Case Study
Viewbook Design for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities needed a way to showcase all of their offerings for their students and colleges in one place that was easy to digest and distribute. Neuger partnered with Minnesota State to determine how to use content, figures, data and photos to serve clear purposes and best serve the needs of the piece.
The Situation
Minnesota State was seeking a Guidebook design that both leveraged the unique character and important content for their individual campuses and promoted pride among students and families for all of the Minnesota State schools – an excellent value with enough options to satisfy nearly any career interest.
The Communications Challenge
The challenge of the piece was to emphasize the strength of the Minnesota State system as a whole without sacrificing the individuality and offerings of the system’s 37 colleges and universities as well as to portray important facts, figures and photos while still maintaining a clear design.
The Strategy
We understood the piece needed to be designed primarily for high school guidance counselors to distribute to students and for parents or students to request online. Using that knowledge, we set out to create a design that was digestible, attractive to all audiences and presented well in both printed and digital formats.
Beginning with the 2017–18 Guidebook, our original design incorporated vibrant imagery, easy-to-read data and appealing graphic treatments, which have been the basis of the design for the Guidebook ever since.
The Results
The Guidebook debuted at the 2017 Minnesota State Fair, with subsequent updated editions also debuting there in 2018 and 2019 at Minnesota State’s booth in the Education Building, garnering exploration from many interested visitors.