Since 1971, the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame has recognized and honored those innovators who have made significant contributions to art direction and visual communications, and whose lifetime achievements represent the highest standards of creative excellence. An essay from the Board of Directors in the 51st Art Directors Annual reads, "This year we inaugurate the Hall of Fame. The nomination and election each year of these people will help to educate and inform not only the young people entering our business, but we hope will serve as an inspiration to all of us. In their hands, advertising and graphic communication [becomes] an art form."

An exhibition of the year's distinguished laureates accompanies the opening dinner each year.

M.F. Agha - 1972 Jerry Andelin - 2004 Richard Avedon - 1982 Gordon Aymar - 1975 Saul Bass - 1977 Herbert Bayer - 1975 Lester Beall - 1972 Allan Beaver - 1997 Edward Benguiat - 2000 Bill Bernbach - 1983 Lucian Bernhard - 1981 Michael Bierut - 2003 R.O Blechman - 1999 Alexey Brodovitch - 1972 Robert Brownjohn - 1995 Leo Burnett - 1993 Red Burns - 1998 Aaron Burns - 1983 Will Burtin - 1974 Heyworth Campbell - 1975 A.M. Cassandre - 1972 Ivan Chermayeff - 1981 Jay Chiat - 2004 Seymour Chwast - 1983 Rene Clarke - 1972 Thomas M. Cleland - 1978 Lee Clow - 1990 Charles Coiner - 1973 Muriel Cooper - 2004 Paul Davis - 1995 Rudolph deHarak - 1989 Walt Disney - 1986 Louis Dorfsman - 1978 W.A. Dwiggins - 1979 Charles Eames - 1984 Wallace Elton - 1984 Gene Federico - 1980 Bea Feitler - 1991 Pablo Ferro - 2000 Louise Fili - 2004 Willy Fleckhaus - 1987 Alan Fletcher - 1994 André François - 2003 Steve Frankfurt - 1983 Leon Friend - 1987 Janet Froelich - 2006 Shigeo Fukuda - 1987 Robert Gage - 1972 Amil Gargano - 1982 Tom Geismar - 1998 Bob Gill - 1991 Bob Giraldi - 1991 George Giusti - 1979 Milton Glaser - 1979 William Golden - 1972 Roy Grace - 1986 Steve Heller - 1996 Jim Henson - 1991 Richard Hess - 1991 Al Hirschfeld - 2004 Steve Horn - 1987 Allen Hurlburt - 1978 Eiko Ishioka - 1992 Chuck Jones - 1998 Tibor Kalman - 2004 Yusaku Kamekura - 1993 Art Kane - 1985 E.McKnight Kauffer - 1976 David Kennedy - 2003 György Kepes - 1981 George Krikorian - 1981 Helmut Krone - 1979 Roy Kuhlman - 1995 Annie Leibovitz - 1999

Rick Levine - 1992 Herschel Levit - 1989 Alexander Liberman - 1975 Leo Lionni - 1974 Raymond Loewy - 1989 George Lois - 1978 Herb Lubalin - 1977 Alvin Lustig - 1986 Jay Maisel - 1995 Herbert Matter - 1976 Edward McCabe - 1974 Bill McCaffery - 1996 Bruce McCall - 2004 Philip Meggs - 2001-2002 Sheila Metzner - 1997 Duane Michals - 2004 Issey Miyake - 2006 László Moholy-Nagy - 1975 Nicholas Negroponte - 2006 Erik Nitsche - 1996 Onofrio Paccione - 1992 Tony Palladino - 1987 Gordon Parks - 1992 Arthur Paul - 1986 B. Martin Pedersen - 1997 Cipe Pineles Burtin - 1975 Shirley Polykoff - 1974 Paul Rand - 1972 Silas Rhodes - 1988 Nancy Rice - 2006 Stan Richards - 1999 Norman Rockwell - 1994 Willem Sandberg - 1979 Sam Scali - 1984 Paula Scher - 1998 Joe Sedelmaier - 2000 Ben Shahn - 1988 Rich Silverstein - 2001-2002 Louis Silverstein - 1984 Len Sirowitz - 1985 Paul Smith - 1973 Jerome Snyder - 1982 Giorgio Soavi - 2001-2002 Reba Sochis - 1990 Edward Sorel - 2001-2002 Art Spiegelman - 2006 Bert Steinhauser - 1988 Alex Steinweiss - 1998 Bert Stern - 2006 Otto Storch - 1980 Ladislav Sutnar - 1979 Ikko Tanaka - 1994 William Taubin - 1981 Mike Tesch - 1988 Bradbury Thompson - 1977 Jack Tinker - 1973 George Tscherny - 1997 Jan Tschichold - 1979 Charles Tudor - 1985 Edward Tufte - 2004 Rochelle Udell - 1994 Arnold Varga - 1996 Massimo Vignelli - 1982 Andy Warhol - 1994 Robert Weaver - 1990 Richard Wilde - 1999 Robert Wilvers - 1993 Henry Wolf - 1980 Fred Woodward - 1996 Richard Saul Wurman - 2003 Tadanori Yokoo - 2000 Frank Zachary - 1990 Howard Zieff - 1993