Members of UMSL’s design team include (from left) UMSL Magazine Art Director Wendy Allison, Director of Creative Services Traci Moore, Senior Designer Martin Baragiola and Senior Designer and Project Manager Erin Hart. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

The Marketing and Communications team at the University of Missouri–St. Louis has won recognition for its dynamic, cutting-edge design. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education honored UMSL’s design team with two awards in its 2023 Best of District VI Awards.

UMSL Magazine, a general interest, externally-facing publication, was honored for its design in a competition that featured institutions from the Mid-America region, which includes the states of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

The magazine, which is published twice a year with a circulation of over 110,000, received recognition in the Design: Magazines & Periodicals category. Although each issue of UMSL Magazine is unique, certain design elements, sensibility, personality and layout structure create a cohesive brand look that helps demonstrate the diverse successes of UMSL students, faculty, alumni and community partners to a wide audience.

UMSL Magazine’s design is inspired by the university’s community of people, and the designers, led by Art Director Wendy Allison, are mindful to seek inspiration from the stories’ subjects when making aesthetic decisions. Certain sections of the magazine have consistent design elements that help tie the issues together, including the quick-hit front-of-book section and Class Notes, while longform feature stories spotlight more ambitious, creative design and reporting.

“We are thrilled that the Council for Advancement and Support of Education has once again recognized the exceptional design work produced by our talented Marketing and Communications team,” said Justin Roberts, associate vice chancellor for Marketing and Communications. “Our designers continue to come up with creative and innovative ways to tell stories about the UMSL community and connect with our students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends.”

The UMSL Marketing and Communications team was also honored in the Specialty Pieces category for its Discover MORE Admitted Student Kit. The kit was a new endeavor that provided a creative solution to a request from UMSL’s Office of Admissions, which sought to capture the attention of newly admitted, first-time college or transfer students in a unique and memorable way.

The kit, which was mailed directly to new students’ homes ahead of the 2022-23 school year, featured items designed to help guide admitted students through the next steps of the admissions process, including a booklet, notepad, pencil, custom-printed Nalgene water bottle, custom stickers and a letter of acceptance presented in a custom envelope.

The Marcom web/digital team, led by Senior Designer Lori Austin, also played an integral role in bringing the project to life. Each welcome kit included QR codes that linked to an accompanying microsite featuring information about next steps, video interviews with students and guides touting the best that UMSL and St. Louis have to offer. The primary messaging and the design of the kit was aligned with bold new branding that was developed for the university in 2022, and the kit was one of the first external pieces to showcase UMSL’s new brand to a wider audience.

“We thought this kit would be a fun and engaging way to get admitted students excited about coming to UMSL and being part of the Triton community, and the design team definitely delivered,” said Reggie Hill, vice chancellor for strategic enrollment and career advancement. “Between sourcing the materials and producing the box, this was a challenging project, and the end result is the product of a huge collaboration amongst our marketing and enrollment teams. The kit features everything a new Triton could need to kick off their college career presented in an eye-catching, colorful format that inspires them to discover they’re MORE at UMSL.”