This week in PR Publications we began our second round of direct mailer designs. By far the process for this second round went much quicker. The process of designing this type of publication is tricky because it has to be visually appealing and simultaneously get an impactful message across.
For me, the first stakeholder directly linked to my second stakeholder. I was able to look at who I was reaching in the first section and think, “Who would have a direct line of impactful communication to this group of people?” My first group, prospective female STEM students are most readily influenced by their teachers in high school. Even if they dislike a teacher, that teacher sees them every day and has an authoritative position in their life. By going directly to the individual student’s source of STEM education, OU can put their ideas at the front of teachers’ minds. Inevitably when students are looking for advice on college, teachers will now have OU in their recent thoughts prompting a recommendation to OU echoing the publications the students will already be receiving.
Since my first draft, I have worked to correct the issue of not having a back side. This back side will not just be utilized to contain addresses and a stamp, rather this back side will hold OU’s statistics in STEM programs and specifically mention scholarship and involvement opportunities which tie directly into the subliminal wants of the target market.
Although the design process has been fun, I personally am opposed to Photoshop. The program, I believe, does not run as smoothly or prompt creative design as much as other programs in the Adobe Suite. However, I have noticed some similarities between Photoshop and these other programs, specifically InDesign. The two programs both offer the option to experiment with layers and defined segmentation of design. They also offer similar tools in regards to shape creation, lettering, and the usage of pictures. Although I am not a huge fan of Photoshop, there is no question these programs work seamlessly together providing a great user experience.
