ADG Collaborating Artist Wins Prestigious Awards for National Park Art
As Anderson Design Group’s Creative Director, Joel Anderson is always on the lookout for artistic talent. Keen to collaborate with artists whose styles are compatible with the classic ADG vibe, Joel has collaborated with several talented artists over the years.
Arden von Haeger is one such artist. A true professional in every sense of the word, Arden’s classic hand-rendered illustration style conveys grandeur, romance, and nuance. His inventive use of color and unique Art Deco styling conjure up a bygone elegance as he celebrates some of America’s most iconic nature spaces and wilderness destinations.
See below for a preview of Arden's national park poster art!
Friends since the 1990s, Joel once described Arden’s artistic style as such:
“Arden is a modern-day master. His handling of color, light, and shape evoke a feeling of timeless, historic beauty. His compositions remind me of the epic Works Progress Administration-era masterpieces of the Early 20th Century that moved America. Arden’s creations are ingeniously stylized, artfully simplified, and powerfully amplified, enabling him to tell a familiar story in a whole new way.”
Arden's National Park Posters Win National Awards
Since Arden and Joel began collaborating on art of the national parks, 16 of Arden’s 50+ designs have been selected for prestigious awards granted by globally recognized illustration and design institutions. Three posters won awards with more than one agency, leading to 19 awards and counting!
Arden took home gold and silver awards for multiple posters featured in the Society of Illustrators, and he won Best Category Series from CA (Communication Arts).
Recently, the following illustrations were chosen as winners for the Society of Illustrators Los Angeles West 63rd Annual Show:
Olympic National Park: Pelican Sunset
Zion National Park: Pronghorn Antelopes
Bryce Canyon National Park: Among the Hoodoos
Yellowstone National Park: Wonderland
Gateway Arch National Park: Evening Glow
But those are only the most recent awards Arden has taken home. We checked in with Arden recently, and he sent us this list of award-winning poster art arranged chronologically:
2022:
The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles
Yellowstone National Park: Art Deco Bison (Gold Medal)
2023:
The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles
Badlands National Park: Rumbling Herd
Saguaro National Park: Twilight
Everglades National Park: Flight of the Flamingos (Bronze Medal)
2024:
The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles
Olympic National Park: Pelican Sunset
Zion National Park: Pronghorn Antelopes
Bryce Canyon National Park: Among the Hoodoos
Yellowstone National Park: Wonderland
Gateway Arch National Park: Evening Glow
3x3 Magazine
Glacier Bay National Park: Gliding Orcas
Haleakalā National Park: Above the Clouds
Big Bend National Park: Dreamscape
American Illustration 44
Everglades National Park: Flight of the Flamingos
Shenandoah National Park: Rolling Hills
Communication Arts
Crater Lake National Park: Morning Glory (Best Series in Institutional Category award)
Yellowstone National Park: Art Deco Bison
Shenandoah National Park: Rolling Hills
Channel Islands National Park: Breaching Whale
Mount Rainier National Park: Lone Elk (This piece was used to promote CA’s 2025 competition!)
These award-winning national park posters and others in Arden and ADG’s collaborative collection can be viewed in the Arden von Haeger Collection.
The organizations that handed out the awards can be found at the links below:
The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles
3x3 Magazine
American Illustration 44
Communication Arts
An Interview with Arden
ADG: Can you tell us a little bit about the organizations you won awards with?
Arden: Certainly! All four are organizations that put on competitions where artists from around the world can submit their work. The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles is one of the leading names in illustration and design, with their prestigious competition garnering thousands of entries. Communication Arts is a prominent monthly magazine focusing on multiple mediums, also very prestigious. 3x3 Magazine is headed by industry professionals and is the ultimate tradespeople magazine for artists and illustrators. American Illustrators produces a beautiful annual book of art, and their competitions are perhaps the most competitive of all, with tens of thousands of entries.
ADG: Were you surprised by how many of your pieces won awards?
Arden: Surprised, honored, and thrilled beyond my wildest dreams. I always tell my students not to expect to win when submitting work to art competitions, and I didn't expect any of these awards. I would've been thrilled if just one of my pieces had won. The fact that we're now at 19 awards and counting couldn't make me happier.
ADG: We covered your artist's process in a previous interview, but what are some of the aspects to your craft that you've found to be particularly workable over the years?
