External Audience Tabloids and Newsletters

Print External Audience Tabloids and Newsletters (21A)

43 entries

The wide variety of sizes, shapes, lengths, and content of the entries submitted to this category made us wonder about the definition of “newsletter.” Some entries seemed to be more like magazines; some were in card format; others were tabloids so hefty that they weighted at least as much as a daily newspaper.

When picking winners in this category, we sought characteristics that we thought would give the pieces the best possible chance of even being opened by mail recipients, given the abundance of unsolicited mail distributed to the reading population. What would prevent any of these publications from being recycled unread?

Tabloid-style newsletters face a particular challenge in this respect. When folded for mailing, many give no outward indication of their purpose or contents. One of the few exceptions to this was one of our silver medal winners which displayed an attractively colored and illustrated “What’s Inside…?” section on its outside.

Many of the newsletters suffered from a severe dearth of appealing graphics and writing, especially fundraising publications bespattered with head and shoulder shots of donors. Strings of portraits illustrating lifeless text hold little appeal for readers other than their subjects. Demonstrating vitality, color, and allure in both graphics and writing, the publications we chose as winners made their subjects real, preferring to emphasize what philanthropy had accomplished.

Grand Gold Medal

University of Texas at Austin Harry Ransom Center – Ransom Edition

• With a clean and uncluttered design and fine balance between imaginative, copious graphics, and clear, concise writing, the biannual newsletter is visually attractive and highly readable – with the caveat that the grey color of the main text and lighter color of the captions may pose a problem for some readers. A graphic mouse icon preceding a Web address alerts to additional material online. Recently revised, with the goal of strengthening ties with constituents and emphasizing the center’s quality and value, the rich and classy look and feel of the 16-page Edition are consistent with its relatively expensive $2 per unit cost.

Gold Medal

The Chapin School – Chapin Today

• This quarterly eight-to 12-page newsletter offers a well-written, nicely illustrated overview of the K-12th grade girl’s school. With a 7,700 constituency that includes, parents, alumnae, former parents, donors, and friends, it must surely serve as a subtle fundraising tool by painting a picture of school life as we would all wish it for our daughters. In an airy, spacious layout, the articles – with catchy headlines – sparkle, while covering topics from kindergartners to seniors. The photographs, although not spectacular, show a warm, caring community that is also academically and athletically high-achieving. The departments “Bulletin Board,” illustrating a variety of classroom assignments close-up, and “Endnotes,” drawing readers closer with puzzles, are especially appealing. At $0.69 at copy, this is a real bargain.

Silver Medals

Emory University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences – Brainstorms

• This biannual newsletter was the one of a very few in tabloid format that invited readers to actually unfold it. Using interesting headings and arresting graphics, an appealing and brightly colored table of contents on the outside cover acted as a lure. With the goal of increasing the department’s visibility and attracting donors, Brainstorms is well-organized, commanding attention with compelling storytelling, simple yet high-quality art work, and attractive layouts to convey information about cutting-edge research. Readers have little sense of “development sell” yet much sense of the department’s excellence – as it should be. Headings and subheads are catchy. Striking, even disturbing fonts pick up the mood of stories such as “Young and Sad” or “Your Brain on Drugs.” The inevitable head and shoulder shots show here at least smiling rather than the typically pompously solemn faces, although more use of interesting illustration and “in-action” photos would improve the look of the publication. Some of the articles are a little lengthy for those with limited time for reading.

University of California, Berkeley – The Promise of Berkeley

• Gearing up for a campaign launch, the original tabloid newsletter was reformatted into a “mini-magazine” first appearing in December 2005. The change to a 10 x 6 inch format is quite a coup. Its attractive to look at and easy to hold and read. The articles are mostly short at, without the opportunity to be developed, the writing has the telegraphic style of bullets; its generally not scintillating. But each issue of this 32-page publication tells a lot about the university. And each issue has a longer piece (e.g. a reprint of an op-ed) that des engage readers for its style. The layout and graphics are striking. Overall, the publication is impressive, although the meaning of the title is unclear.

Bronze Medal

Bryant University – Bryant Close Up

• One of a number of entries directed to high school students, this publication stands out because it offers solid information that its targeted audience can use, rather than serving up a lot of institutional chest-thumping. Articles about the new admission Web site, internship possibilities, faculty members in the spotlight, study abroad, and others speak to potential applicants and make an excellent, if subtly indirect, case to apply. This tabloid’s appearance is almost as basic as possible. Printed on the outside mainly in black and brown with very little inside color on low-quality paper, the publication faces the possibility of being tossed into the junk-mail pile – until readers open the first issue. Then, they find well-written articles that often are told in the rarely used second person. (That, in fact, is how confidently targeted the articles are for the intended audience.) The layout and illustrations are attractive but would be greatly enhanced by the use of higher-quality paper. With a circulation of 41,000 high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, the publication is well worth its $0.09 a copy.

