University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public & International Affairs (GSPIA) is one of the top-ranked schools for public and international affairs in the country. They offer students a lot — from undergrad programs, to master’s degrees and PHDs. With so much to say, how could they share the big-picture — in a concise, interesting, pocket-sized piece that prospective students would want to pick up and read?

A traditional brochure with dense content wasn’t what they were looking for. The school wanted to step away from the norm. Their vision was sleeker — general enough to speak to everyone, and interesting enough to engage. They needed something agile and focused, just like their panther mascot.

Be a leader who shapes the world you want. This was our theme. While the students would be shaping the world, our aim was to shape this brochure into something that would get them to attend. Challenge accepted! Using bold, typographic headlines to catch attention, we structured the content around three pillars: hands-on learning, careers with purpose and real outcomes. This way any student could see themselves in the story, whether they wanted to work in global affairs, the private sector, or nonprofits and NGOs.

A pocket-sized square with a wrapped-accordion proved to be the perfect format to support the narrative. As the panels unfolded, the story did too. To amplify the message, UV printing brought vibrancy and richness to the content, plus extra durability to the overall piece.