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What to put on a name plate?

confusedspouse

My husband is about to finish all the steps to become a licensed architect  and I want to get him his first professional name plate as a gift to celebrate but I have no idea what to put on it.

John H. Doe, AIA

John H. Doe, Architect 

John H. Doe, Licensed Architect

Or something else? What do y’all do?

 
Aug 18, 20 11:02 pm
archanonymous

Like a nameplate for the desk?

Aug 18, 20 11:40 pm  · 
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citizen

AIA is fine, but only if he's ponied up the hundreds or more in membership fees.

Architect is best.

Licensed Architect is redundant.

Kudos to your husband and his thoughtful spouse.  It's a big deal.

Aug 19, 20 12:04 am  · 
6  · 

Lance Hardwood, Sex Architect

Aug 19, 20 12:10 am  · 
9  · 
Non Sequitur

This is what the internet was created for.

Aug 19, 20 7:26 am  · 
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randomised

John H. Doe, stamper of drawings


John H. Doe, could’ve been a doctor 


John H. Doe, can’t afford my own designs

Aug 19, 20 6:50 am  · 
7  · 
b3tadine[sutures]

You forgot...(!)

Aug 19, 20 7:16 am  · 
2  · 
b3tadine[sutures]

John H. Doe, head drawer





Aug 19, 20 7:17 am  · 
3  · 
archanonymous

John H. Doe, Top Drawer

Aug 19, 20 9:57 am  · 
5  · 
SneakyPete

This thread is gold, both for real and silly answers, but yours made me laugh in meat space, archanonymous.

Aug 19, 20 12:23 pm  · 
2  · 
Non Sequitur

John H. Doe, my grandparents think I’m an engineer, AIA. 

Aug 19, 20 7:36 am  · 
2  · 
Bloopox

I guess this could be a cute gift for your husband's desk at home, but the only nameplate I've ever seen on an architect's desk or door in a firm was on The Brady Bunch.  It's a little stuffy and dated for most architects - more of a banker or accountant accessory.  The thing that an architect usually gets as soon as they're licensed is a stamp or embosser, but you'd need the license number to put on it, so it doesn't really work as a surprise gift.  

Aug 19, 20 11:13 am  · 
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citizen

^ This is what I assumed the gift was for-- celebratory and fun.

Aug 19, 20 12:30 pm  · 
1  · 
Aluminate

I think the OP thinks this is a professional thing, because of calling it a "first professional nameplate" - as if there would be future additional nameplates. On the other hand, maybe the future nameplates would also be from the spouse and commemorate various household and relationship achievements.

Aug 19, 20 1:32 pm  · 
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b3tadine[sutures]

I understand these make great emBOSSers.


Aug 19, 20 6:37 pm  · 
1  · 
senjohnblutarsky

I have one that says "Head Honcho". 


Would like to have one that says "Master of Disaster".


Would settle for one that said "Not your babysitter"

Aug 19, 20 11:48 am  · 
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SneakyPete

Keyser Söze

Spartacus

Aug 19, 20 12:34 pm  · 
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Benevolent Overlord, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C

Aug 19, 20 1:41 pm  · 
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Architect nameplates are made by interns using the laser cutter and/or 3d printer in their down time.

Aug 19, 20 3:13 pm  · 
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What intern can afford their own laser cutter or 3d printer?

Aug 19, 20 6:01 pm  · 
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SneakyPete

*looks at laser cutter by desk in house* Oh, you said INTERN,

Aug 19, 20 6:03 pm  · 
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Kid's these days, right!? Maybe if they stopped buying avocado toast they could afford one. You know back in my day we just used the school's or the office's laser cutter or 3d printer.

Aug 19, 20 6:59 pm  · 
1  · 
atelier nobody

My business cards say "nobody-in-charge".

Aug 19, 20 3:25 pm  · 
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proto

@OP, short answer: don't get a name plate

suggest: a nice pen, the kind that look good when signing contracts or whipping off napkin sketches

or, if you insist on the name plate, maybe just use his nickname: "KNOB"

Aug 19, 20 4:24 pm  · 
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senjohnblutarsky

Maybe ask him what he's had his eye on.  

