University of British Columbia
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Print + Digital Campaign Strategy & Project Management
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Education
The University of British Columbia ranks amongst the top 40 in the world. So, when the time came to develop the 2022-23 Prospective Undergraduate Student Guidebook, the unsurprising key insight was that the university receives thousands of applications each year. However, the challenge we faced was not the quantity but the quality of applicants that we attract this cycle.
My role as the account lead on this project at Rain43 involved pitching to the client a creative concept for the upcoming Student Guidebook, which would allow UBC to stand out amongst other top-tier universities for highly qualified applicants.
All previous editions of the Student Guidebook had leaned heavily on UBC’s scenic imagery from its two campuses in Canada. While this was an effective approach for attracting a large number of undergraduate applicants, this year we wanted to elevate UBC’s strong community spirit, its culturally inclusive character, and the many diversified campus amenities that it has to offer beyond the sea-view horizon.
To highlight these unique features, we moved away from the safe and simple aerial imagery cover pages towards bright and bold fully-illustrated cover pages that featured iconic UBC landmarks. These illustrated UBC icons were also scattered throughout the Guidebook as a treasure hunt for prospective students to explore and learn more about the various activities that take place throughout the year on campus.
The print version of the Guidebook was accompanied by a sticker pack of all the illustrated UBC icons that were featured throughout the book. This year’s printed Guidebook was the most successful in UBC’s admission history as it went for 3 rounds of re-runs – a first in its history.
This print Guidebook was also converted into a digital interactive PDF for sharing online. The digital version was accompanied by an additional fillable worksheet that allowed applicants the same experience of jotting down application planning notes as they would have on the printed copy. Experience the interactive PDF below.
My role was critical in ensuring that all creative assets were produced to the highest quality standards, delivered on time, and aligned with UBC's mission and values. I worked closely with UBC's admissions team and marketing department to understand their needs and developed a production plan that addressed those needs while staying within budget.
One of the challenges faced was managing multiple stakeholders with competing priorities. To address this, I established clear communication channels and developed a project management framework that allowed us to efficiently prioritize tasks and resources.
Agency: Rain43