Creative Deal Toy Ideas: 7 Frequently Overlooked Sources of Inspiration

June 1, 2022 by David Parry
Viking Helmet-Themed Deal Toy

Coming up with creative deal toy ideas can be a chore for bankers

Especially when they’re faced with the same predictable, stock suggestions. Fortunately, there are a number of imaginative–though commonly overlooked— design alternatives.

Coming up with memorable deal toy ideas can sometimes be a huge challenge for bankers—and a needlessly time-consuming one.

It becomes even more challenging when, as is often the case, your client’s company or industry doesn’t readily lend itself to design concepts—or at least, ones that are creative…or original…or practical, or perhaps, above all, affordable.

Beyond that, your MD may have certain expectations or preferences when it comes to deal toy designs—which may already have been made pretty clear to you.

Of course, most deal toy companies are not going to expect you to come up with design ideas for your tombstone.

Still, many bankers—even senior bankers—like to take an active role in the design process, and some consider making a contribution to the final result a point of pride.

And, anyway, handling deal toys should be one of the fun parts of your job, right?

Yes, logo-themed designs often serve as a default suggestion. But logos can still be used in highly creative ways, as in the deal toy here.

 

Logo-Themed Cut-Plexi Deal Toy

Standard, Default Deal Toy Ideas You’re Likely To Hear

So what should you do?

You could, of course, accept the predictable, default suggestion of simply opting for a conventional design.

Make no mistake: we suggest classic deal toy designs like this to clients all the time, and they can be highly effective.

But what if you want to do something slightly more imaginative, even if it’s just an alternative design that you might only consider?

Deal teams often begin the ordering process with at least a rough idea of what they want (or don’t want) for their deal gifts; and to that extent, you may want to kickstart your creative thinking.

So where does that leave you?

More Standard, Default Deal Toy Ideas You’re Likely to Hear

Some companies, and even whole sectors, readily lend themselves to creative, custom deal toy designs.

Other deals can pose problems—even if it’s only that most of the relevant design ideas have already been overused.

In those instances, the default suggestion from—often the only suggestion—is to base the design on your client’s company logo.

Basing a design on a clients’s logo can work extremely well, and again, we do this all the time.

But what if your client’s logo doesn’t really offer up many design possibilities?

Or if it does, logo-themed deal toys may well have been done for them before—maybe to death.

So either of these default suggestions could ultimately work for you; but if you’re initially looking for additional options, or other possible creative alternatives, we’ve provided some suggestions below.

1. Play Off the Deal’s Project/Code Name

Code Name Inspired Deal Toy
Side view of deal toy for a transaction code-named Project "Rex".
Code Name-Themed Deal Toy
Another design inspired by a deal's code name.
Crystal Deal Toy with 3-D Etching
What's the relevance of the tiger in this 2019 deal toy involving a global exhibition company? It's actually a reference not to a code-name but to the acquisition vehicle used in the deal.
Code Name-Inspired Deal Toy
Deal toy for Project Hemingway.

This is one of the most neglected sources for meaningfully customized deal toys.

Project names can really enliven design possibilities; and if you’re looking for a design element that will make for a  truly customized, unique commemorative—one that will resonate with recipients for years to come—the intimate and closely guarded nature of a code name gives it considerable cachet.

We recently explored code named-based deal toy ideas and the interest the piece drew among bankers prompted a sequel.

Code names can be introduced in a variety of ways. In some cases, such as the piece commemorating project “Big Bang” below, the code name can be the centerpiece of the design.

In the case of the project “River” design also shown here, the code name is incorporated far more subtly.

Back view of Viking-themed "Valkyrie" deal toy shown at top.
Sky-Fox-Comcast Deal Toy
Another view of the code name-inspired 21st Century Fox-Sky-Comcast deal toy.
Project
Project "Big Bang" deal toy.
Project
Deal toy designed for Project "River".

2. Look for Deal Toy Ideas in The Relevant Locations (and especially with cross-border transactions)

Your Texas-based client has no doubt already at least seen, if not actually received, deal toys in the shape of the state or country.

Many geographic themes make use of some obvious touchpoints, such as maps and flags.

