The Story of Ivy Frames
IVY FRAMES is a young startup, founded by two university graduates in Germany. The company was formed to provide a product that is very popular around the world, but was not yet available at their university:
A frame specifically made for a diploma.
After years of hard work, studying in the library and countless exams, we finally received our diplomas! Instead of just putting that piece of paper in a drawer to collect dust, we wanted to get our diplomas framed. It is quite normal for graduates in North America to frame their diplomas and hang them in their offices or display them at home (as can be seen in many tv and movie scenes). Unfortunately, frames were not part of the university’s merchandising, so we were left to find private framing solutions.
We knew you could find many inexpensive frames on the market, but discovered those options often looked cheap and tacky, not suitable for mounting in a professional office or stylish home. We wanted a classic and sophisticated frame made of solid wood that would look great anywhere.
An elegant and timeless design.
Not only that, but the standard parts used for these mass-market frames, like the colouring, glue, and lignin from the wood, and the fabrics in the mat and backing, would severely damage our documents over time. That’s right, over years these frames would discolour or stain the document they held. And without special glass, the writing would fade away with extended exposure to regular light. This was just not good enough for our hard earned diplomas! Since we wanted to keep our diplomas in excellent condition for literally the rest of our (hopefully long) lives, the frame needed to not only look great, but also be of extremely high quality to preserve the document in optimal condition.
Not just any picture frame, but a diploma frame.
The problem was, you can’t find a frame made for museum and conservation quality standards in any normal furniture shop. So we went to a specialty framing shop to get a frame made of massive wood and with the other necessary components. We were quoted a price of 365€ – for a single frame – we couldn’t believe it! So we went to a bunch of other art and frame shops all around town but they all quoted us between at least 250€ and sometimes over 400€. There was no way to get a single frame of this standard for any less! We knew our diplomas deserved this type of quality, but as new graduates (still on a student budget) we were not ready to pay that much money for our frames.
There had to be a better way!
So we set about on the project of creating a high-end custom frame for a reasonable price. We wanted to make a frame that would meet all our quality requirements, look fantastic and also be affordable to students and young professionals.
The business of IVY FRAMES was born.
For over two years, we tested countless different frames, moulded different woods in various shapes, sizes and colours, sourced different backing and matting products, viewed different glass and plexiglass options, etc. We studied every detail and selected the best of each. Our sole objective was:
Building the very best frame to hold a diploma.
In the end we developed a frame that is classic and timeless in style, custom made to match your unique university diploma, and for a very reasonable price. Our frames are not cheap, but they are a great bargain given the uncompromisingly high-quality materials used. By sourcing the best deals and buying in huge quantities, we managed to make this frame for under 200€, which would otherwise retail for 300€ or more. The savings are passed on to you.
A very fair price for a top quality frame.
Finally, we also came back to the universities to get their special permission in order to be able to brand many of the frames with the school’s name and emblem (we are still working on adding partner schools). With these, we smartly emboss the university’s name and insignia right on the diploma mat. This beautiful highlight, something more you cannot get anywhere else, ensures your degree will stand out as a masterpiece.
In the end, you get a fantastic deal on the very same frame we built to perfectly hold our own diplomas.