University of North Texas:
Department of Technical Communication Brochure
Challenge
The challenge was to design and create a brochure filled with informative content for the Department of Technical Communications at the University of North Texas to use for future campus outreach.
The brochure had to include updated information about the department and persuasive and reliable material that will spark an interest in a first-year student to be inclined to join UNT's technical communications field.
In Conclusion
This project allowed me to push my design boundaries as a writer. I gained more confidence because I learned how to proficiently use different design tools to create images for the brochure. The process taught me the importance of client feedback, the use of graphics, and content strategy.
The department's head chairperson and adviser were delighted with my deliverable, and the department is currently using this brochure, along with other deliverable items my team and I create for the department, at different campus outreach events.
My Roles
-
Research
-
Content Strategy
-
Design
-
Writing and Editing
Deliverables
-
Brochure
-
Pitch Presentation
Click on the image above to view the brochure.
Client
The Technical Communication department at UNT is a nonprofit organization group made up of faculty staff. The department's head chairperson and her Public Relations manager were my primary clients. They reviewed my group's deliverables, listened to our pitches and presentations, and provided us feedback.
Project
I was completely in charge of creating one out of the five deliverables for this project. This project was completed with a group of classmates and part of my Capstone class for the Technical Communication program at the University of North Texas.
Audience
Our intent is for freshmen students who are new to UNT. Because the intended audience is new to university life, I wrote the manual with language geared towards people without college experience.
Process
I first asked the department staff for old campus outreach deliverables to kickstart my research. Then, I set up a meeting with the department's chairperson and her Public Relations manager to grasp a better understanding of what they wanted me to include in the brochure and how they wanted me to do it. I showed them the past deliverables and asked what design or content information they wanted to recycle or reuse to get a better visual layout for the new brochure I was creating. I also asked many of my classmates for their input about what kind of information they wish they knew the department offered or provided when they first heard about technical communication.
After I collected most of the needed information, I would spend much of my time at the department's computer lab and ask the lab techs to help me navigate and use Indesign and Illustrator to create vector icons, logos, charts, and much more.
I would set up a meeting with the department's chairperson and her Public Relations manager every time I drafted a brochure. We'd collectively review my drafts, and I would take notes about any design or content changes they wanted me to make. I was also able to ask many questions during those meetings that helped me understand how to design with the client in mind.
Tools
-
Indesign
-
Illustrator
-
Photoshop
-
Word