Prattfolio, the magazine of Pratt Institute, has won two Silver Awards in the 2026 Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence Awards. The awards recognize the magazine for overall publication excellence and publishing improvement, for its 2024 design refresh.
Published twice a year in print and online, Prattfolio features the work and perspectives of Pratt alumni, faculty, and students. The magazine is produced by Pratt Communications and Marketing. This is the first year that Prattfolio has received two CASE Circle of Excellence Awards, a program recognizing colleges, universities, and schools for advancing their institutions with “resourcefulness and ingenuity,” according to CASE.
“Prattfolio embodies the best of Pratt—collaboration, thoughtful storytelling, and design that amplifies the energy and ideas coming out of our community,” noted Jim Kempster, Pratt’s vice president for communications and marketing. “I’m thrilled that CASE recognized our team’s expertise and effort on the Institute’s behalf.”
“Prattfolio is our gift to everyone who makes Pratt what it is,” said Jean Hartig, Prattfolio’s director of editorial. “These CASE Circle of Excellence Awards honor the whole Pratt community.”
CASE judges praised Prattfolio as “a very aesthetically pleasing publication” with a clean design, engaging images, and a strong flow. They also noted that the magazine offered substantial content without appearing busy.
Designing More Ways to Connect with Pratt
When Prattfolio returned to print after going digital-only during the pandemic, the Creative Services design team incorporated Pratt’s updated visual identity into the publication and with the magazine’s editorial team began planning a broader design refresh. Editorial and design worked together, along with digital communications, to bring the project to life in print and on Pratt’s website.
As part of the process, they surveyed alumni and the campus community and sought feedback from campus colleagues including Institutional Advancement, Admissions, and academic and administrative leadership.
The team developed the refresh around an updated content profile, which included three main sections: In Progress, for stories from Pratt today; Network, for spotlights on alumni and their work; and Alumni Notes, Prattfolio’s space for graduates to share updates. The team also added a creative prompt to close each issue.
The refreshed design introduced a frame around images on the cover and section openers, a color system that varies issue to issue, and a typographic “pulley system” that allows for flexible placement of text on and around images.
“Prattfolio is a frame for the work that comes out of Pratt. Our job is to highlight what’s happening at Pratt, and not to let our design overpower it,” said David Frisco, executive director of creative services.
The CASE Circle of Excellence judges described the refreshed design as “very successful,” saying it was “subtle in many ways but very powerful.” They praised the larger text and the magazine’s encouragement of community involvement. The panel also called the design “visually striking” and “in line with Pratt’s ethos,” noting that it made the publication more accessible to readers.
Read the award-winning magazine Prattfolio.