Brand Excellence — Miranda Creative Takes Home Nine Honors at 48th Annual CADC Awards

Each year, Miranda Creative submits what we feel are the most outstanding examples of the work we have completed for our clients to the Connecticut Art Directors Club (CADC) annual awards show. Competition in this event is strong, which makes for an inspiring event featuring top tier designs and ideas contributed by Connecticut’s talented creative community. 

At the 48th Annual CADC Awards, held on June 25th, we were honored to receive nine awards recognizing a broad range of graphic design projects. These achievements highlight the creativity-first culture we foster at Miranda Creative, encouraging our designers to create truly engaging results that resonate with each client.

We thank the CADC for these awards, congratulate our graphic design team for the well-earned honors, and express our gratitude to the entire 30-person community at Miranda Creative. Each project is a collaborative effort, from the administrative team to production management, and recognitions like the CADC Awards reflect the dedication of the entire Miranda Creative community.

Here’s a look at the Miranda Creative projects that earned distinction at this year’s event:

Hartford Public Library 250th Anniversary Branding

For its 250th anniversary, the Hartford Public Library sought a brand update that would not only recognize its storied history, but also embrace the future and the evolving role of libraries in our communities. Want to learn more? Read the full story of how we accomplished this task.

The Hartford Public Library’s 250th anniversary branding was our most decorated project at the CADC Awards, taking home four honors in all. We received the Gold Award for Logo Systems/Branding Guidelines for the Hartford Public Library brand guide, as well as Silver Awards in the categories of Motion Graphics (for the brand launch animation) Trademark/Logo/Identity (for the library’s logo), and Integrated Branding Program.

Connecticut Education Association Logos

The Connecticut Education Association sought our creative vision for logos highlighting two of its initiatives: Read Across Connecticut, which promotes the joy of reading and the importance of literacy, and The Children’s Fund, which provides assistance to children facing financial hardships.

The logo for Read Across Connecticut features several adorable creatures embracing books. The bright colors and cute critters bring to mind the characters found in many picture books, creating a welcoming and lighthearted logo that aligns with CEA’s literacy message. 

The Children’s Fund logo unites several distinct elements to represent the core elements of this initiative: an outline of the state of Connecticut, a heart to showcase the care the fund provides, a book to represent teachers and students, and a curve that subtly represents how the fund helps bridge gaps and create hope.

CADC gave each logo the Excellence Award in the category of Trademark/Logo/Identity.

Norwich Historical Society “Hello Norwich” Campaign

The Norwich Historical Society, our neighbors on the Norwichtown Green, sought assistance in the fall of 2023 with a marketing campaign to promote the wide range of cultural institutions in the city of Norwich. Looking to the city’s history we discovered a unique option for bringing these destinations together under one umbrella phrase: the first known printed use of the word “hello,” which occurred in an 1826 issue of the Norwich Courier. 

We developed “Hello Norwich” as a brand uniting the Norwich Historical Society and its partner organizations under a friendly invitation to discover the city’s heritage tourism destinations. We are currently working with partners within Norwich to expand this theme to a website welcoming new residents to the city. 

The “Hello Norwich” campaign received an Excellence Award in the category of Integrated Branding Program.

U.S. Coast Guard Band Timeline Installation

Leamy Hall, on the campus of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, is the home of the Coast Guard Band. The band came to us looking for a way to liven up the hall’s lower level, which serves as the operations center, rehearsal space, and various other functions. 

Working closely with Chief Musician Bonnie Denton, we transformed the hallways into a vibrant showcase of the Coast Guard Band’s history since 1925. The bold lines of the timeline installation evoke the “racing stripes” found on Coast Guard vessels, with eye-catching imagery highlighting both the accomplishments of the band and the many Coast Guard missions fulfilled by the performers.

This installation received a Silver Award in the category of Branded Interior Design.

Miranda Creative Highlight Reel

In the spring of 2024, Miranda Creative received two substantial awards: Small Business Owner of the Year from the U.S. Small Business Administration for Maria Miranda, and 2023 Small Business of the Year from the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce. These honors made us realize that we were in need of an updated highlight reel, showcasing the new awards as well as the work we’ve done for our clients.

The reel provides an upbeat summary of the designs, websites, collateral, and other deliverables we’ve made for a diverse range of clients. This collection is tied together with a message emphasizing the two honors, declaring Miranda Creative to be a “small business proud of making a big impact.”

The highlight reel received a Silver Award in the category of Self Promotion.

Congratulations to our colleague and friend, Carissa Decelles, on hosting her first CADC awards program as president of this prestigious organization.

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