Redesigned Adrian College website receives bronze award in national competition

Brad Heineman, The Daily Telegram
·3 min read

ADRIAN — Adrian College recently earned a bronze award from the Collegiate Advertising Awards after the company that helped develop the institution’s new, secure, interactive website entered it into the national website design contest.

This graphic, provided by Adrian College, shows how Adrian College's newly redesigned website, www.adrian.edu, looks when displayed on iPads.
This graphic, provided by Adrian College, shows how Adrian College's newly redesigned website, www.adrian.edu, looks when displayed on iPads.

The Collegiate Advertising Awards honor excellence in marketing and advertising, specific to higher education, a news release from Adrian College said.

Rachel Kribbs of FORM, from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, entered Adrian College’s redesigned website into the contest and was confident it would rank in the top of the charts. She said a few of the reasons the group selected Adrian College’s website was because of its unique layout and design with emphasis on outstanding photos and videos.

FORM, a digital-first creative agency, worked with Adrian College Marketing Director Claire Simpson on designing the new, integrated website.

Collegiate Advertising Awards ranked Adrian College’s website — which was officially launched in January 2023 — in the top 16% in the nation. To receive a bronze award, the institution needed to score between 85-89 points out of a possible 100. Submissions were reviewed by a national panel of industry experts.

This image, provided by Adrian College, shows the layout and design of the college's new, secure and interactive website, which was officially launched in January 2023. The college’s marketing and public relations department began transferring data from its “old, outdated” website, created in 2012, to the newly launched website at the end of 2020.
This image, provided by Adrian College, shows the layout and design of the college's new, secure and interactive website, which was officially launched in January 2023. The college’s marketing and public relations department began transferring data from its “old, outdated” website, created in 2012, to the newly launched website at the end of 2020.

Simpson led the creative team to the new look and feel sought after by the college’s administration. The project was a top priority due to the direct impact it has on the recruiting and enrollment process.

The process of introducing a new website took about two years and a lot of innovative work from a combined team of marketing and web design experts, Adrian College said previously. The college’s marketing and public relations department began transferring data from its “old, outdated” website, created in 2012, to the newly launched website at the end of 2020.

More: Adrian College launches new, interactive website

Simpson said a website is the main channel students use when seeking a college or university.

“The site is very easy to navigate, and the high-quality photos and videos make the new website really stand out to visitors,” she said, adding that 95% of prospective students say the design of a website impacts their impression of a college or university. “I knew that video storytelling makes a much higher impact on Gen Z than any other form of media. Video has become a tool that portrays our brand in an authentic and compelling way. Because of that, we decided a video montage of the college would be the first thing visitors of the website are greeted with.”

Adrian College's Marketing Director Claire Simpson, a 2014 alumna from AC, tackled the project of updating the college's website since being promoted to marketing director in April 2022. A new, secure and interactive website for Adrian College was officially launched in January 2023.
Adrian College's Marketing Director Claire Simpson, a 2014 alumna from AC, tackled the project of updating the college's website since being promoted to marketing director in April 2022. A new, secure and interactive website for Adrian College was officially launched in January 2023.

Simpson took over the new website project in April 2022 when she was promoted to the director role. She and her staff gathered input from the college’s senior leadership and attended multiple meetings with program directors and department staff to ensure their webpages would accurately reflect what was being offered.

The 2023 Collegiate Advertising Awards received many entries from the United States and Canada, representing small community colleges to very large schools and universities. The elite program recognizes higher education organizations for excellence in communications, marketing, advertising and promotions of their schools across the nation.

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Adrian College’s entries competed against similar-sized organizations in its specific groups and categories. Judging criteria included creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality and overall appeal.

All the award winners are on the Collegiate Advertising Awards website at collegiateadawards.com. To check out Adrian College’s website for yourself, visit adrian.edu.

— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at bheineman@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: www.twitter.com/LenaweeHeineman.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian College website receives bronze award in national competition