Portfolio Case Study: Brand Advertising, Magazine, Creative Content, Enrollment Marketing
New England Conservatory of Music
Boston, Massachusetts | 2022
Enrollment Viewbook
Winner, 2023 Best of CASE Award, District 1
In a digital-first era, a good print piece still stands out, connects with audiences – and wins industry awards.
Design director Ianka de la Rosa and I created a 50+ page Viewbook to immerse prospective students in NEC’s paths of study, with full spreads aligned with our out-of-home light pole banner campaign that encouraged students to “be” the best they can be in their artistry and studies.
Content included a BuzzFeed listicle-style page of “Top Reasons to Study at NEC,” testimonials from students, sample schedules tailored to each path of study, application deadlines, and information on relevant faculty. We also created outreach postcards with QR codes leading to the digital version to send prospective students.
We were honored that higher education industry leaders CASE (Council for Support and Advancement of Education) awarded the Viewbook suite with a 2023 Best of CASE Award (District 1) for our work on behalf of NEC.
Downtown Boston Light Pole Banner Campaign
In Boston, with colleges on every corner, light pole banners are a way of marking a school’s campus area and creatively branding the school for all passers-by.
The tiny but mighty campus of the New England Conservatory of Music, one of the most prestigious music colleges in the world, needed to stand out on a crowded block in the heart of Boston, with the iconic Symphony Hall on one end and the sprawl of Northeastern University on the other.
Design director Ianka de la Rosa and I conceptualized this campaign to highlight the NEC community as the city recovered from the pandemic. With photography highlighting various programs of study, the campaign invited students and faculty to be themselves as they advance their artistry at NEC. This campaign concept also formed the basis of the creative content strategy in the Enrollment Viewbook.
NEC Magazine
When the marketing team restructured and my boss departed a few months after I was hired, I was asked to take charge of the publication of the spring 2022 issue of the NEC Magazine. Fortunately, I had my background in editorial content and publishing to draw on, the help of great writers and photographers, and most importantly, the genius of design director Ianka de la Rosa.
I led the production of this issue as editor-in-chief, in addition to serving as a writer (I wrote the Jaki Byard piece shown here, among other copy and non-byline features), editorial manager, copy editor, and creative director. Phew! Seeing it all in print was the best reward for a book-obsessed digital native like me.
