Notre Dame Schools Alumni Magazine Revamp
A rewrite and redesign—completed in collaboration with Innovative Resources Group—of Notre Dame Schools’ (Utica, New York) alumni magazine.
After:
View the full file here (note some pages have been removed to reduce file size)
Before:
Goals:
To rewrite and redesign Notre Dame Schools’ annual alumni magazine, addressing the following problems with previous editions:
Previous editions of the magazine had too much of a "yearbook" feel
Little engagement of alumni from previous private schools that later merged with the current iteration, leaving alumni feeling disconnected
Annual editions created by educators with little to no writing or editorial experience
Needed a revamp that would be attractive enough to serve as an appeal for end of year giving
Reflected old branding and voice
Audience & Tone:
Audiences for the magazine include previous alumni, as well as current students and their parents.
Notre Dame Schools typically uses a warm, but professional tone in keeping with its traditional Catholic School atmosphere.
Solution:
Along with another writer and designer, together we:
Wrote and incorporated featured news to shift away from the "yearbook" feel
Included specific call-outs and noted important history to make alumni feel included
Reorganized and edited existing school news from the perspective of two freelancers with both editorial and nonprofit communications experience
Re-designed graphics and branding to reflect new brand voice, mission, and guidelines
Included several different call-outs for giving throughout the magazine via mail (envelope included), web address, and QR code to capture a variety of methods of giving
The end result was a product that everyone was thrilled with—and one we hope to repeat with them in years to come!
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