The Paula E. Sullivan Outstanding Achievement Award:
2012 Honoree: Ron Miriello
Background and Achievements
Ron Miriello is the founder and director of Miriello Grafico in San Diego, a founding member of the San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, an author, public speaker and fine artist with a passion for global themes and technology combined with old world artisan ingenuity.
Ron studied at Colorado State University and completed his design degree in Italy at La Poggerina, where he later taught, worked and lived for two years before moving to San Diego in the late 1970s.
Miriello Grafico has provided award winning identity and branding for start-up companies, major corporations worldwide and community organizations including Hewlett Packard, Qualcomm, TaylorMade, Adidas, San Diego ConVis, San Diego Metro Transit, Iomega, The San Diego Italian Film Festival, and SAFE Foundation. He is a contributing author of 5 published books on design and design thinking. Ron has been interviewing and photographing craftsmen of everyday objects in Italy for a book, Italy By Hand, about handcrafted products in a world of global mass production.
He is an active speaker on the subject of “the language of design” at schools, associations and universities.His artistic achievements have included: AIGA National Fellow Award in 2008; a Linnie Cooper Foundation Grant for Education in 2010; the Monfort Fellowship Colorado State University 2010; an upcoming exhibit of his sculpture project called 100 Worlds; and honors from many national and international design associations and publications.
Community Achievements
In his branding/graphic design firm, Ron has mentored countless young designers in a collaborative, team-based creative environment that has provided a launching pad for many prominent design and business careers over the past 30 years.
In his neighborhood of choice, Barrio Logan, Ron has purchased and renovated The Logan, sponsored up-and-coming mural artists, championed the unique heritage of the Hispanic quarter that is home to Miriello Grafico and supported the preservation of the neighborhood identity through an ongoing wave of development and gentrification. Together with the founding board members of the San Diego chapter, Miriello negotiated with Moscow to have 300 Soviet posters documenting Glasnost and Perestroika to be sent to San Diego for exhibition in 1989. The collection ignited the fledgling local AIGA chapter, which now has 450 members. A year later, after the fall of the communist block, the posters were bequeathed by the Union of Soviet Artists to the AIGA San Diego and have since traveled to all AIGA chapters.
He has contributed as a member, consultant or creative contributor to a broad assortment of community organizations, including:
Center City Advisory Counsel
Business Roundtable for Education
Barrio Logan Community Plan Update
Barrio Station
COSA Coronado School of the Arts Foundation
Colorado State University Alumni advisory
Design Innovation Institute Advisory Board
Tri City Medical Center Hospital Foundation
Corporate Director Forum
NTC Foundation
ATHENA
San Diego Italian Film Festival Advisory Board
Slow Food Urban San Diego
SAFE project Against Gun Violence
Point Loma Nazarene University
Family Health Centers /Spirit of The Barrio
Radicondoli Italy Pro Loco
This History of the Paula E. Sullivan Award:
Paula Sullivan stood for excellence in advertising so it seemed fitting to establish the Paula E. Sullivan Award. During the early 80's the Homburg Awards recognized excellence in advertising. The "Best of Show" in the Homburg Awards was awarded the Paula E. Sullivan Award. Paula helped open the city's first all-woman advertising and public relations agency, Sullivan and Sample, in 1946. She handled almost every communications group in San Diego (including the San Diego Ad Club) and was especially helpful to those who were trying to break into the business. By the early 90's the Homburg Awards evolved into the "ADDY Creative Show" as we know it today.
The Paula E. Sullivan Award evolved as well into honoring an individual with the Paula E. Sullivan Outstanding Achievement Award. This award is now presented to individuals who have continually demonstrated their active involvement and dedication to the San Diego advertising and graphic design community and share their accomplishments and inspiration with the community.
The Paula E. Sullivan Award is a tribute to a great lady.
Recipients To Date:
1992 Bob Kwait, Creative Director Phillips-Ramsey
1993 Jim Crouch, Principal Crouch & Naegeli, Inc.
1994 Sheila Fox, President Chapman Warwick
1995 Gary Cantor, President The Advertising Arts College
1996 Bonnie Schwartz, Principal Schwartz Graphic Design
1997 John Vitro & John Robertson, Principals VitroRobertson
1998 Tom DiZinno, President DiZinno Thompson Integrated Marketing Solutions
1999 Candice Lopez, Graphic Design Professional & Graphic Design Professor San Diego City College
2001 Howard Oleff, Business Development Consultant at KGTV and Advertising Professor San Diego State University
2002 Sharon Massey, Director of Marketing San Diego Radio Broadcasters Assoc.
2003 MaeLin Levine, Principal & Creative Director Visual Asylum
2004 Gerry Wilson, President Better Business Bureau
2005 Nick Lambesis The Lambesis Agency
2006 Bev Oster Oster & Associates
2007 Paul Palmer San Diego Big Brothers/Big Sisters
2008 Weldon Donaldson KFMB
2009 Alan Shaw National Multiple Sclerosis Society
2010 Bob Cerasoli Cerasoli/Stafford Media Management LLC (San Diego)
2011 Janet Dahle, Loma Media
2012 Ron Miriello, Miriello Graphico