But location-based designs don’t have to be that literal. he design of the deal toy below, for instance, plays off the Dutch fondness for bicycles. It commemorates a transaction involving hotel properties in The Netherlands.

 

Location-Themed Deal Toy

Other location-based design ideas can be more straightforward.

Again, maps come immediately to mind as an obvious location-based design feature.

Similarly, the design below creatively works in the California theme while providing a necessary recess to anchor the drop shape.

The deal toy components can be seen more clearly below:

Flags, currencies, and other national symbols can, as well, provide a number of creative possibilities. The design shown in the two pieces below makes creative use of two national flags:

Flag-Themed Cross-Border Deal Toy

The shape of certain countries, regions, and states can pose a design challenge. The E-CL piece below cleverly makes use of a contour to incorporate a map of Chile.

Chile-Themed Deal Toy

The design shown in the two photos below — which commemorates a Daytona Beach real estate transaction—overcomes the challenge of unobtrusively working in the shape of the state of Florida.

Florida-Themed Deal Toy Florida-Themed Real Estate Tombstone

Returning to flag motifs, a less traditional though highly-effective use of a national flag is made in the Union Jack-draped Austin Powers Jaguar below—which ties in perfectly with the GBP issue it commemorates.

Austin Powers British-Themed Deal Toy

Location-based themes also play to the increasing trend toward multinational transactions. Two deal toys for cross-border transactions are shown below, one with a flag motif, the other using currency symbols.

Euro-Themed Deal Toy

3. Base Your Deal Toy Idea on the Transaction Type

"Accordion" Tranche-Themed Deal Toy

Over the years, we’ve often taken inspiration from the very nature of the deal itself, whether it involved Cinderella bonds, accordion tranches, a bolt-on acquisition, Dutch auction, swap, spin-off, PIPE transaction etc.

Spin-off-inspired deal toy, also reflecting a current trend. The third design is a more literal rendering of a “block” trade.

Spinoff-Themed Deal Toy

A design playing off the transaction type: a spin-off.

Spinoff-Themed Deal Toy

Another spin-off-inspired deal toy.

Block Trade-Themed Deal Toy

4. Make Use of an Inside Joke or Bond

Running jokes are usually fodder for gag gifts, but sometimes they’re so central to the transaction that they become a focal point of the deal.

One highly successful design we manufactured featured a Pepperidge Farm cookie inside Lucite—the snack having been the staple of meetings between the parties during negotiations.

In the Preferred Sands piece shown here the motorcycle is completely unrelated to the subject matter of the transaction. What it does reflect is a shared passion for motorcycles within the company.

Again, this is the type of customization that makes for meaningful, enduring, and above all, valued deal toys.

Motorcycle-Themed Deal Toy

5. Highlight the Significance of the Deal

Deals can often be described in terms such as ground, barrier, or record-breaking, and all of these suggest possible design options—nicely represented by the IBM piece below.

IBM Wrecking Ball-Themed Deal Toy

6. Find Ideas by Combining Elements of the Deal

Combining aspects of the deal can transform well-worn concepts into something unique.

In the three designs below elements of the transactions are seamlessly, and creatively, combined.

The crystal tombstone below combines design elements—a horseshoe, a carrot, and the state of Washington—to convey very precisely the specifics of the asset involved: a Washington-based company specializing in apparel for the equestrian sports sector.

Kellogg’s Euro issue is cleverly conveyed in artwork of the Keebler Elf—a quintessentially American brand mascot—fanning a wad of Euro notes.

The third design commemorates a Massachusetts-based solar project.

Washington State-Themed Deal Tombstone Kelloggs Euro-Themed Deal Toy Solar-Themed Lucite Tombstone

7. Play Off a Distinguishing Feature of the Deal

Deals can be remarkable for any number of reasons: their contentiousness, for instance, or the swiftness with which the parties came to terms.

For one deal characterized by particularly arduous, grueling negotiations, we designed a 3-D piece showing Sisyphus pushing uphill a giant rock—bearing the opposing party’s logo.

The deal toy designed for The Blackstone Group shown here is a great example. The turtle was inspired by both the pace and duration of transaction (the cane and spectacles, on the other hand, relate to the nature of the business: assisted-living facilities).