“I LOVE the new format. Everything is clearly and succinctly laid out. Moreover, the format is pleasing to the eye, especially the rectangular boxes to the left of course descriptions, with all pertinent information. Kudos to the team who designed the new format. ”
Client: Texas Christian University
Project: Learner’s Guide
Audience: Fort Worth Community and alumni
Typical consumer: 50+ female or couples
Continuing Education Communications Campaign
Developed a comprehensive communications piece designed to engage lifelong learners and strengthen community connection through accessible, audience-centered storytelling and elevated editorial design.
Created for external audiences seeking continuing education opportunities, the publication positioned the university as an accessible and intellectually vibrant destination for personal enrichment, professional development, and lifelong learning.
The redesign balanced institutional branding with usability improvements, strategic storytelling, and scalable production systems to create a more engaging and operationally efficient communications tool.
The Challenge
The existing publication contained a large volume of course information that was difficult to navigate and time-intensive to produce.
The project required a redesign that would improve readability, simplify information access for a multigenerational audience, strengthen emotional connection through storytelling, and streamline production workflows while maintaining alignment with the university’s broader institutional brand.
Strategic Approach
The communications strategy focused on:
Audience-centered information design
Community engagement
Editorial clarity and usability
Lifelong learning storytelling
Cohesive institutional branding
Scalable production systems
Increased audience connection through approachable messaging
To improve readability and navigation, the publication format was redesigned to a tabloid-size layout that created a cleaner visual hierarchy and more accessible pacing for readers.
The redesign also introduced a stronger storytelling component that made the piece feel more personal and community-oriented while reinforcing the value of lifelong learning.
Audience feedback played a central role in the redesign process. Survey participation was incentivized through a free class offering, allowing the team to gather meaningful usability insights directly from learners and community members.
Creative Direction
The visual system combined structured information hierarchy with engaging editorial pacing to organize high-volume content into a clear and approachable experience.
Typography, layout systems, photography, and visual hierarchy were intentionally designed to support readability while reinforcing a cohesive institutional aesthetic.
Adjustable templates and grid-based systems improved visual consistency while creating greater flexibility for future editions and evolving course offerings.
Leadership & Operational Innovation
Led creative direction, editorial design, messaging structure, and production coordination throughout the project lifecycle.
Collaborated with university stakeholders and program leadership to organize complex information, align communications priorities, and improve both audience experience and internal production efficiency.
To streamline workflow and reduce manual production time, the publication process was automated in Adobe InDesign using data merge systems and grid-based templates for course listings.
This operational redesign reduced production time from approximately four weeks to one week—decreasing overall production time by 75% while improving consistency and scalability across editions.
Responsibilities included:
Communications Strategy
Creative Direction
Editorial Design
Information Architecture
Audience Engagement Strategy
Workflow Optimization
Brand Alignment
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Production Systems Development
Outcome
The redesigned publication significantly improved audience engagement and usability while creating a more scalable communications framework for continuing education programming.
Results included:
More than 150% increase in class attendance
75% reduction in production time
Increased visual consistency through adjustable template systems
Stronger audience connection through integrated storytelling elements
81% of survey participants reported the publication was easier to read
89% of the control group signed up for a class after reviewing the redesigned piece
The project strengthened community-facing outreach efforts while demonstrating how strategic communications, user-centered design, and operational efficiency can work together to improve both audience experience and institutional impact.