The power of creativity applied to advertising and marketing was honored Sunday night as winners of the 2008 ADDY ® Awards were announced at the Advertising Professionals of North Los Angeles County (ADPROS) annual gala.
Seventy-two winners took home awards in 34 categories during the event held at the Odyssey restaurant in Granada Hills.
An independent panel of three industry judges awarded Best of Show honors to a press kit and stationery system created for the Monta Vista Luxury Townhomes by
Noelle Meade of Studio M Creative, a Valencia-based marketing and graphic design firm.
Dynamic images and bold colors coupled with outstanding design made for a memorable piece that grabbed the judges' attention.
"When I saw this piece, it was immediately the first piece I was drawn to," said judge
Andrea Cutler, who also was impressed with the piece's die cut cover, typography, and paper stock. "It really stood out from a lot of other pieces."
Surrounded by well-wishers and other award winners, Meade was still surprised she had snagged the evening's top prize. "I wasn't expecting that at all," she said after the announcement.
Joe Viescas of J.D. Viescas Design claimed the Best Art Direction Award with a catalog for Syko motorcycle helmets. The honors were particularly gratifying for the 34-year advertising industry veteran, who was given wide creative latitude by the start-up company.
"I had free reign this time," said Viescas. He was quick to compliment the work of photographer
Adam Campbell, with whom he collaborated on the project. "He provided me with some shots that set the piece off."
In addition to the awards given to Meade and Viescas, the judges bestowed Best of Category honors on seven other entries. They included:
- A Southern California Edison brochure entered by Automation Printing Co.
- A State of the City luncheon invitation created by
McGregor Shott for the city of Santa Clarita
- An American Pacific Industries brochure designed by The Sherwood Group
- A DIRECTV poster created by Joe Bui Art Direction & Fish Tank Maintenance
- A stationery package for Clarice's Cake and Candy Supplies entered by Stacey Hauge Printing, Inc;
- A Lexus Web site designed by
Hughes Hunter; and
- A Web site for ABC Family.
Best of Category winners will be forwarded to an upcoming ADDY ® regional competition, and winners at that level will move on to compete for national honors.
Due to the high number of outstanding entries, the judges insisted on selecting four entries for Judge's Choice Awards. They chose the Southern California Edison brochure, the stationery package for Clarice's, a menu for Natalee Thai Restaurants designed by Selling Points Design, and a packaging design created by Jacobs Creative Design and printed by Riff Color.
Other winners receiving Awards of Distinction and Awards of Excellence included: Baby Steps Design Group, Choppe Advertising Group, Huerta Quorum, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Mellady Direct Marketing, Randy Fugate Digital, Strausberg Advertising and Design, Viva Productions and Watters Edge Design.
AdPros is an affiliate chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), which administers the ADDY ® Awards, considered the world's largest and arguably toughest advertising competition. Each AAF chapter administers a local awards program and the winners advance to one of 14 regional competitions. Regional winners move on to the national/international finals.
AdPros serves the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys, as well as the northern San Fernando Valley and Agoura, Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village.
The group meets at noon on the third Friday of every month at Salt Creek Grille in Valencia, and visitors are always welcome. The next meeting is March 21.