The Connecticut Art Director’s Club (CADC) was founded during an exciting time in design and advertising history. Large companies and brands were growing, television and publishing technologies were advancing, and the creative being produced was having greater impact on the consumer. Agencies flourished as a result, delivering some of the most iconic work the ad world had ever seen.

And while it was common for agency leadership to gather and celebrate these creative efforts, the people doing the work—the designers, illustrators, art directors, copywriters, and alike—were left to their own devices. It was with this in mind that Mark Vogt, an art director at The Brothers Agency, decided that the creative core of the industry might need its own opportunity to connect.

So in 1975, Mark rented P.O. Box 1974 in New Haven, CT, and started writing letters to his peers with the sole purpose of bringing Connecticut’s creatives together. And while the first event of 75 people was simple (a casual lecture by Steve Cosmopulos from Hill, Halliday, and Cosmopulos on the state of advertising), the feeling in the room was powerful—this kind of peer-to-peer environment where creatives were free to talk and share was sorely needed.

Soon after, groups started to gather on a regular basis. Then someone suggested creation of an award ceremony that was not a competition per say but rather a way for creatives to recognize and celebrate each other’s work. As a result, the first Annual CADC Awards Show (then named “The One Show”), held in June of 1976 with more than 150 creatives in attendance. And so the CADC was born.

Since then, the CADC has gone on to expand its programing and mission, even securing its nonprofit status in 1986. But along side professional development and educational programming, open studio gatherings, and the more recent student workshops, our Annual Awards Show has been a constant—bringing together the creative core to celebrate and recognize each other and our creative efforts in the industry.