The Art Directors Club of New York is an organization for art directors in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. It was founded in 1920, and has grown as an industry group, promoting art directors' work through exhibitions and awards, including the annual DESI award for design excellence.
History
The Art Directors Club of New York (sometimes referred to as the "ADC") was founded in 1920 by Louis Pedlar and
Earnest Elmo Calkins
Earnest Elmo Calkins (March 15, 1868 – October 4, 1964) was a deaf American advertising executive who pioneered the use of art in advertising, of fictional characters, the soft sell, and the idea of " consumer engineering". He co-founded the in ...
. With Fred Lamb, Calkins had organized the first advertising art exhibits in New York City in 1908, and saw a need for an organization that would “dignify the field of business art in the eyes of artists”, emphasizing his belief that “artistic excellence is vitally necessary to successful advertising”. By 1947, the Club's work was being credited with a gradual increase in advertising art standards throughout the United States.
In 1921, the club hosted their first juried exhibition with original work from over 250 contributors. The exhibition organized by Calkins and opened with an inaugural dinner on March 2, 1921. The awards that evening went to: Fred R. Cruger for black and white illustration; W.E. Hoitland for painting; and Rene Clark for poster design.
The Art Directors Club was restrictive in its membership during its early years. Women were not admitted until 1942.
George Olden, an art director with the
Columbia Broadcasting Company, was the first African-American member, having been elected to the Club in 1952.
The Art Directors' Club includes art directors working in film and ''
New media
New media describes communication technologies that enable or enhance interaction between users as well as interaction between users and content. In the middle of the 1990s, the phrase "new media" became widely used as part of a sales pitch for ...
''.
Logo
The first logo was an interpretation of
Albrecht Dürer’s signature. In 2009, ADC rebranded with the help of Trollbäck + Company. The new logo moved away from a monogram and introducing a word mark in bold hues. In 2014, they updated their logo with a monogram created by
Sid Lee
Sid Lee is an international creative services firm founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It operates offices in Toronto, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle and Paris. The agency offers services in the fields of branding, digital and social marke ...
that references historical ADC monograms.
Awards
ADC Annual Awards
Earnest Elmo Calkins organized the first juried exhibition in 1921. The ADC evolved this exhibition into its ADC Annual Awards that receives up to 11,000 entries from around the world. Several awards are given out annually to recognize industry excellence internationally. The Award for Design Excellence is known as the "DESI" award. The main categories for the award, as of 2012, are: Advertising; Design; Illustration; Integrated; Interactive; Motion; Photography; and Special Awards.
ADC Young Guns
In 1991, ADC created the Young Guns award. ADC Young Guns are annual international awards given out to promising art directors under the age of 30. ADC GrandMasters recognizes experienced educators in art direction who have created a notable legacy in the industry.
ADC Hall of Fame
In 1971, ADC established their
Hall of Fame. Those chosen for the Hall of Fame have made significant contributions throughout their lifetime to the graphic design profession.
Art Directors Annual
The Art Directors Annual is a review of the year's outstanding achievements in art direction. It has appeared yearly since 1922.
See also
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Art director
*
Adweek
''Adweek'' is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1979. ''Adweek'' covers creativity, client–agency relationships, global advertising, accounts in review, and new campaigns. During this time, it has cover ...
*
D&AD
Design and Art Direction (D&AD), formerly known as British Design and Art Direction, is a British educational organisation that was created in 1962 to promote excellence in design and advertising. Its main offices are in Spitalfields in London. I ...
References
External links
Official Website
{{Authority control
Art directors
Arts organizations based in New York City
Clubs and societies in New York City
Arts organizations established in 1920
1920 establishments in New York City