Individual Student Recruitment Publications

2010 Circle of Excellence Awards Program

Judges Report

Overall Summary: The judging panel assembled for this category was comprised of five people: two higher education publications professionals, a creative director with two decades of design experience, a graduating senior and a triple threat alumna/parent/employee. All of the judges took their task very seriously and devoted a great deal of time to examining the materials. A number of discussions broke out as people argued for their own favorites; majority rule was the deciding factor, but some decisions were affected by particularly impassioned speechifying.

A total of 133 entries were received for the overall category. The entries were judged on their overall effectiveness, visual design, quality of writing and editing, demonstrated innovation and effective use of resources.

In truth, determining the top 10 percent of entries was relatively easy. Those that fell in the bottom 90 percent tended to be predictable, tired, cookie-cutter pieces. While evaluating the entries, we kept the intended audience for each in the forefront. The judges often felt that among the less successful pieces, over-branding resulted in publications that achieved the exact opposite of their intended effect: Rather than impressing their audience with a school's cohesion in print, non-contenders tended to resemble junk mail that could be relegated to the recycling bin without a second thought.

Those who survived the first round of weeding out - that top 10 percent - tended to excite the judges' emotions through their excellence in design, content and intent. Excellent photography that stressed story telling was key in award-wining pieces, as was a cohesive, well thought out message. Those pieces that told the story of a school and its students in a compelling way also impressed the judges, as did a well-articulated, clear idea of both audience and messaging.

Judges particularly liked publications that caught us off guard, that were surprising in some way, that were playful and fun, rather than overly dry and "educational." Those that did not feature tired verbiage and instead took risks fared well. On judge remarked that wile an initial "spark" was important, more crucial was fulfilling the stated intent of producing the publication to begin with.

About the Winners:

Viewbooks and Prospectuses

Grand Gold Award: Ringling College of Art and Design - "Experience: Ringling College" Viewbook: Eye-catching and viscerally pleasing, the Ringling College viewbook begs to be picked up and perused. The embossed type on the front of the 250+ page hardcover book manages to be simultaneously understated and flamboyant in its adjacency to the silver metallic of the vertical title, "Experience."  Inside, the images are striking, the design is fresh and unpredictable, the copy is compelling and useful, and font choices have been made with care...in truth, the judges couldn't find much to criticize. The only real quibble was about effective use of resources, as the price per unit is on the high side. But given the stellar quality of the end product, the judges felt that the cost was more than justified; and given that the mission of the school is "explode the myth of the starving artist," the judges were more than impressed. We were particularly pleased to note that the viewbook was designed entirely by the school's student interns; this is particularly impressive in a design school, serving as a nice advertisement for the quality of the education students receive.

Gold Award: University of Portland - University of Portland Viewbook: The oversized dimensions of this pieces (10"x12.5") are the first thing you notice, but it's the gorgeous, evocative photography, fresh design and well-chosen words that make it a stand-out. The judges felt that the viewbook provided readers with a clear picture of the University of Portland and all of its offerings. Portraits of students, faculty and alumni avoid looking staged; rather they are vibrant, compelling and convey a sense of fun. Images of campus are varied and appealing, and thoughtful use of text makes each spread easy on the eyes while being well-organized, informative and compelling to read. Other features that made this piece stand out from the others were the short blog excerpts, the full page of UP "by the numbers" and the section devoted to familiarizing readers with the city of Portland and its many offerings. It ably accomplished the stated objectives, showing the university as active and committed to education while showcasing the region. The University of Portland viewbook clearly stands out in a crowd, and should serve as an example of how to use subtlety to advance a message while keeping excellence in editorial content and design in the forefront.

Silver Award: Barnard College - Barnard College 2009 Viewbook: This is a stellar publication, from the velvety feeling of the aqueous coating on the seductive black cover, throughout the information-packed 68 pages that follow. The judges thought that the viewbook served as an excellent admissions lure, showcasing the school's stellar alumni, Manhattan location and rigorous academics. Thought was clearly given to every detail, ranging from the "feel" of coated and uncoated papers to the plethora of graphics to the detailed lists of courses. The end result is a lively, jam-packed publication that feels young and vibrant while providing a stunning amount of information of vital interest to parents and prospective students alike.

