Smith College educates women of promise for lives of distinction and purpose. We completely reimagined the Smith College viewbook this year. All work was completed in-house, a collaboration between a small College Relations team of editors, designers, and illustrators, and the Admissions Office. Geared toward prospective students—high-achieving high school seniors who identify as female—the goal of our new viewbook was to demonstrate the unique individual personality of Smith and to share an authentic sense of place so that a diverse student population can imagine themselves at Smith and apply. Loosely modeling the viewbook after “bullet journals,” iIllustration was a primary component of the redesign, aiming to give the book a warmer, more creative, and more personal feel than you could achieve using photos. Smith experienced an unprecedented record number of applications during the 2022–23 cycle (35 percent increase), indicating an increase in interest thanks in part to the new viewbook.
From the Judges
An extremely tight and clear brand with a great cover, good writing, and beautiful photography. All agreed the impact on applications is very strong.
