North Island College is being recognized on the national stage for its branding and design work.

The college's Marketing and Future Students team has received an Award of Merit from the Association of Registered Graphic Designers through its 2026 In-House Design Awards program.

The honour recognizes the creation of NIC's brand ecosystem, including its brand guide, icon libraries, editorial standards, templates and other design resources.

NIC Associate Director of Marketing and Future Students Erin Kenny says the award reflects the creativity of the marketing team and the many people across the college who help bring the brand to life.

Graphic designer Marissa Johnson accepted the award during the DesignThinkers Conference in Vancouver on May 27.

She says she's proud to see the NIC community embrace the new brand over the past two years and is pleased to see the work recognized alongside projects from across Canada and the United States.

The Association of Registered Graphic Designers received more than 250 entries for this year's competition, with just 54 projects earning awards.

NIC received an Award of Merit, given to submissions that received top marks from the judging panel.

According to the college's award submission, the branding initiative was launched publicly alongside a new accessible website in 2025.

NIC says the project contributed to a 65-percent increase in website engagement and a notable rise in domestic student applications.

Winning projects came from a variety of sectors, including post-secondary education, health care, arts and culture, financial services and retail.

The awards were presented during the annual DesignThinkers Conference, Canada's largest graphic design conference celebrating creativity, innovation and the impact of design.

Get details at North Island College.