818 - a tiny design empire

A few weeks ago, 818 had the opportunity to work on a very exciting project for the 2026 National High School Mock Trial Championship , which was hosted in Des Moines this year. We had the honor of designing custom awards and trophies that were presented to the students, teams, and schools throughout the championship. ⚖️🏆

This year’s mock trial case centered around one of Downtown DSM’s most recognizable visual landmarks—the iconic Traveler’s Umbrella and the Crusoe Umbrella of Crowles Commons. More than 600 students from 48 different states, territories, and nations stepped into a legal fiction case involving the death of a student who fell from the Travelers sign during a scavenger hunt.

A special thank you to our client, The Iowa State Bar Association, for trusting us with this project and for the incredible work they did in hosting this competition, as well as providing fantastic photos from the event. We also want to thank Trophies Plus for their collaboration throughout the project, contributing design concepts, and sharing their fabrication expertise.

Congratulations to all of this year’s participants! Thank you for letting us play a small part in such an impactful event.

Hard to believe, but Victoria Vaudt, one of our talented experiential designers, has officially been part of the 818 team for 2 years!

Tori is someone we can always count on. From putting in the hard work and long hours to meet deadlines, to doing it all with a positive attitude and a smile, she brings so much to our team every single day. Our clients adore her (and we definitely do too!)

She’s full of great ideas, brings a fun energy to the office, and continues to impress us with her creativity and integrity.

Thank you, Tori, for everything you do! You are a wonderful teammate and friend. We are so proud of you and grateful to have as part of 818. 👏💯