The Thoughtfulness Behind Our Award-Winning Work

Great campaigns aren’t accidents. They’re built with intention, passion, and an unwavering commitment to the craft. That’s why we’re thrilled to share that our team recently took home multiple honors at the 2025 AAF Des Moines American Advertising Awards, including a Gold ADDY for our promotional bourbon labels for New Way Trucks, Silver ADDYs for our brand video and refresh, and two of five Judges Awards for our video and bourbon labels.

For us, winning these awards isn’t about recognition—it’s a testament to the thoughtful approach we bring to every project. 

Here’s how our core principles of thoughtfulness, authenticity, accountability, and being committed to our craft shaped our winning work.

The difference is in the details

Each year, New Way Trucks puts a lot of pride and care into a holiday ‘thank you’ gift for internal and external stakeholders. And this year was extra special. 

Our bourbon labels for New Way Trucks weren’t just about creating something visually appealing—they were about crafting an experience. With each label tied to a family member, the designs needed to reflect their individual personalities.

Each label, though distinct, maintained a cohesive visual language. Gold and brown tones added a premium feel, while subtle details—like a subliminal nod to the New Way logo—ensured authenticity. From the first design sketch to final execution, we worked in tandem with the New Way team, refining and iterating to ensure that the final product felt both personal and elevated.

Leave big impressions, no matter how small the tactic

Our Red Dot brand video and recent revamp were born from a single question: How do we define who we are in a way that resonates?

Creating the video and branding wasn’t just about telling our story; it was about showing the kind of work we do. The visuals, the tone, the content—all were intentional choices to communicate our belief that branding is about connection. We wanted to be authentic in how we represented ourselves, embracing the quirks, the creativity, and the strategic thinking that define us. That meant showing up honestly in every frame, ensuring that our brand felt true to who we are and what we stand for.

This approach required accountability at every stage—ensuring we stayed true to our vision, refining the messaging until it struck the right chord, and holding ourselves to the same high standards we set for our clients. Every step was taken with purpose, and the result was work that felt undeniably, unapologetically us.

The updated video lives on the homepage of our updated website, on our YouTube channel, and is pinned at the top of our LinkedIn page. As of this writing, it has a 3.42% click-through rate to our site from LinkedIn. (Not bad for a passive marketing tactic, eh?)

The power of thoughtful, human-centered work

Our work wins because it’s real. It’s designed with heart, built on strategy, and executed with integrity. Whether we’re designing a bourbon label, producing a video, or refreshing a brand, we show up as our full selves—quirks, creativity, and all—because we believe that’s what drives results. We approach each project with a responsibility to overdeliver, ensuring that what we create isn’t just visually compelling but meaningful, resonant, and effective.

These awards reaffirm what we already know: thoughtful, human-centered work makes an impact. And while the recognition is nice, what truly matters is what we get to create next. Because when you build something with intention, passion, and purpose—it shows.

Thank you

A HUGE thank you to our team, our clients, and the judges at AAF Des Moines for recognizing the thoughtfulness behind our work. Here’s to more big ideas and bold creativity in the year ahead!