Exhibition

EXHIBITION

ADAI’s 67th Exhibition

Founded in 1957, the Art Directors Association of Iowa has been connecting local professionals and students through design for over 60 years. Every year, ADAI hosts one of Iowa’s largest design exhibitions attracting hundreds of entries every year and attendees. The exhibition is an opportunity for Iowans to establish themselves as industry professionals, talented designers, and artists.

ENTRY DEADLINE

February 21, 2025

Celebrating our 67^th Exhibition, the Art Director’s Association of Iowa honors the boundless creativity of our childhood that shaped our journey to becoming the accomplished designers we are today. Don’t miss your chance to showcase your talent, gain visibility, and connect with fellow designers who share your passion. Submit your creative work to Iowa’s most entered annual design competition and let your work shine! Both students and professionals across the state of Iowa are welcome and encouraged to enter.

CATEGORIES RULES ENTRY FEES

STUDENT JUDGING

March 5, 2025

PROFESSIONAL JUDGING

March 7, 2025

Student Judges

Bridget Drendel

Partner & Co-Owner or Project7 Design

Bio

Bridget Drendel is a partner and co-owner at Project7 Design. After starting her design career at DMACC, Bridget studied in Toronto and at Columbia College Chicago. With experience in a variety of studios and corporate environments, she honed her skills before co-founding p7 where she focuses on leading design and web projects as well as client relations.

Grant Cushman

Designer, FUEL

Bio

Grant Cushman is a seasoned designer at FUEL, a Midwest-based design agency renowned globally for its expertise in brand development and management. Raised in Mt. Pleasant, Grant graduated with a design degree from Buena Vista University and brings over two decades of experience to his work. His unique illustrative style and artful design have consistently earned him awards and recognition.

Grant‘s diverse background as a designer, illustrator, marketer, and promoter shapes his comprehensive approach to creative problem-solving. His professional journey includes significant roles at BPC in Des Moines, J&P Cycles, and organizations like Helping Hannah’s Heart and the National Motorcycle Museum. At FUEL, he has worked with a wide array of clients, from startups to Fortune 100 companies, giving him profound insights across various industries.

Beyond the studio, Grant‘s passions extend to art-house movies, collecting vinyl records, mini bikes, Kustom Kulture, travel, and Mid-Century design, all of which enrich his creative vision.

Annabel Wimer

Owner & Designer, Annabel Wimer Design

Bio

Annabel Wimer is a graphic designer and the owner of Annabel Wimer Design, which she started in 1990 after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design and returning to her native Des Moines. Her clients include numerous arts and cultural organizations, including the Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines Performing Arts, Des Moines Symphony, dsm magazine, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden and Grinnell College Museum of Art. Previously, she worked as an in-house designer for Hampton’s Magazine in Southampton, New York, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. She currently serves on the board of the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation.

Professional Judges

Mike Perry

Founder & CCO, Tavern

Bio

Mike Perry, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of TAVERN, a Brooklyn-based creative agency with a focus on food, beverage, cannabis & hospitality brands.

Mike is a proven leader with 13+ years of success building industry-leading brands through bold, ambitious and beautifully-crafted creative. A food & beverage industry veteran, he has gone from behind the bar to behind some of the biggest brands in the industry, with clients including Budweiser, Beam Suntory, Burger King, Diageo and many more.

His dynamic and strategic approach to design blurs the lines between branding and advertising, turning every touchpoint into an opportunity to build brands iteratively, at the lightning-fast speed of culture today. Through TAVERN, he is setting a new standard for the creative industry, one where branding isn’t static because brands no longer are.

Ying Ying Liu

Design Lead, Verily

Bio

Ying is a San Francisco-based UX designer with a background in graphic design and human-computer interaction (HCI). With 10+ years experience at companies such as Verily (Google X Life Sciences), YouTube, and VSA Partners, Ying’s focus has been creating intuitive, user-centered designs across digital, physical, and print surfaces. As an Iowa native and Cyclone alum, Ying is honored to serve as a judge for this year’s ADAI design competition.

Brayan Montes-Terrazas

Owner & Creative Lead, YAMZ World of Color

Bio

Brayan Montes-Terrazas is the lead creative and owner of the YAMZ World of color. The Yamz world of color creates bold and colorful illustration work for a myriad of colorful clients. For Brayan it’s important to highlight and uplift marginalized identities/communities, because of that Brayan primarily works with queer owned, women owned and POC owned organization, nonprofits and small business. He has also gotten the chance to work with clients such as Nestle, New Belgium Brewing and XBOX/Microsoft.

Brayan Is currently based in Denver, Colorado. You can find more of his work at Brayanmontes.com and yamzworld.com