HBU News is the University’s flagship publication, reaching an audience of over 30,000 donors, alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends. As such, the magazine serves as a critical means of communicating the goals, values, and priorities of the institution to all constituents.
Key Role: Creative Direction, Storyboard, Writing, Design
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GOALS
- Create a sense of energy and momentum to drive engagement
- Increase readership and general interest
STRATEGY
- Moved away from donor-centric content, toward content that would engage the broader university community
- Utilized bold colors, large photos, creative typography, dynamic layouts
- Reduced clutter by breaking up text, incorporating visual aids to support and reduce body copy, more white space, and clearer hierarchy of information
RESULTS
HBU News does not rely on subscription or advertising data. However, anecdotal evidence suggested a significant increase in readership and engagement across all audiences. Even years later, the “Master Plan” issue, for which I also wrote the cover story, is considered a high water mark in the publication’s history.
Wesley Gant 