For the second consecutive year, WCU takes home 11 Hermes Creative Awards
WCU Magazine received a platinum award for the second consecutive year from the Hermes Creative Awards.
By Benny Smith
For the second consecutive year, Western Carolina University’s Communications and Marketing team has received 11 awards from the Hermes Creative Awards. The international competition is one of the oldest and largest creative competitions in the world.
“Our team is very thankful to receive these awards for entries they worked hard to create and to tell the narrative of how WCU students, faculty and staff ‘Live Western’ every day,” said Travis Jordan, chief marketing and communications officer for the university. “This team is an extremely talented group of individuals who are committed to teamwork and excellence and the awards are a true testament of UCM's hard work, dedication and unmatched skill.”
UCM, which includes 22 staff members, is responsible for university communications, marketing, photography and video, design, social media, paid media and web.
This year, the team received 11 awards.
The Black Fantastic series won platinum awards for illustrations and portraits.
Three platinum awards, which were the highest honors, were given for the 2022 issue of WCU Magazine, and both the illustration and portraits of the 2023 Black Fantastic series, which highlights several WCU Black faculty and staff members.
Four gold awards were given for illustration of the magazine’s cover story, “Stigmatized” and portraits in the “We will not be Silenced: Standing for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women” series. The last two golds were awarded for the overall “Live Western” brand campaign and digital advertising for the campaign.
Three honorable mentions were awarded for Instagram social media engagement for a commencement series of graduation photos; a live challenge for “Live Western” Brand Launch Event; and a Final Weeks Gif. The fourth honorable mention was given for web design of the mental health feature story, “Stigmatized.”
Each year, judges for the Hermes Creative Awards evaluate the creative industry’s best publications, branding collateral, websites, videos, advertising, marketing and communication programs. Winners ranged in size from individuals to media conglomerates, universities and Fortune 500 Companies.
