Western New England University was named among the top institutions in the nation in the 2018 Collegiate Advertising Awards and the 34th Annual Education Advertising Awards, two programs designed to recognize higher education organizations for excellence in communications, marketing, advertising, and promotion of their schools.
Western New England University and its creative partner Spark451 received a total of four "Gold" awards. The University's Centennial logo, the recently launched WNE: The Magazine of Western New England University, and University's "What's New?" brochure were all recognized for excellence.
The logo created to commemorate Western New England's Centennial claimed gold in both competitions. "The anniversary mark leverages iconic details of the existing brand in a new way," says Irene Scala, Creative Director at Spark451. "What's most important is that the identity's graphic elements - showcased through the campus banners, publications, and other celebratory materials - reflect the University's vision for a bright future, one that was inspired by many perspectives from a wide cross-section of people, but carried out as a unified institution."
The Magazine of Western New England University claimed gold in the Collegiate Advertising Awards competition. The biannual publication explores stories drawn from a cross section of the University, highlighting faculty research, campus happenings, and alumni achievements.
"This project was the results of months of work reimagining how the University presents itself to alumni and other stakeholders," said Bryan Gross, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing. "This was a consummate team effort, drawing on the talents of our Marketing and Alumni offices, as well as the creative vision Spark451 brought to the table to make the stories leap off the page."
Added Scala, "The industry recognition is a testament to our close collaboration with Western New England's talented marketing team. We are proud of this long-standing and rewarding partnership."
The University's "What's New at WNE?" took home top honors in the Education Advertising Awards brochure category. The annual publication shines the spotlight on the latest developments at the rapidly-evolving University, including new facilities, academic programs, and faculty and student accomplishments.
The Collegiate Advertising Awards and the Education Advertising Awards each received hundreds of entries from across the United States and beyond. Submissions were reviewed by separate national panels of industry experts, with judging including such criteria as creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality, and overall appeal.
