For the third straight year, FUEL made a strong showing at the Art Directors Association of Iowa’s ADAI Design Exhibition 2020. Because of the COVID pandemic, the exhibition had been postponed and then was held virtually.
ADAI judges recognized FUEL with a pair of EXCELLENCE Awards:
“On the surface these look like one-off projects,” said Owner and Co-Founder John Moes, “but they are in fact interlocking pieces of a much larger puzzle that comprises a global brand. As designers, holistic thinking informs everything we do, and these awards are two examples of work that must fit the larger picture, yet are able to stand on their own merits, too.”
The award for Advertising Campaign for John Deere’s Empowering Women campaign recognized a print ad that ran in New York Moves, a lifestyle publication for city women as part of its “Moves Power Women” gala and speaker series. It featured John Deere’s global reach to showcase how women in the company are making a meaningful difference in the lives of other women around the world.
“John Deere is helping empower farmers across the globe — and in this case, a woman named Sita from India,” said Bill Bollman, FUEL’s Co-Founder and Creative Director. “Powerful visual and verbal storytelling brings to light the important role she plays for her family and community. It goes to show not all growing solutions involve tractors.”
As for the video, FUEL Design Director John Allen led the efforts to highlight John Deere’s latest advancements in its Forestry division.
“John Deere Forestry is continuously innovating their products to help customers tackle hurdles in the field and improve their lives as a whole,” said Allen. “This product launch was no exception — they really raised the industry standard with this one. Since this 959ML performs on steep slopes, enabling loggers to go where previously they hadn’t attempted to tread, it was thrilling to produce a video that sought to capture the same sense of drama, grandeur, and awe-inspiring feelings the customers feel when working successfully in this extreme and unforgiving environment.”
In addition to the recognition of FUEL’s work, the event was extra special for Bollman, who served as a Student Judge for the work submitted by collegians throughout the state.
“I was very impressed with the range of skill sets and the thoughtfulness in the work,” said Bollman. “It was a great opportunity to see some up-and-coming talent. Hopefully these students will stay in the state. We need to continue building our talent pool in the Midwest.”
Learn more about the exhibition at artdirectorsiowa.org.
Bill Bollman is FUEL’s Creative Director. Before co-founding FUEL in 2001, he worked for Horizon Communications, JW Morton and Basler Design Group. Bill studied Illustration at Hawkeye Tech in Waterloo, Iowa. An expert in the “old ways” of hands-on print production, these skills influence his work in the digital world to this day. His work throughout his career has been featured in international publications including Graphis, How International Design, Communication Arts, and The One Book as well as numerous design annuals and reference books.
