Circle Up, a university club platform app jointly developed by Dentsu Inc., Sports IT Solution, Inc., and U-Campus, has won the 2014 Good Design Award (sponsored by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, a public interest incorporated foundation).
Circle Up is a web service designed specifically for university clubs. Developed primarily by members of Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department, it focuses on the previously ambiguous concept of "university clubs," designing new relationships with society and businesses. Features include a yearbook function listing members by year (including alumni), an album function aggregating photos taken by members for each event, and an offer function serving as a sponsorship contact point for companies. Launched in 2013, it had 1,600 clubs from 200 universities registered as of October 2014.
The Good Design Award recognized it as follows: "While most people use SNS, some still haven't adopted them. Created with the idea of effectively replacing mailing lists, 'Circle Up' appears to be an SNS when viewed as an app, but its backend functions like a mailing list. It skillfully integrates features inconvenient with mailing lists alone, such as a convenient survey function for scheduling coordination, and further serves to strengthen ties with companies. It is an example of successfully redeveloping a communication tool."
