Individual Institutional and Alumni Relations Publications

General Observations

A five-judge panel evaluated entries in a category with a wide range of products: maps, books, annual and president reports, invitations, etc.

It was challenging to differentiate between each of the annual and president’s reports. Quality was high. Judges looked hard at the message of each, in search of writing that rose above the others. The judges wished as much energy could be invested in making publications as readable as beautiful.

Judges also looked carefully at resources used and cost per piece. The use of resources varied widely and was weighed as a variable in the final determination of winners. For instance, several entries in Category 32A were books, one with a unit cost of more than $68 and other books half that. The high unit cost on many entries was clearly attributable to use of outside vendors rather than internal staffs. But great care was given to reward top-level execution, creativity, and thoughtful messaging – regardless of where the work was produced.

Individual Institutional Relations Publications (32A)

Grand Gold Medal

Oregon Health & Science University, (“One Day: 24 Hours at Oregon Health & Science University”)

This handsome 120-page-plus-cover perfect-bound soft-cover book is stunning in every way. It is the work of 20 photographers on a single day – Sept. 20, 2006 – in the life of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Ore. The photo editing is masterful, capturing the inspiring as well as sad moments of employees and patients of OHSU. Virtually no aspect of life on the campus is overlooked.

Text is minimal, mostly left to simple captions and a notation about the time of day. Eight pages in the back of the book carry expanded captions. The design appears to have been done by an outside firm, although managed by OHSU staff. Most of the 20 photographers are freelance and commercial professionals.

For the reader, the photo essay begins with an exclamation – “An ordinary day can be extraordinary” – and ends with a greater appreciation for the spirit and scope of an institution committed to changing peoples’ lives.

• Fantastic visuals – energy, hope, beauty – that are real and engaging, with copy to match.
• Exceptional photography! This is a wonderful book.
• Captions are easy to read and interesting. Photos are superb. I feel like I’ve spent not just a day, but a week at OHSU, and made friends in the process.
• Beautiful. Clean design. The photos tell the story.

Gold Medal

Columbia College Chicago, (“Engaging” 2005 President’s Report)

• Energizing design, conversational writing and use of callouts adds interest. Nice contrast with visuals-as-stats.
• New, exciting, well-written, great design. Wish I had gone to such a school.
• Very well done annual report. Unique and engaging. Great job!
• I want to go there! There is energy throughout the publication.

Silver Medals

Alma College, (Dole-McGovern event invitation package)

• Creative invitation. Well done!
• Very clever! Surely everyone RSVP’d yes!
• I bet they all opened the envelope! How many wore their buttons to the event?
• Almost tossed this one over language in the invitation: “You are cordially invited to attend a reception and dinner being held in honor of the inauguration of the …” Tighter copyediting would delete the words “being held.”

Indiana University Libraries, (“Black/White” Annual Report)

• I love this piece. Innovative, surprising, fun. Creative use of art. Copy is a bit stilted. Encourage your writer to hang out with the designer.
• It’s proof that two colors can work, and libraries can be really interesting.
• Delightfully unique font treatments; splitting headings across a gutter can be challenging. Metallic ink is a great touch when combined with black and white.
• Good integration of annual report stats mixed amongst the quotes and library information. Nice involvement of student quotations.

University of Iowa College of Public Health, (A to Z: 26 Things Everyone Should Know About Public Health)

• Great idea utilizing A-Z format. Well written. Unique!
• I love this! Creative and fun yet informative and well written.
• Quite effective and engaging. Very readable.
• Very clever! Public health is not, frankly, a titillating subject but this makes you read!

University of Pittsburgh School of Law, (Today’s Cutting Edge Scholars)

• Innovative, well-designed and well-written. Not sure how practical it is, however (individual two-sided cards in a single package).
• Great graphics. Unique presentation. Captures attention.
• Memorable, made me engage and read all the cards.
• Good use of legible typography.
• Great piece for reinforcing the continued viability and reputation of the school. Fine design, but surprising proofreading error on back cover, where two apostrophes on the tagline are backward.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, (One Day –VUMC Annual Report)

• Quality photographs, engaging subjects, makes me want to read it!
• Excellent photography. Thanks for giving credit to them up front. Like the way you used color in captions.
• Conveys the energy and life of this place.
• Beautifully personalizes an institution that might otherwise be intimidating.

Bronze Medals

Duke University, (The Sarah P. Duke Gardens: A Wonderful Wander)

• A beautiful book about an important centerpiece of the campus. Interesting text. Some photos were enlarged to fit the layout that shouldn’t have been.
• Lovely to behold, a little short on the human engagement.
  Nice keepsake. Captions could be a bit larger for easier readability.
• Some photos could perhaps have been enhanced to pop the colors a bit more. Very nice macro-photography.
  Stunning photography.

University of Maryland, College Park, (Maryland: Reflections on 150 Years)

• Interesting photography and layout. Nice mix of essays and descriptions. Clean design, professional.
• Good use of history and photography woven together. Great clean look.
• Interesting photography. Engaging combination of old and new essays are great idea. Well executed.
• Lovely photography and interesting essays. I wish typography in captions and sidebars were larger and more readable.
• Nice book. Wish there had been an essay by a student.

University of South Carolina, (President’s Holiday Card)

• Interesting. A little institutional for a holiday greeting. A “remember” piece for alumni. Classy and subtle.
• Just when I thought nothing new could be done with a holiday card! Cool!
• Great die cut featuring shaped of campus buildings. Unique design.
• Lovely use of familiar image. Simply conveys a high quality product.

Individual Alumni Relations Publications (32B)

Gold Medal

University of Pennsylvania, (Proudly Penn: A Compact Guide for Alumni and Friends)

• Loved the “compact” concept and thought this was extremely informative of events, etc., taking place. Easy to read and understand.
• Excellent way to communicate what a university is all about. Visuals a little inconsistent, but design is clean and engaging. Very readable.
• Perfect size. Conveys excitement.
• Maybe a little busy and hard to read for some.

Silver Medals

Smith College, (125th Anniversary Promotion Package)

• I like very much the invitation to share stories. Clever give and take – “we tell you, you tell us.”
• Innovational idea with the use of architectural tapestries on the cards. Text could have been more response-driven. I feel cards will get tossed instead of used.
• Liked basic idea of a card per paragraph. Serves as a great informational piece about association, but I didn’t notice the anniversary celebration details. The piece relies heavily on Web-based response; I wonder about actual effectiveness.
• Concept of gift package was good and unique. Results were impressive.

University of Portland, (Reunion 2006: One More Reason to Enjoy Oregon)

• Creative, inclusive writing, friendly piece, fun format for sharing a lot of material. I liked the summary and expanded content.
• Very creative and fun piece. Enjoyed the antique postcards as illustrations for this invitation. Needed a little more information about how to register as well as the costs for the event, however.
• Writing a bit prosaic; I expected more from the text, compared to the creative use of illustrations and how they engaged me. Makes me want to attend the reunion!