Making Thanks Feel Weighty: A Certificate and Holder for NYCU's EMBA Visits

NYCU's Executive MBA class E3 organized a series of corporate visits and needed a certificate of appreciation that would represent the whole class and feel substantial in the hands of the hosting companies. Howdy Creative designed a gold-embossed certificate and matching holder.

Year: 2026
Client: National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Executive MBA (後EMBA), Class E3 (後E3同行致遠班)
Services: Print & Graphic Design

NYCU Executive MBA visit certificate and holder styled at a corporate reception desk | Howdy Creative

Challenge

Companies that generously host a visit deserve more than a verbal thank-you. Class E3 needed a certificate that would hold up when handed to hosts like AU Optronics and Phison Electronics, not something that reads as a quick printout, and that clearly carried both the program's and the class's identity.

Goal

Design a certificate worth framing and keeping, paired with a dedicated holder to give it a proper home. Both needed matching quality and to clearly present the identity of NYCU's Executive MBA program and Class E3.

NYCU Executive MBA Class E3 certificate of appreciation design, presented to AU Optronics

The same gold-embossed certificate design customized for Phison Electronics — Certificate content customized by recipient company

Approach

Built the certificate's key visual around a gold-embossed classical border, pairing the university crest with the class emblem side by side, formal without losing warmth.
Customized the salutation and message text for each recipient company, AU Optronics and Phison Electronics, so each certificate matched the specific visit it commemorated.
Designed a matching navy-blue, gold-lettered certificate holder that echoes the certificate's quality and the university's color tone, giving the company somewhere proper to keep this gesture.

Navy-blue, gold-lettered certificate holder design, paired with the university crest and class identity — Finished certificate holder design

Outcome

AU Optronics and Phison Electronics each received their own certificate and matching holder, and Class E3 was left with a reusable thank-you design template for future company visits, so they no longer have to start from scratch each time they host a new company.

FAQ

Questions people ask
about projects like this.

How is a certificate for a corporate visit different from a typical certificate of appreciation?

The key is making it feel worth receiving and keeping. Howdy Creative uses finishes like gold embossing or foil stamping and clearly presents the organizing body and class identity, so it doesn't read as something quickly printed.

Is it worth designing a custom certificate holder alongside the certificate?

If you want the certificate properly kept, yes. Howdy Creative matches the holder's tone and finish to the certificate itself, so the pair reads as one complete, consistent piece rather than two separate items.

Designing With Heart: A Bread Brand Identity That Keeps Its Warmth →

Planning something similar? Talk to us All case studies

Brand identity design