Viewbook with a Viewpoint
Strategic Skepticism
Prospective students can read only so much about an institution's values and mission before the "marketing speak" leads to yawns. Swarthmore College answers this fatigue with its irreverent "Don't Read This," an 80-page viewbook the Pennsylvania institution debuted in September 2015 as part of its redesigned admissions materials. The publication is light on text, which makes its sometimes-cheeky flow charts and imagined banter between the college and an ambivalent prospect stand out. The early verdict from target audiences? "Don't Read This" is entertaining, daring, and could be the #bestcollegehookever.
Circle of Excellence Award, Gold, for print viewbooks. See a sample at bit.ly/COE_CASE.
Coy Cover
How a Peek Piques Interest
So, you have a new president. Now comes the obligatory "meet the new leader" alumni magazine feature, a thought
that may make the publication's staff queasy. For its "Our 10th President" cover, the Autumn 2015 issue of University of Richmond Magazine focused not on Ronald Crutcher's face but on revealing details about him. The tightly cropped photo draws focus to his spider-patterned bow tie and the cello cradled by the hand bearing his wedding ring. "The photograph invites the viewer to engage with the subject and take a closer look, while preparing readers for what they will learn about him … inside the issue," according to Samantha Tannich, the magazine's design director. CASE judges deemed it "courageous" and "unexpected."
Circle of Excellence Award, Gold, for cover design. Take a look at bit.ly/COE_CASE.
Undergraduate Giving
Students Helping Students
Launching a major student philanthropy campaign in 2012, as the U.S. economy crawled out of the Great Recession, might have seemed counterintuitive for the University of California, Davis. Many students' families had lost jobs, businesses, or homes. But a student-focused situation analysis revealed that students, aka Aggies, were passionate about helping each other stay at the university. The result: We Are Aggie Pride, a program that provides emergency funding to students at risk of dropping out for financial reasons. WAAP has raised more than $150,000 to help 70 students and encouraged a culture of giving on campus. Learn more in chapter two of Lasting Impressions, available at bit.ly/CASE_NewProducts.