Student Comic: Admissions mailer
I created the concept and direction for this admissions marketing piece for Carleton College. Gen Z, especially students navigating the college search right after the pandemic, were craving authenticy and insight from actual students. So, I identified a current student illustrator, Phoebe, to share about her first year college journey in comic form. This approach lent humor as well as insider lingo to this admissions marketing touchpoint, and introduced prospective students to the type of folks they might become friends with, like Phoebe.
Illustration: Phoebe Ward | Design: Nancy Eato | Creative director: Teresa Scalzo
Detour from the Ordinary: Admissions Travel Mailer
I created the initial concept for this first version of this admissions marketing piece in the pandemic, when students couldn’t visit campus. We wanted a student-centered piece that would give prospective students a sense of what made Carleton College’s campus feel like home. We took inspiration from vintage road maps, so this piece folds out into something like a poster. When we reworked it in 2023, we updated the text to reflect post-pandemic visit options. The goal is to convince students and parents that Carleton is worth a visit, despite our Midwest location and frigid winters. This piece won a CASE Award.
Illustration: Raymond Biesinger & Beth Elzer | Design: Beth Elzer | Creative director: Kallie Rollenhagen
