For its innovative new website, CalArts has earned a 2025 Circle of Excellence Gold Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). On July 2, volunteer judges from CASE’s membership announced the 477 exemplary entries for bronze, silver, gold, or Grand Gold recognition from 4,460 global entries in more than a dozen categories. Winners were chosen for overall quality, innovation, use of resources, and the impact on the institution or its communities, such as alumni, parents, students, faculty, and staff.
More than a year in the making and launched in October 2024, the new website at calarts.edu was conceived, designed, and developed with input from CalArts students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The design was created by the all-CalArts alumnae team at Handbuilt Studio, based in downtown Los Angeles, with research, analysis, and development expertise from digital agency NewCity.
“Throughout this project, our goal has been to build a site that invites user engagement and exploration; that shares the experience of being at CalArts in a palpable way; that inspires as it informs; and that foregrounds the creative practices, voices, and spirit of our community of artists—all while ensuring that our new site embraces the best practices of website design and is fully compliant with international accessibility standards and guidelines,” said Ann Wiens, CalArts’ vice president for Marketing and Communications.
Jointly led by the departments of Marketing and Communications, Enrollment Management, and Information Technology, the project’s North Star goal was to create a site that reinforces CalArts’ position as a premier visual and performing arts institution and helps prospective students understand whether CalArts is right for them.
As the CASE judges explained, “The CalArts team clearly defined their process, goals, and outcomes, starting with engaging their community and leveraging arts students and faculty, which resulted in an innovative and authentic experience. The layout, design, and video elements are fresh, joyful, and youthful without feeling cluttered, and the copywriting adds the right amount of ‘pixie dust.’ They were able to balance the design, content, and user experience with a clear visual hierarchy that is easy to navigate and accessible.”
CASE is the global nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement— alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services—and championing education to transform lives and society. Its annual Circle of Excellence Awards are the premier recognition program for educational advancement. The peer-selected and adjudicated awards celebrate colleges, universities, and independent schools worldwide whose talented staff have advanced their institutions with resourcefulness and ingenuity.