Web-Based and Electronic HTML External Audience Tabloids and Newsletters (21B)

This year’s competition demonstrates that Web-based or electronic newsletters and tabloids can still be considered newcomers to the world of institutional communications. Many of the 41 entries had characteristics – such as small type, minimal white space, head and shoulders photos, and slow navigation – that detracted from their visual impact and ease of use. Several entries could be more accurately described as Web-based magazines. Because few entries had unique designs, there was a similarity to the entries that made it difficult to distinguish them from each other. Most abstracts did not report staff time as a cost item in their budgets.

In selecting medal winners in this category, we considered whether entrants had successfully incorporated the following elements: design, writing, photos, readability, target audience, purpose/objective, and navigational ease.

Four entries distinguished themselves with unique designs and by successfully reaching specific audiences with reader-friendly formats; effective use of type, photos, and color; and navigational ease.

Gold Medals

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alumni Association – QuickTake: Life, Work, & MIT

• Mystery…surveillance…sleuthing…the great unknown… are just a few of the headlines displayed in the MIT Alumni Association newsletter QuickTake. Each issue promotes a theme, such as mystery, modern geekhood, or stress. With extraordinary creativity, the editors use this thematic umbrella to delve into campus activities and publications. They even throw in a recommended reading list or puzzles to challenge their readers.
  The objective of the bi-monthly e-publication is to relate contemporary topics to personal life, work, and MIT culture in a fast and easy to read format. Published by the alumni association, the newsletter uses white space well, packing in articles, news, and graphics in two large and one narrow column. The design is high tech but at the same time accessible and easily navigated. For the sake of aging alumni, the font size is generous. Hit links are numerous and embedded in the text for immediate connection to topics of interest. The short paragraphs on the opening page are teasers with content.
  Alumni and visitors to this site obtain updates on campus events, students, and much more. The editors make Web browsing fun and informative.
  The site managers report that the start-up and maintenance costs are negligible.

Southern Methodist University – What’s New  

• The bright primary colors framed by a soft bright background, ample white space, and a design focusing on accessibility welcome visitors to the SMU Web site What’s New... The text – catchy and to the point – is written with prospective students in mind. The site is clutter-free, avoiding long lists of links. Instead, the text is laid out to invite high school students to peruse the short teaser paragraphs and decide which subjects to explore in depth.
  The site is simple but effective. It provides the information necessary to answer questions that prospective students inevitable pose. The Web designers highlighted the most popular topics with contrasting colors and embedded links with learn-more options. The photos chosen for the masthead showcase a happy and diverse group of students.
  All the information prospective students need is a click away. Director of the homepages of other SMU departments, an inquisitive teen can explore to his or her heart’s content. Pictures and graphics are used sparingly but strategically – to break up text, provide eye-catching color, and add visual interest to the page. Although What’s New writers are not responsible for the content of the sites they connect to, they make sure that visitors reach their destinations.
  What’s New achieves its objective of introducing SMU to prospective students while also providing a doorway for curious parents to learn more about the university. Such a successful design begs the question: why can’t all Web sites be this easy to navigate and satisfying to explore while meeting the institutional objective – not need to be “all things to all people.”

Silver Medal

St. Norbert College – @St. Norbert 

• This electronic newsletter’s unusual color combination – olive green, dark golden yellow, and burgundy contrasted with a bright teal – is eye catching. Obvious care was taken to ensure that the hues worked well together and enhanced, rather than compromised, the overall design of the monthly publication. The newsletter logo with the enlarged @ sign is creative. Photos are well shot and tooled to provide visual interest and draw attention to the text. The headlines are compelling and the articles well-written, providing in-depth information and additional photos.
  Accessibility drives this site, from the large-font calendar listing on the left side of the homepage to the uncluttered banner links. The “Ask the Abbott” feature with the stern icon is clever and inviting. A new visitor to the site can swiftly go to a predetermined destination or wander through links and news articles discovering compelling reading.
  The Web site designers and editors meet their objective of providing a site with college news and events, opportunities for continued connections with the college that emphasize on the growth and continual development of St. Norbert College while reflecting community, academic, religious, and student life on campus.
  Costs for running the site are incorporated into the overall office budget and are therefore not a line item.

Bronze Medal

Hawken School – H@wkeNews 

• H@wkeNews is a welcoming and lively monthly online newsletter that says: “this is a happy place!” the publication engages readers with well-balanced use of color; warm inviting photos; and concise, readable copy – all appropriate for an independent day school that fosters a sense of family while educating students in grades pre-school to 12th grade.
  Using a crisp, straightforward design, the publication achieves its first goal – “building community by informing constituents” – by providing constituents with news in a broad spread on the left-hand side of the page and upcoming events in a single column on the right-hand side of the page. Readability is optimized with generously tracked 13 point Verdana type. Brightly colored headlines introduce text that is friendly and straightforward.
  Photos of students anchor the top of the opening page and are interspersed among news-story leaders. The sparkling, friendly eyes of the students reach out to visitors, welcoming them to the site.
  The organization achieves its second goal of driving newsletter readers to the school’s Web site with logically worded links and smooth navigation paths.
  Hawken does not have a separate budget for its electronic newsletter. It is included in the yearly budget for Web site expenses, which includes hosting and programming.