Arden: Every single aspect and detail of my paintings are intentional, from where the light is coming from in the piece to the ripples in the water, the scale of the objects, the shapes of the wildlife, the colors, everything is carefully thought out. My goal is to put myself in the viewer's shoes and attempt to create a painting where the viewer feels as though they are IN the painting, experiencing whatever it is I'm trying to show them. If I were to sum it up, I'd say it’s about creating beautiful art that people feel.
ADG: That sounds like quite the task!
Arden: I always tell my students, "I never think the art is perfect. I’m satisfied but not content. The pursuit of perfection continues forever and will continue until I depart this world."
Below are some of the steps in developing an illustration from sketch to final color and the actual poster layout...
ADG: Anything else about your process we didn't cover in our previous article?
Arden: I don't think I mentioned this before, but I do about half of my paintings upside down! This helps turn off the section of my brain that focuses intently on detail, allowing me to really dive into the composition, the overall piece, the beautiful national park story the painting is trying to tell.
ADG: Going back to the awards, in a landscape where art is becoming increasingly competitive–and also more difficult for young artists to make their way forward when they're competing with AI–what advice do you have for young people who aspire to produce award-winning art?
Arden: It is getting more challenging. AI is a major factor in the art sector, and it isn't going away. I tell my students they need to get educated on AI, find ways to use it to their benefit, but also find ways to make themselves stand out from it. AI is a part of our competition now, so all our rules of business and the marketplace apply. Today, artists need to be great artists, but they also need to be business savvy. Winning awards is a huge step in the right direction, as the awards put out by the above publications are like the Grammys and the Oscars of illustration and design. Getting art featured in those publications is a huge step towards getting your name out there.
ADG: Of the art you've created that's won awards, which is your favorite?
Arden: I never send Joel a concept I don't love, so technically, they're all my favorite! I absolutely love every piece he and I have worked on together. Each holds a special place in my heart for different reasons: Everglades, Shenandoah, Smoky Mountains, Glacier Bay, Congaree, Bryce Canyon, Biscayne Bay, Glacier, it's difficult to narrow down and pick one favorite.
ADG: Does your wife have a favorite?
Arden: Sher is my #1 fan. She insisted we dedicate a room in our home to my art, our own little gallery! It has all my award-winning art and she insists we show it to folks every time we have people over.
ADG: What's next for you, career-wise?
Arden: Once I finish creating art of all the national parks, I'd love to collaborate with Anderson Design Group on a coffee table book featuring our art of the parks. I'd also love to tour the parks and give presentations about the art, the parks, why they matter, and why art is such a great way to celebrate them. Joel and I have also been in talks about having me create art of international travel destinations, as I've spent many, many consecutive months over the years teaching in Europe. I'd love to bring some of those perspectives back to the States and showcase them through art.
ADG: Thanks for the chat, Arden. And congratulations!
Arden: Thanks to Joel and ADG for the opportunities!
What it Means to Create Award-Winning Art of the National Parks
The mission and vision behind Anderson Design Group is best described in Joel’s own words:
“Everything you see on our site is original art, created with care by our team of artists at Anderson Design Group (a family owned business) and produced by American printers who take great pride in their work. As artists and craftspeople, we are passionate about preserving the time-honored traditions and techniques of artists and printmakers from the 20th Century. We pick up where masters from the Golden Age of Travel Art left off, continuing this tradition with a whole new body of travel posters for our generation. Our goal is to connect with others by producing high-quality prints, books, and gifts that beautify everyday life. When you buy one of our creations, you provide opportunities for artists, printmakers, book binders, paper vendors, shipping partners, and many others who take pride in working with their hands. Every print, postcard, or book we produce is printed in the USA.”
When the goal is to create poster art that celebrates traditions that are now over a century old, nothing is more rewarding than receiving awards for that poster art. Why? Because these old traditions will fade away if no one alive today continues to preserve them.
What better way to preserve and celebrate something than to grant awards to it? What better way to raise awareness for a vintage style than to celebrate it in prestigious publications and institutions?
We are so proud to work with Arden von Haeger. Through his and Joel’s collaboration, ADG is honoring and preserving the national parks, inspiring others to fall in love with these places so that the parks and the art style used to portray them never fade away.
Happy exploring,
-Ren Brabenec
Anderson Design Group Staff Writer