Awards for KU design work announced

Last year, KU Marketing Communications debuted KU’s first-ever brand platform, “Our Chant Rises,” after two years of concepting, creative development, testing, and refinement.

This brand work, along with a mailer created for the KU Office of Admissions, received A14 awards from the Kansas City chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) in its annual design competition.

The honor ranks Marketing Communications among the region’s most accomplished studios and firms.

Rising to the top

“Our Chant Rises,” launched in May 2017, was recognized in the “Branding + Identity” category.

KU’s first-ever brand platform reimagined the university’s iconic colors, introduced evocative typefaces, and added dynamic design elements to KU’s visual vocabulary. Today, the brand can be seen across KU’s five campuses and 13 schools, thanks to its enthusiastic adoption by KU communicators.

Mail scores big

The admissions piece, mailed to high school students who sent standardized-test scores to KU, won in the “Traditional Promotional + Advertising” category.

A solid brand foundation and out-of-the-box approach combined to make a truly memorable mailer. With its bold use of color and pop-out buildings, the piece represented KU’s chant and campus landmarks with vibrancy and interactivity. This and other efforts helped KU stand out in the sea of university communications that prospective students received last year.

Awards will be given at the A14 Design Awards Gala & Exhibition on Oct. 12. Congratulations to the Marketing Communications teams for their accomplishments.