Kent State University earned a gold
certificate in this year’s Collegiate
Advertising Awards for the university’s
admissions student viewbook, which is
the main printed piece used to recruit
prospective students.

Kent State University, home of the blue and gold, earned a gold certificate in the 2014 Collegiate Advertising Awards for the university’s admissions student viewbook, which is the main printed piece used to recruit prospective students.

Each year, the Collegiate Advertising Awards recognizes excellence in marketing and advertising materials for higher education. Competition entries are judged on creativity, layout/design, typography, production, quality and overall effectiveness.

University Communications and Marketing, in collaboration with the Undergraduate Admissions office, put together the winning viewbook.

Karen Mercer, Kent State’s director of marketing strategy and research, says that reviving the viewbook is what made it stand out in the competition.

“We refreshed the look of the viewbook this year and made it more photo intensive,” Mercer says. “There are a lot of big, eye-catching photos, and I think that’s one of the things that made it very aesthetically appealing.”

Nick Moore, graphic design coordinator at Kent State, echoed Mercer’s thoughts about the success of the viewbook, saying the use of photos was key.

“I think the viewbook was recognized first because of our strong collaboration with the admissions office, and second because of the photos,” Moore says. “The pictures we used were very real and genuine, and I believe students connect with that more than they do when pictures are staged.”

Mark Ledoux, associate director of admissions in Kent State’s Undergraduate Admissions office, says the design of the piece helped the admissions office reach the top three goals of the viewbook.

“The whole purpose of the viewbook is for it to be interesting enough and inviting enough for students to apply for admission, come to campus for a visit or go to our website,” Ledoux says. “The refresh of the book this year helped us meet those goals.”

Fall enrollment numbers for the Kent Campus have increased each year for the past five years.
Both Mercer and Ledoux say they applaud the work of the photographers, writers, editors and designers on this year’s viewbook.

For more information about the Collegiate Advertising Awards, visit www.collegiateadawards.com.

For more information about Undergraduate Admissions, visit www.kent.edu/admissions/undergraduate.