Silver Award: Hilbert College - Hilbert College Viewbook: "In Our Own Words:" We really liked the unusual format of Hilbert's viewbook. Sized like a tabloid at 11"x17", the piece uses student voices to tell the story of the school, beginning with the cover text. Inside, the design was clean, the photos felt "real" and unforced, the impression was a vitality, youth and forward-thinking modernity. While a lot of information was offered up in this piece, it never felt overwhelming or like overkill. The text, headlines and all design elements complemented the way that a generation raised on lightening-fast shifts of technology tends to digest data, in short easily gulped-down bursts.

Bronze Award: University of Richmond _ 2009-10 Viewbook: A cleaver sensibility was apparent from the start, judging from the bright red words on the cover: "Keep This Book." This piece was professionally put together, jam-packed with useful information, offered up myriad glimpses of student life, broke down a lot of data into smaller, more readily understandable chunks, and succeeded in producing a piece that was indeed worth keeping. We liked the mix of color and black and while, admired the truly ambitious scope of the project and felt it succeeded in its goal of providing prospective students and parents with a straightforward piece that answered their questions. We did feel that the piece was on the expensive side, but on the whole we though it successes in meeting its goals nicely.

Individual Search Publications and Miscellaneous Flyers and Brochures

Gold Award: Barnard College - Barnard College 2009 Visit Brochure: This exceptionally clever piece, micro-sized to fit easily in a pocket, is both well-integrated with other pieces the judges saw from the school and stands out on its own. One side of the booklet is "Visiting the campus"; flip it over and it becomes "Exploring the City." High quality from cover to cover, the mini-booklet is useful, packed with useful information, attractive and well-organized. The judges were impressed by the inventiveness coupled with practicality, and thought this brochure ably met its goal of "encouraging a visit by prospective students and their families to the Barnard campus" as well as providing "a useful and informative travel guidebook."

Gold Award: Fordham University - "Fordham NYC Volume 1, Issue 1: The Classroom":

The judges were impressed with this piece, which coupled traditional design elements with a modern sensibility. Well-organized and compelling, the booklet featured clear, cogent prose. The front section is really a mini-magazine, with feature stories, whimsical illustrations, strong photography and edgy graphics. The "Fordham Facts" section is well-organized, useful and easy to navigate. The judges felt that this piece served the stated purpose of deepening "the conversation about a Fordham education and tells intimate, first-person stories trough interviews with current students, faculty and staff, and alumni." We were also very impressed with the expenditure of resources; the price per unit was astoundingly reasonable.

Silver Award: Susquehanna University - Susquehanna University Desktop Wisdom:

This absolutely charming piece was greatly admired by the judges for its clever, unique design and success in delivering big impact in a small package. Useful information for students accepted to Susquehanna University was coupled with pithy taglines ("Not All Doctors Wear Lab Coats," "All -Nighters Happen," "The Laws of Laundry are Simple and Unforgiving"), with the end result of guaranteeing that this piece would not be overlooked. We thought the piece exactly fulfilled its stated goal, to "serve as a resource for the complex questions student shave tin the yield phase" and to also be a "keepsake and conversation-started that stays with a student through the transition to college.

Bronze Award: The Loomis Chaffee School - Loomis Chaffee Admission Search Piece:

Eye-catching and beautifully designed from cover to cover, this small booklet (5.5"x7.25") will definitely stand out in any company. The translucent cover that "hides" the school's inner life - which is whimsically illustrated with cartoons and speech balloons - was universally praised by the judges. Inside, we liked the reliance on story-telling photography, the clean minimalism of the text, the well-organized information and the inserts. Bonus points for keeping conception, design and writing in-house and keeping costs of an expensive-appearing piece so reasonable.

Posters

Silver Award: Ringling College of Art and Design - RCAD National Portfolio Days Poster

The judges thought this poster was clever in its innovative printing technique and the way it was folded to become a self-mailer. We enjoyed the strong impact of the well-thought out photograph coupled with conversational text, drawing in the viewer to find out more. We thought this posted succeeded well in its stated objective, to "raise awareness of the National Portfolio Days event on the campus of the Ringling College of Art and Design."

Bronze Award: Barnard College - Barnard College Display Poster 2009

The judges gave this poster high marks for its clean, vivid design, eye-catching map of Manhattan and crisp, well-chosen text. Having seen quite a few other pieces from the school in other sub-sections of the student recruitment category, the judges were also appreciative of the cohesion of all of the disparate pieces. Barnard has succeeded on a broad scale in branding the institution brilliantly without using a one-size-fits-all cookie-cutter approach. We thought that the piece succeeded in its stated objective, to "stand out among the many college posters displayed in high school guidance counseling offices, which typically showcase a single scenic image of campus."