College of Architecture and Urban Studies magazine cover
BLACKSBURG, Va., July 20, 2010 – The Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies interactive, online magazine has won a Gold 2010 Magnum Opus Award for Best Telecommunication Publication and a Silver 2010 Magnum Opus Award for Best School/University Publication.
The international Magnum Opus Awards are conducted by ContentWise magazine in conjunction with the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
The College of Architecture and Urban Studies magazine, designed by Heather Riley Chadwick, former communications manager for the college and current marketing and communications director for the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, features videos and slideshows.
“In alignment with recent data collected by ContentWise on the content marketing industry, which showed that 51 percent of marketers plan to increase usage of video in the next year, this year’s Magnum Opus Awards had the highest number of digital entries, with a strong inclination toward video,” says Program Coordinator Jenny Babich. “The 2010 winners showcase the amazing evolution of the content marketing industry and prove why companies dedicated 32 percent of their overall marketing, advertising, and communications budgets to content marketing in the past year.”
Professors from the Missouri School of Journalism and leading content marketing professionals who specialize in particular content or design areas judge the awards based on a defined set of criteria specific to each of the categories. Judges consider such elements as informational and entertainment value, quality of writing and display copy, creative use of imagery and typography, and consistency of color palette and style.
The Magnum Opus Awards and ContentWise are properties of McMurry, one of the largest independent marketing communications companies in the United States.
Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies is composed of four schools: the School of Architecture + Design, including architecture, industrial design, interior design and landscape architecture; the School of Public and International Affairs, including urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy and government and international affairs; the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, which includes building construction in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and construction engineering management in the College of Engineering; and the School of the Visual Arts, including programs in studio art, visual communication and art history.