From Prospect to Accepted — The Art of the College Viewbook

“Today’s best viewbooks are emotional exclamation points designed to pique a student’s interest,” says Gardiner Rhoderick, Creative Director at Mighty Citizen. “It’s about feelings, not facts.”

“Viewbooks have the responsibility of conveying the essence and quality of an institution and require an investment in craft,” Rhoderick continues. “Ultimately, viewbooks are about attracting students who are a good fit for your institution, not just an anonymous lead. They’re optimized to support the funnel by driving emotional interest in your institution and catapulting a prospect’s ambition. To do that means wearing a university’s heart on its sleeve — a sleeve that just happens to be a nicely printed, paper viewbook.”

According to ArtCenter College of Design, a viewbook is much more than the presentation of information— it’s about the tactile quality of the paper. It’s seeing how color, shapes, images, and words play off one another. And it’s about discovering something new with every page turn.

And it captures a moment in time. Many alumni hold on to their viewbooks for decades, both a memory of their journey and a reminder of what excited them about attending their college or university in the first place, elevating it from just a viewbook to a keepsake — an artifact.

Quality + Authenticity
Viewbooks are a chance to demonstrate the uniqueness of a college or university, and to tell its story at a high level, enticing students to visit and apply. With the focus on student and campus life photos, a viewbook conveys an authentic sense of place. Avoid stock photography at all costs when it comes to your viewbook and employ the skill of a photographer who excels at capturing the energy of student life on campus. Mohawk Superfine is a sheet whose name has become synonymous with quality and a staple in the design community, especially when photography plays a central role in a piece.

Generation Z values authenticity and uniqueness arguably more than any other generation that has come before, so a viewbook’s materials and form factor must stand out. High-quality production, eye-catching design and a commitment to using sustainable and recycled paper are all properties of a viewbook that resonate with today’s prospective students. In order to become an effective tool in attracting the attention of prospective students, the materials and methods used to print your viewbook must be thoughtfully chosen.

Sustainability
Uncoated paper conveys a level of sophistication and material quality to your audience — some of whom may be future art and graphic design students. Mohawk paper is the perfect surface for an image-rich viewbook, offering tactile interest along with reliable on-press performance. Choosing an expertly engineered eco-conscious sheet like Mohawk Loop Inxwell Vellum proves that you don’t have to sacrifice quality for the sake of sustainability.

Texture
Simple design choices make a huge impact, such as printing on contrasting textures, so as readers thumb through they are aware of a subtle shift with just enough variation, inviting the recipient to give pause and invest in the coming pages. Mix papers and page lengths to reflect the multiplicity of experience a student can expect at your college or university. Use paper and print to deliver an interactive experience and tell a layered story.

Working on a viewbook for a college or university? Email [email protected] for swatches, samples and support.