The Anthony J. Viola Papers span the years 1968-2009 and document Viola's career, especially his role as an art director at JWT's New York, Chicago, and Lisbon offices. The papers include some correspondence and other office files but the bulk of the collection consists of artwork for print advertisements and television storyboards; along with videocassettes, videotapes, DVDs and 16mm films of television commercials created by Viola. The papers cover JWT offices in Chicago; New York; Milan (Italy); Buenos Aires (Argentina); Lisbon (Portugal); and Santiago (Chile). Key clients include Bell Atlantic; the City of Boston; Citibank; Dole; Kodak; Interstate Bakeries; Johnson & Johnson; Kellogg; Kimberly Clark; Kraft Foods; Mars; Miller beer; Nestlé; Pepsi; Pfizer; Reckitt & Benckiser; Rolex; Sears; Schlitz; Unilever; and Warner Lambert. Most of the files are in English; some materials are in Spanish.
The collection is organized into three Series: General Records; Advertising Designs; and Audiovisual Materials.
The General Records series is organized into three categories: Office Files; Personal Files; and Use Copies of Audiovisual Materials. Office Files includes correspondence and memoranda for General Electric, and the JWT Milan (Italy) and Santiago (Chile) Offices. Personal Files contains private correspondence, resumes and biographical sketches. Use Copies of Audiovisual Materials contains use copies of Viola's television commercials and scans of sketches, print advertisements, TV boards and storyboards from the 1970s to 2000s. The Advertising Designs series contains the bulk of the collections' content. This series is divided into categories according to form and format: small- and large-format Artwork; small- and large-format Laminated Print Advertisements; Mounted Advertising Designs; and Oversized Materials. Arranged alphabetically by brand. Artwork contains mostly sketches, drafts and proofs of television commercial storyboards and print advertisements, as well as some attached notes. The Laminated Print Advertisements contains proofs of print advertisements, laminated for use in presentations. Mounted Advertising Designs consist of print advertisements and storyboards that have been mounted on mat board or foamcore board. Oversized Materials contains sketches, drafts and final proofs of television commercial storyboards, sketches and final proofs of print advertisements, as well as some screen prints and posters. The Audiovisual Series contains television commercials, presentation and sample reels in 16mm film, 1-inch videotape, VHS videocassette, Betacam, and DVD formats. Use copies are available for some of these commercials. Arranged alphabetically by brand or title.