Maryville design firm Visual Voice wins ADDY for work with Maryville College

April 21, 2023

Downtown Maryville graphic design and marketing firm Visual Voice took home two dozen awards in February at the 58th Annual American Advertising Federation (AAF) ADDY Awards at The Mill and Mine in Knoxville, including a gold for the design of the current Maryville College logo. 

The ADDY Awards is the largest and most representative award ceremony in the advertising industry, with the mission of recognizing and rewarding the creative spirit and the inspired nature of those in advertising. 

“It’s humbling to have our small-town graphic design and marketing agency be recognized alongside the other premier East Tennessee agencies, and for us to come out with such a strong showing is both a blessing and an honor,” said Visual Voice owner Artie Yarlett.

At the event, Visual Voice received three bronze awards, seven silver awards and 10 gold awards, including one for the 2021 redesign of the Maryville College logo. A longtime branding partner with the College, Visual Voice also designed marks for the College’s 2019 Bicentennial and the logo system for Maryville College Athletics, which includes the Power M and the Scotsman with sword and shield.

The award-winning logo features the bell tower of Anderson Hall, built in 1870, as a prominent feature, just as it has been on the College logo for nearly two decades. The background, however, features three mountains that represent the “Three Sisters” of the Chilhowee Mountain ridge, which are visible from campus. In some versions, the new logo also includes the tagline “in the Great Smoky Mountains.” Other features include a representation of the college tartan, a nod to its Scots-Irish roots, and the founding date, 1819.

A 12-member committee of faculty, staff, students and alumni worked with Visual Voice on the new logo, which the College now uses on everything from signage and stationery.

“We greatly appreciate the commitment of Visual Voice in working towards a logo that not only shows where we are, but who we are,” said Maryville College President Dr. Bryan Coker upon the new logo’s unveiling in 2021, adding that the shape — that of a crest — “pays homage to the college’s history, traditions and reputation for an education quality and substance.”

“I hope you believe, as we do, that this logo and logo family will help introduce the college to others in a more effective and more exciting way,” he said. “In a world that is incredibly fast-paced and full of distractions, we have around 3 seconds or less to capture someone’s attention, making our logo and overall visual identity incredibly important.”

“East Tennessee offers unparalleled beauty and the privilege to collaborate with extraordinary people and causes,” added Visual Voice Creative Director John Fischbach. “Those blessings naturally translate to inspired creativity, and it’s joyful to help our clients find their voice.”

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”