Why should your university certificates include bespoke holograms?

Here at Hague Australia, we understand the importance of brand protection for universities. With fraudsters and counterfeiters continuing to alter and imitate your certificates, Hague takes great pride in it’s brand protection solutions.

Think your university certificates could do with a little protection? Contact us now and chat to one of our expert security print experts who will be happy to help.

Why do you need to protect your brand?

Over the past 20 years, the share of the Australian population that hold a degree at a bachelor level or above has increased by more than six times, reaching 50.8 percent in 2022. (Statista) Upon completing their degree and graduating, students are to receive their qualification certificates, highlighting their achieved grades and confirmation of completing their course. However, some students might not be happy with their awarded grade or may have not achieved a degree at all. This is where qualification fraud comes in. Used to meet job requirements, gain entry to different courses or even to gain a visa, fraudsters can amend names and grades on certificates with the intention of meeting particular criteria. Awarding organisations should take reasonable measures to prevent counterfeits being produced as such malpractice can damage their brand. How can they do this? By implementing one of Hague’s bespoke holograms into their certificate design.

What is a bespoke hologram?

Created using holographic technology, bespoke holograms are typically used for security and branding purposes. Unlike a hologram sticker, your bespoke hologram design, potentially of your logo or brand name, is etched into the foil using laser technology, meaning they can’t be overprinted. Bespoke holograms can also contain extra security features, such as micro and nano texts and specialist inks, all with the intention of deterring fraudsters. Additionally, our bespoke holograms can uniquely be positioned anywhere on your certificate, be any shape or size and be placed on a document of any orientation.

What are the benefits of having a bespoke hologram on your university certificate?

1. Security

Bespoke holograms provide a high level of security for university certificates as they are virtually impossible to counterfeit. This can help prevent fraud, ensuring that only legitimate certificates are recognised as valid.

2. Branding

Bespoke holograms can be designed to include your university’s logo, name, and other branding element, which can help increase the visibility and recognition of your awarding body.

3. Authenticity

The use of bespoke holograms on university certificates can serve as a visual indicator of authenticity, making it easier for employers and other organisations to verify the validity of a certificate.

4. Durability

Bespoke holograms are tamper-proof and can withstand a wide range of environmental conditions, making them a durable, long-lasting option for university certificates.

5. Uniqueness

Bespoke holograms are unique and specific to individual universities, which can help differentiate institutions, increasing the value of your certificates.

6. Personalisation

Bespoke holograms can be designed to include the graduate’s name, degree earned and other personal information, which can add a personal touch to the certificate.

7. Validation

Bespoke holograms can also be used to validate the certificates by including a unique code or serial number, enabling verification by the university or a third party.

What is the process to create your bespoke hologram?

Has the above convinced you that you need to add a bespoke hologram to your university certificate? Here’s what happens next:

Firstly, contact Hague’s expert team of security print specialists to have that initial conversation. In doing so, you can tell us about all your needs and requirements for your bespoke hologram- then let us do the rest.

The next step is the design origination. Our in-house experts and design team will come up with a best practice design, suitable for you and the discussed needs and requirements you put forward. Don’t worry, the team will be in-touch at every step, so you can approve or make amendments to your bespoke hologram design.

Once approves, before going to print, we then register your hologram with the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA). This allows us to check the uniqueness of your design, ensuring there are no similar ones out there and meaning no other universities can replicate your hologram post-registration.

Your bespoke holograms are then produced with our laser machinery, etching the unique design into the holographic foil.

Now for the fun part, you can expect your certificates, with the bespoke hologram hot stamped flush on to the document, within 4-6 weeks.

Who are the IHMA and why are they important?

When choosing manufacturers for your university certificate holograms, you want to ensure these are made with the intention of achieving maximum security, deterring fraudsters from replication attempts. Here at Hague, we value all things security print and only aim to provide you with the best possible and most secure hologram out there. That’s why we work with the International Hologram Manufacturers Association in the production of your certificate holograms.

The International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) is comprised of the world’s leading hologram suppliers and manufacturers and aims to advance understandings of all things holograms. A key focus of theirs ensuring the authentication of products and documents. To undertake this, they have created the Hologram Image Register (HIR), a secure registry that manufacturers can submit their holograms to, minimising copyright initiatives and underpinning hologram use for security print. This one-of-a-kind register allows manufacturers to verify their newly originated holograms, diminishing the risk of intentional and unintentional acts of copyright. Once the design is submitted, it is heavily checked against existing hologram images to ensure there are no similarities and approved once this process is complete. As of 2022, the HIR experienced over 10,000 registrations and has helped prevent many attempts at sourcing copy hologram images. In one instance, the HIR has helped to confirm a counterfeit hologram, in which helped with the prosecution of fraudsters.

As the HIR becomes more prevalent,  it is becoming embedded as a pre-condition in many tenders, meaning that companies prefer to work with organisations associated with the IHMA, allowing companies to register their images and designs within the HIR.

Summary

At Hague, we’re proud to work with over 200 educational institutions and awarding bodies to provide bespoke holograms to maximise brand protection and contribute to their branding strategies. If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you to achieve this, contact us today, or give us a call on +61 3 8579 6566