Graduate Studies Viewbook
// California College of the Arts
CCA’s Graduate Admissions team wanted to update the main promotional brochure distributed to all prospective graduate student inquiries. They not only wanted a fresh new look and feel, but a bold new voice to match with their recent school-wide rebrand.
Role
As lead marketing and creative strategist, I worked closely with admissions stakeholders and the San Francisco-based design firm, Volume, Inc. to develop the strategy for the high-value print piece and oversee creative direction for the school. I also acted as primary copywriter on the project, helping to define the new brand voice for the more sophisticated graduate audience.
Strategy
The only guidance we had from our client, the Dean of Graduate Admissions, was that it needed to be a “beautiful objet d'art!” With that mandate, I worked with Volume’s CEO, Eric Heiman, to concept a stunning conceptual piece that would capture the imagination of its readers. We poured through stacks of magazines, books, and pamphlets for inspiration before finally choosing a small, almost incidental size with a subtle, but stunning “wow factor”.
As copywriter for the project, I focused on highlighting the benefits of an arts education and the focus on radical impact that comes along with the school’s Bay Area location and history.
Outcome
The finished piece represented a defining expression of the brand’s newly minted identity that conveyed the school’s values and offerings in a bold, poetic new way that resonated with it’s core audience. The result was a unique, artistic piece that stood out from the competition, helping contribute to a 12% increase in Graduate applicants in just a single year.