As a senior designer for Eastern Illinois University’s Admissions Office, I helped translate the university’s brand and recruitment goals into creative that connected with prospective students and their families. The target audience required messaging and visuals that felt welcoming, energetic, and easy to navigate. The recruitment objective was to build awareness and excitement around EIU while helping prospective students understand what made the university a place where they could see themselves belonging.

Working within EIU’s established brand, I developed a creative strategy that paired clear, student-focused messaging with a flexible visual system that could carry consistently across the admissions journey. As seen in the viewbook and brochure below, I created a cohesive experience rather than treating each piece as a standalone project. The work involved close collaboration with admissions staff, the marketing team, writers, photographers, and other campus partners to turn institutional goals into engaging communications.

The resulting designs helped make EIU’s recruitment materials more than informational pieces—they became an important part of how prospective students experienced the university before ever setting foot on campus. By using approachable storytelling, student-centered imagery, and a consistent visual system, the work helped prospective students more easily envision themselves as part of the EIU community while giving admissions counselors tools to create a stronger, more cohesive recruitment experience. Ultimately, the designs supported EIU’s goal of building meaningful connections with students and helping turn initial interest into a sense of belonging and possibility.