I was going to get a Mondaine watch as my gift to myself for finishing exams/licensure.  Five years later, no watch.  I should have done it, but always found excuses to not do so.  

If there isn't a specific want: nice pen, nice pocketknife, or random fancy gizmo for work (I put a laser measurer on my wedding registry.  Best sneaky gift ever). 

Aug 19, 20 5:20 pm  · 
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atelier nobody

Every architect should have at least one really nice pen. Montblanc is cliché, but some of the higher end Pelikan Souverans and S.T. Duponts are quite nice.

Aug 19, 20 5:50 pm  · 
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Fuck that. Sharpie and / or Pilot Precise V5, with an extra fine point for both. Anything else and you're just being pretentious. :P

Aug 19, 20 6:02 pm  · 
1  ·  2
atelier nobody

Hmm, if I order my "cheap" pens from the UK (because the US version is crap), is that pretentious?

Aug 19, 20 6:43 pm  · 
2  · 
archanonymous

nah, the UK Flairs are legitimately better.

Aug 19, 20 7:38 pm  · 
2  · 
archanonymous

and as far as nice stuff goes, I though Rotring was a little more architect style? I've got a cool one that is mechanical pencil, black or blue, and red. Montblanc or whatever screams pretentious banker, while Rotring indicates that you're just a pedantic asshole, par for the course for architects.

Aug 19, 20 7:40 pm  · 
1  · 
atelier nobody

I have a Rotring 600 2mm leadholder that I like, but rarely use. Prior to the pestilence, all of my fountain pens were in regular rotation (the Flairs and other "commodity" pens normally live in cups on my desk, not my pocket).

Aug 20, 20 2:17 pm  · 
1  · 
Non Sequitur

I just stopped by my favorite pen store at lunch today since I had not been in since C19 started. I'll be sending my wife down come anniversary time. One cannot have enough fountain pens.

Aug 20, 20 2:43 pm  · 
1  · 
atelier nobody

I bought one new pen early in the pestilence. It was an experimental pen for me - I thought I'd try out a Cross Selectip with the felt tip refills. I don't hate it, but the felt tip sure ain't no Flair...

Aug 20, 20 3:08 pm  · 
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randomised

Did a job once for the company that makes Montblanc pens and Cartier watches in Amsterdam, the security was insane, one watch easily the price of a house apparently...yet they couldn’t afford normal espresso machines.

Aug 20, 20 6:09 pm  · 
3  · 
JLC-1

I've had a caran d'ache 2 mm lead holder for 26 years, all others are disposable. really nice weight. It's not expensive at all.

caran d'ache fixpencil 2mm lead holder, 14cm (22.289)

Aug 20, 20 6:26 pm  · 
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atelier - we all know that even without fancy pens you're pretentious. :P

Aug 21, 20 10:08 am  · 
1  · 

Never used a fountain pen. I do have a nice lead holder though.


It's important to note that I tend to 'misplace' most of my pens so having a $50 plus pen makes no sense to me.  For hand drawn renderings and watercolor sketches I use Micron pens.

Aug 21, 20 10:09 am  · 
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atelier nobody

Have you noticed a decline in the quality of Microns, or did I just get a bad batch? I've been using them for the last 25+ years, but recently I've had a bunch leak, and it seems the tips don't last as long.

Aug 21, 20 1:53 pm  · 
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Aluminate

I ran across all my lead holders the other day while cleaning.  When I was drafting by hand I always had 10 of them going at once: 1 each of 5 different lead hardnesses, in both graphite and plastic leads.  In that same box are all my technical pens - separate sets for india ink and waterproof, and sometimes blue.  I still have hundreds of fountain pen nibs and a couple "prestigious pens" for their day, though I haven't used any of them in 20+ years.  And even older ruling pens and their bottles of ink.  And pen cleaners: both utrasonic and bulb types, and the respective cleaning fluids for them. And don't even get me started on the many sets of curves, triangles, lettering guides, compasses, dividers, drafting arms...  These days software and OS updates suck up so much money, but the fortune sunk in those many boot boxes of obsolete tools and supplies may even beat that. 

Aug 21, 20 3:10 pm  · 
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proto

pen/cil quiver


Aug 21, 20 3:47 pm  · 
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