Elevating the Arts with Storytelling

What is the best way to celebrate the research and success of your school? Through storytelling and a piece that people can hold in their hands—a magazine. That is what Dean Rosario Ceballo, Ph.D. at Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) requested to bring on the road to showcase the impact of a liberal arts education and enhance the brand of  Georgetown’s largest and oldest college among the other schools at Georgetown. And she wanted it in record time—just four months from start to finish. 

Fortunately, we were familiar with the mission of Georgetown University as well as the school’s identity guidelines, having previously redesigned Georgetown Business, so we were able to hit the ground running. We knew that we had to achieve the following goals:

• Engage alumni, highlight alumni and student success, and promote faculty research. 

• Promote and clarify the brand of the College to alumni, parents, donors, and peer school leaders. 

• Increase awareness of the College’s academic rigor and excellence. 

• Emphasize the rich academic experience and high value of a liberal arts education while showcasing their faculty’s latest research and discovery.

The team at CAS developed the story plan to meet the project’s objectives. What stood out to us was the focus on the people as a throughline—alumni, students, faculty. This framework became the unique structure for the magazine—kicking off with faculty, moving to students, and wrapping up with alumni—with long and short stories mixed throughout.

We selected and directed photographers and illustrators around the world to bring the stories to life visually. Our strategic partner, Laura Cole, acted as editorial consultant, to edit the stories and write display copy that complemented the visuals.

While the ambitious timeline was focused on delivering a print magazine, we were also developing a digital edition with the CAS team. Working within the GU ecosystem, we teamed with the CAS Digital partner to plan and design within the existing CMS, including adding the magazine to the main navigation bar, creating a book review page, and image-driven long-form articles. Photo assignments were directed taking print and digital mediums into consideration. As we developed the print edition, we carefully selected photographs to complement the digital experience. A hero illustration was also created for the digital landing page instead of cropping the existing print cover.

The CAS team continues to publish digital-first throughout the year and creates a complementary annual print magazine that showcases the best of the best.