Sugarland CD & Vinyl Record packaging

OK, so this really is not news... we did the Sugarland packaging a while ago. It won some awards, and helped them sell a zillion records, but back when we did it, we didn’t have a blog. Now we do, and if you never got to see it, here it is. Funny thing... since we did this, the economy tanked, so we haven’t really done much more in the way of music packaging. If you are a recording artist in need of a cool new CD package, give us a call. We’re in the mood to do another cool CD project!

Inspired by Matchbook Cover Designs

One of our clients makes very cool vintage-looking wood and metal signs. Meissenburg Designs, located in Montana, asked us to help them create a new line of fun little prints that would be bought by owners of vacation homes. The new line, called the Matchbook Series made its debut in their 2010 catalog, and they are selling quite well!

This art is inspired by the old matchbook covers you might find in antique stores. We also found a wealth of inspiration looking through the classified ads section of 1940s magazines like Look, Sports Illustrated, etc.
Here is a page from Joel’s sketchbook, made while he was thinking up ideas for a few of the designs.

ADG's New Full Time Designer

ADG is proud to announce the latest addition to our design team. Ligia Teodosiu has been decorated by the Society of Illustrators, AIGA, and the American Advertising Federation in Nashville for her award-winning student work. She recently shined so brightly as our intern that we just had to offer her a full time spot on our team! She joins us as a full time staff designer in April.

A little background on Ligia: Born in Romania, she moved to the USA as a child. After receiving her B.S. in Psychology from Ohio State University, Ligia had every intention of continuing on to graduate school. However, after getting married and moving to Nashville, she became aware of her obsession with graphic design and illustration. She attended Watkins College of Art, Design and Film where she beat out dozens of applicants for a coveted internship spot at ADG. During her time with us, she proved to be an excellent thinker, illustrator, and designer in a wide range of styles. Ligia enjoys illustrating stories, designing logos, dabbling in web design, and perfecting her southern drawl (much to the chagrin of her northerner friends).

Gwyneth Paltrow on Olive & Sinclair

We recently learned that actress Gwyneth Paltrow commented on our
Olive & Sinclair Chocolate packaging. "The chocolate itself is some of the most flavorful we’ve ever experienced and the combinations are amazing...
Each wrapper’s design, is, like the chocolate inside, exquisite." She's been filming in Nashville for an upcoming movie. To read to her full blog post about her Nashville experience, go here.

Introducing Where We Work

Produced by This Ain't No Disco and published by HarperCollins, Where We Work will be available in stores and online this April. ADG designed the book's interior & cover during the fall of 2009. The book's jacket has a foil and spot varnish.

Showcasing forty-five of the world’s most extravagant and inspiring work environments from internationally acclaimed and recognized agencies within the advertising, media and design industry, Where We Work explores how creative agencies transform lifeless commercial spaces into bastions of creativity, offering inspiring interiors and visual insight into the breadth and depth of each agency’s thinking. Spaces that not only inspire, but invite us to re-evaluate our lives from nine to five.

Big Book Series

ADG was approached by Crescent Hill Books and Harper Collins to redesign the cover for a good-selling book that was beginning to look dated. We devised a bold, graphic new look for the title in question. Then we applied that look to other books in the series, establishing an eye-catching new line-look that could be adapted to future titles. The fresh design dramatically improved sales of each of the old titles once they were updated, and continues to spur the series on with new titles. We're currently designing the interior for The New Big Book of Layouts.

New Spirit of Nashville Poster Designs

We just finished the latest additions to the Spirit of Nashville Collection: a new print for WPLN Radio and another for Saint Cecilia Academy. We were happy to create art that will help these two important Nashville icons celebrate milestones of achievement—WPLN’s service to Nashville for over 40 years, and Saint Cecilia Academy’s 150th Anniversary. Both prints were designed by Joel Anderson. The Saint Cecelia print was based on an original painting Joel created specifically for this occasion. The original painting will hang in the school’s lobby.

People ask how we decide which Nashville icons to feature in our art. Occasionally, we just create designs that feature places or themes we love. Often, Nashville establishments ask us how they can be featured in our Spirit of Nashville Collection. If a business or institution has been a significant part of Nashville’s culture, or if they add to our city’s reputation in a unique, creative way, and if we think the print will be something folks would enjoy hanging in their home or office, we will produce a work of art as a limited edition print run if the establishment agrees to buy 300 of the 500 prints (at the wholesale cost.) This helps to help defray part of the cost of creating the art. To see all the designs in the Spirit of Nashville Collection, visit our site at www.spiritofnashville.com

Wired Magazine on iPad

Man...the world is turning more and more like the movie
"The Demolition Man". Sea shells anyone?

It's Wedding Season at ADG

Edward is marrying Morgan at the end of March. His invitations, printed on Curious Metallic Ice Gold paper, have a ribbon and inside pocket. The invitation's elegant pattern was the most time-consuming.



Amy is getting married to Forrest this summer. For her Save the Date, she scanned in hand-cut paper letters to spell June. Adair Freeman was their photographer. The serif typeface is Delicato, and the paper is Mohawk Via Vellum. Advocate Marketing & Print printed them digitally.

Art & Soul of America Collection

ADG set out to celebrate the history and charm of America’s favorite destinations in a series of classic travel posters after Creative Director Joel Anderson got fed up with the cheesy, low-quality postcards & prints available in the gift shops of his favorite places. So he began directing a little symphony of artists who interned at his firm, guiding them in the creation of new imagery in the style of the Golden Age of Poster Art. The new “vintage travel” designs are sold as limited edition prints at www.ArtAndSoulOfamerica.com and licensed to stationery and gift companies for the production of not-cheesy keepsake items and memorabilia.

Special thanks to interns Julian Baker & Andy Gregg.