrylic range. ⛰️ Combining wood and aluminum, we created beautiful bespoke eco awards for @landdotcom 💙 Custom pri
Happy New Year from Watson Design! We're starting the year off with the next post in our Meet the Makers series, where we're showing you the team behind the awards at WD, as each team member picks their favorite award and explains what makes it spe
This year we've had the pleasure of crafting a wide array of awards from recyclable materials - helping to beautifully express recognition and protect the planet 🌎 These custom designs for the 2024 @foreflight Hackathon are crafted primarily from c

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