2022 American Advertising Award Winners

Andrea Quam is an associate professor of graphic design at Iowa State University’s College of Design. She received her BFA in Graphic Design from Iowa State. After her BFA, she practiced as a multimedia and print designer. She’s worked with a range of clients including: McGraw Hill, Ford, General Electric, Elsevier Science and Meredith Corporation. After a decade of dedicated practice, she returned to graduate school to receive her MFA in Visual Communication from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Andrea teaches at all levels of Iowa State’s graphic design program. Her work has been published and exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally. She has presented papers and published journal articles with organizations such as: American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA), the Design Research Society (DRS), International Digital Media and Arts Association (iDMAa), International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA), International Design Principles and Practice, and the University and College Designers Association (UCDA).

Her latest research endeavors find her exploring ‘graphic design ecologies’: the connections between the traditional and expanding graphic design field, and relationships between people, their environment and experiences. This perspective has cultured research in the areas of design pedagogy, sustainable ideals, digital publishing, identity and system design, experiential and interdisciplinary design. Students participating in her most recent interdisciplinary experiential design endeavors have received national (SEGD) and international (IDA) design awards.