From the Nominator

Launched in December 2024, Pacific Magazine Interactive is the new digital companion to University of the Pacific’s annual publication, Pacific Magazine. Using a blend of multimedia, rich graphic design, advanced JavaScript-based effects, and digital promotion, Pacific Magazine Interactive allows Pacific to reach and connect more deeply with our target audiences than a traditional print magazine can provide. Pacific Magazine Interactive was born out of a deliberate and critical assessment of Pacific’s previous attempts to take Pacific Magazine online, which was called “Pacific Magazine Digital.” Those efforts simply recreated the print magazine online and did not expand on the content in any meaningful way, which led to low engagement and interest. By contrast, Pacific Magazine Interactive takes a different approach. While based on two print magazine features—Bold from the Start and Space to Explore—the Interactive renditions are hand-coded experiences that feature exclusive and immersive content not found in print: videos, student and faculty interviews, audio clips, and image carousels. Furthermore, each story features a signature interactive element: Space contains a parallax-scrolling sequence that artistically mimics a space telescope peering deeper into space, while Bold invites alumni to virtually add themselves to Pacific’s 100-year timeline celebration and become part of Pacific’s story. Since its launch in December, Pacific Magazine Interactive’s features have made a huge splash among our target audiences in just a few months. Collectively, its features have earned over 12,000 unique views with a 76% engaged user rate and have already earned 221 social shares across Facebook.

From the Judges

Pacific Magazine Interactive is innovative, makes the most of the online format, and provides an impressive experience on mobile devices. It is fun, interactive, and we were really impressed that it was produced entirely in-house at University of the Pacific.