SUNY Canton Public Relations Wins SUNY Design Award

The SUNY Canton Public Relations Department recently received a State University of New York Council for University Advancement (SUNYCUAD) excellence in design award for a recruitment publication that introduces prospective students to the college.

Publications Coordinator Matthew J. Mulkin received a Judges’ Citation for an origami-style brochure that allows users to fold various panels to discover facts about SUNY Canton, such as student-to-faculty ratio, athletic and academic degree offerings, student life and more. The compact, easy-to-carry reference brochure was utilized by the Admissions Office during visits to college fairs and high schools. Mulkin designed the piece using a proprietary template by ProForma Infinity Printing.

“Most colleges’ print materials tend to be passive. Students flip through a pamphlet or catalog looking at photos and reading the content. Our piece, on the other hand, is interactive,” said Mulkin, who is a 2011 graduate of SUNY Canton’s Graphic and Multimedia Design Program. “Each section folds differently, revealing more information, infographics, photos and content. It’s the kind of brochure that people can’t put down.”

The piece was popular among high school students, many of them noting that the infinity flip design was more engaging than other recruitment publications they had received. It was described by admissions counselors as “game changing.”

Director of Public Relations Travis G. Smith accepted the award at the annual SUNYCUAD Conference held recently in Syracuse.

“Matt did an excellent job customizing the template to showcase the college in a unique, interesting way,” he said. “We continually strive to find innovative techniques that introduce prospective students to SUNY Canton and leave a lasting impression, so we’re grateful to be recognized with this award.”

SUNYCUAD is an organization representing professionals employed in institutional advancement areas, such as public relations, alumni and development, and marketing at every SUNY campus. The annual awards competition recognizes creative excellence in more than 40 categories, such as fundraising, internal communications, special events, media relations and photography.

This is the second SUNYCUAD award Mulkin has received. In 2014, he won a Best of Category award in outdoor advertising for the college’s bus shuttle design. The Public Relations Department has also won SUNYCUAD awards for website design, advertising, marketing, video production and writing.