From the Nominator

Last year, West Virginia University decided to try something new for our 2019-20 WVU undergraduate recruitment campaign. Instead of creating one viewbook aimed at prospective students, we would create two versions: One for the more traditional high school senior market, and a second for high school juniors. Both contained the same basic information, but the junior version was smaller in size and dimensions, with a more simplified message designed for a younger audience that is not as far along in their college search as high school seniors. The material in both viewbooks was centered around academic pathways, which are groupings of related majors, instead of being organized by individual colleges and schools. Both also used bold visuals and graphic design, powerful photos and useful infographics and icons. All aspects of these print pieces fit with our institutional high-touch strategy for recruitment and retention across all platforms—events, tours, social media, print, and emails campaigns. We stress personal attention, transparency, and simplicity. Our viewbooks are the flagship print pieces for a flagship university.

From the Judges

The use of BuzzFeed quiz, profiles, and QR codes speaks to a young target audience and makes it an interactive experience. Strong design. The financial section and satellite campus were great additions to the materials. Providing specific junior-year viewbook was a good marketing decision.