My role within the Graphic Commercial Art lab has evolved significantly over time. I was a student, a graduate, advisory board member, and now I am the instructor of the GCA program at MVCTC in Englewood, Ohio. I used my time in the Bachelor's program at The Modern to brand the GCA lab and create a recruitment campaign that can be used to communicate with future students and parents.
THE PROBLEM
Career centers still have a negative stigma against them. Parents can be wary of sending their children to learn a trade, because they want them to attend college after high school. The starving artist stereotype is still something that the GCA lab specifically battles with parents on a regular basis.
THE SOLUTION
The main goal of this project was to create a brand for the GCA lab that reflects the level of professionalism associated with it. I wanted to also create a cohesive recruitment campaign that properly communicated the goals and facts about the program, targeting future students and their parents.
Design Deliverables
BRANDING
The MVCTC logo went from a dated, serif font to a modern, sans serif (see below). Using the font associated with the new MVCTC logo, I assembled a GCA logo complete with icon based and type based variations. I created a color palette that incorporated the MVCTC statement blues and a couple new additions that reflect the fun associated with the GCA lab.
TAKE-HOME BROCHURE
These brochures could be mailed to high school guidance counselors and art classes, be displayed in lab for eighth grade tours, and used as a take-home item during MVCTC’s largest recruitment event, Sophomore Career Days. The brochure serves as the perfect opportunity to target both future students and parents, so I wanted to have a side with targeted information for each stakeholder group. Information about scholarships and college connections directly targets skeptical parents while the artwork and skill improvement catches the eye of prospective students.
Information targeting potential students
Information targeting potential parents
LANDING PAGE
The landing page ultimately tells the story of the GCA lab from initial interest to scholarship opportunities and future career options. It served as a home base for the design of the campaign. I made layout decisions, typography choices, and more within the landing page design before applying them to other design components. The screen recording below shares the entire page design along with an interactive graduate section.
SOCIAL
For the social aspect of the project, I gained approval and started an Instagram account for the GCA lab. I wanted the fun illustrations, typography choices, and vibrant color palette to extend into the social images. Between Instagram and Facebook, we can continue to target our potential students, potential parents, and further connect and share with our current audience and stakeholder groups.
Results & Learnings
PERSPECTIVE REFRESH
Being a teacher is hard. Saying it’s like drinking out of a fire hose very accurately describes learning how to teach during a global pandemic. This project really allowed me to take a step back from my day-to-day responsibilities and reflect on how incredibly lucky I feel to be in the position I am in, teaching such incredible students. Their talent and the amount of heart they dedicate to our little GCA family is truly inspiring.
A PASSION PROJECT
This project focused on all of the things I enjoy most about design, including building a cohesive campaign to championing my students' design work. Ultimately, this project allowed me to give back to a job I really love, and that has to be my favorite part.
