Both the visual identity and the physical trophy draw on the imagery of the Luban Lock with the letters NICA intuitively forming the core structure. Through the use of figure–ground visual reversal, the design abstractly presents the tightly interlocked nature of a three-axis structure symbolizing that the National Invention and Creation Award not only promotes innovation but also grounded in a rigorous and prudent evaluation process.
The physical trophy follows the same conceptual logic too.