Adler University’s website has received a Platinum Award from the 2026 AVA Digital Awards, recognizing a digital transformation grounded in shared strategy, rigorous content development, and sustained collaboration. The AVA Digital Awards is an international program that recognizes excellence in digital communication, including websites, social media, video, audio, and emerging platforms. Administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, the awards evaluate work based on strategy, creativity, usability, and overall execution.
Adler.edu was developed in partnership with Takt Ventures, Inc., a premier creative agency in Vancouver, B.C., as part of a comprehensive institutional rebrand completed in 2025. The website was not conceived as a standalone redesign, but as a core expression of the University’s updated brand, translating its strategy, positioning, and identity into a cohesive digital experience. Takt led the design system, technical framework, and research to inform user experience (UX) and interface (UI) decisions, creating a system that supports usability, accessibility, and scalability. At the same time, Adler’s Office of Communications and Marketing played an active role throughout, contributing perspective on user behavior, helping shape how UX and UI decisions translated into a functional experience, and defining how content is presented across Adler.edu.
The site architecture was reworked to create a clearer hierarchy across programs, admissions, and institutional content. Navigation was simplified, duplication reduced, and entry points refined so prospective students can move more directly from exploration to application. Content development was equally central to the project, with members of the communications and marketing team writing, designing, and editing each page. This work involved translating academic material into language that is both precise and accessible, aligning program pages with admissions strategy, and maintaining consistency across multiple campuses and delivery models.
The process required coordination across the University, with input from academic leadership, faculty, admissions, and student experience teams. The communications team served as the point of integration, synthesizing that input into a unified voice and ensuring the site’s structure supported, rather than obscured, the institution’s academic offerings.
Since launch, the site has delivered measurable improvements over the previous institutional website. Within the first six months of launch, organic traffic increased by 200%, users by 60%, and key events by 500%. These outcomes reflect not only increased visibility but also a more effective alignment between content, navigation, and user intent — results that reinforce the broader significance of this recognition.
The breadth of this year’s AVA Digital Awards underscores the scale and competitiveness of the field, with more than 2,600 entries submitted from across the United States and over 30 countries. Award recipients span industries and sectors, from global brands to specialized agencies and mission-driven organizations. Platinum-winning work included large-scale digital ecosystems such as EPAM Systems’ collaboration with Aston Martin on an ultra-luxury digital experience, as well as projects from organizations including Designs for Health and Fathom.
Within this broader landscape, Adler University’s recognition reflects the strength of its website and digital experience as part of a global standard of excellence in digital communication.