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818 - a tiny design empire

Name: 818 - a tiny design empire
Address: 440 East Grand Avenue, Suite E, Des Moines, IA, 50309, US
Telephone: +15158055239
Price range: $$

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818 - a tiny design empire

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We’re here as an extension of your team to help you achieve goals through design-centric marketing.

10/16/2026

You know our work. Now get to know the team behind it. 🤔

10/07/2026

818 recently partnered with AIA Iowa to design a series of seven graphic panels that made a bold first impression as attendees made their way up the escalators into the AIA Iowa Convention at the Iowa Events Center. The 2026 convention wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, and we’re excited to share a closer look at this project.

Designed to be reused for future conventions, the graphics needed to feel vibrant, engaging, and representative of the AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) community as a whole. To accomplish that, we brought together photography highlighting architecture, building systems, and materials: showcasing the many layers and disciplines that come together to shape the spaces around us. 🏛️ 🏢 🚧

It’s always rewarding when the work gets to live in the same spaces and communities it was designed to support! A big thank you to AIA Iowa for the opportunity to be involved in this way, and to our friends and colleagues at Vital Signs Display Graphics for leading with the print and install.

09/30/2026

Maybe you've heard about it already, or maybe this is your first introduction, but the Whimsy & Wonder Play Café is getting ready to officially open its doors in October 2026! 🪄 🛝 ☕

Whimsy & Wonder is a brand-new, modern, and “better-for-you” indoor children's play space and coffee café that is woman- and mom-owned. We had the absolute honor of working with them throughout the development of their new business. We helped create their entire branding and logo family, website, marketing materials, exterior and interior signage, and more!

Projects like these are always fun for us because we get to see an idea go from a blank slate to a full-fledged brand and physical space. Their website just launched, so be sure to check it out and start getting familiar with their awesome new play space. 🔽

And keep an eye out for an official opening date for late October!

09/23/2026

Earlier this summer, the Iowa Institute for Cooperatives came to us to help with marketing materials for their biggest event of the year: their Annual Meeting. The event brings co-op members from across Iowa together each year, while also shining a spotlight on their Hall of Fame and its newest inductees. ✨

For the 2026 Annual Meeting, we helped develop the overall event look and feel, along with a program, mailer, and general brochure. But our work didn’t stop at the printed pieces. We also had the opportunity to help strategize and coordinate the Hall of Fame inductee videos that debuted during the event. We were on site for the filming days, working behind-the-scenes to direct interviews, coordinate shots, and oversee the overall direction of the videos.

A huge shoutout to Silver Shutter Productions for being our awesome partner on this project and for their wonderful editing work.

Congratulations to the Iowa Institute for Cooperatives team on another successful Annual Meeting! ✅

09/21/2026

We’re heading to the AIA Iowa Convention THIS WEEK! 🎉🏛️

Join us Thursday, September 24 & Friday, September 25 at the Iowa Events Center, where you’ll find the 818 team at Booth #129!

We’re looking forward to catching up with familiar faces, meeting new ones, and sharing a little more about who we are, why we do what we do, and how we can help turn your next big idea into something people can experience.

Take a look through the slides for all the details you need to know about finding us at the convention—and be sure to visit aiaiowaevents.org to register and learn more about the event.

We really hope to see you there! 👋✨

09/15/2026

Happy birthday, Victoria Vaudt! 💫��

We are pretty lucky to have someone like Tori on the 818 team, and not just because she’s incredibly good at what she does. Tori is one of those people who makes everyone around her feel welcome, comfortable, and genuinely cared about. No matter what project she’s working on, Tori has a way of connecting with the people behind it. She brings her own human touch to everything she does, builds real relationships with our clients, and gives every project her all. She’s thoughtful, hardworking, creative, and always willing to jump in and help.

Tori is cool, a total sweetheart, and brings so much personality and energy to our office. We appreciate everything she brings to 818 and can’t imagine our team without her.

Happy birthday, Tori! We hope your day is just as wonderful as you are. ❤️

09/11/2026

Happy birthday to one of our amazing experiential designers on the 818 team, Lorelai O'Hara! 🫶

Lorelai is one of those people we all know we can count on every single day. She’s an immense help to each and every one of us, and we’re pretty sure her talents extend beyond what should be humanly possible. She always seems to know the right design direction and has an incredibly creative mind.

While we could go on and on about her design talents, Lorelai is also just a whole lot of fun to have around. She’s silly, always up for a good time, and an amazing thrifter-dresser.

We are so lucky to have her on our team. Have the best birthday, Lorelai! 🎉

08/21/2026

We had the opportunity to help create one of the coolest display walls yet (in our humble opinion), and it is officially on display inside the Iowa Pork Tent. 🐽

The Iowa Pork Producers Association approached us with a completely blank wall and a challenge: transform the space into something that tells the story of who they are, what they do, and why their work matters to Iowans. So naturally, we had some fun with it.

What started as a blank wall became a full interactive experience designed for fairgoers to explore, engage with, and learn from. And when we say interactive, we mean it—you can actually use your hands to move, slide, and reveal different pieces throughout the display.

Projects like this are exactly why we love experiential design. It's not just something you look at; it's something you get to experience. And what a privilege to help showcase it at Iowa's biggest event of the year!

If you're heading to the Iowa State Fair this weekend, be sure to stop by the Iowa Pork Tent, find the wall, and give it a spin (or a slide) for yourself. Happy fair season! 🥓 🎆

08/20/2026

A classic collaboration for a very special milestone! 818 has partnered with Lion Bridge Brewing Company on many projects over the years, and their latest release gave us a chance to bring two great brands together in one very fun package. 🍺🏆

Meet Kohawk Classic: a special Lion Bridge + Coe College b**r collaboration created in celebration of Coe’s 175th anniversary.

Our goal for the design was to make sure this b**r felt unmistakably Lion Bridge. We built upon the established look of their core lineup, carrying familiar brand elements while thoughtfully weaving in Coe’s identity and anniversary branding. Swipe through to see some of those connections, including a look at Compensation and the result in making a b**r feel right at home.

Lion Bridge is celebrating the official release of Kohawk Classic tomorrow, Friday, August 21, from 4:00-6:30 PM at their taproom. Stop by if you are in the area for cake, pizza, prizes, plenty of Kohawk Classic, and a toast to 175 years of Coe College! Keep an eye out for this special release at select Hy-Vee locations throughout Cedar Rapids and across Iowa. 👀

08/19/2026

Have you made your way to the Iowa Pork tent at the Iowa State Fair yet? 👀🐷

If not (or even if you already have), you may want to take a closer look at the west well. There is something pretty cool on display over there…and we may know a thing or two about how it all came to life. 😉

Stay tuned for more details soon.

Address

440 East Grand Avenue, Suite E
Des Moines, IA
50309

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15158055239

Website

http://www.818iowa.com/

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