CASE STUDY
USC Dornsife Undergraduate Recruitment Campaign
For the largest college on the University of Southern California campus, we created a multi-part admissions campaign aimed at inspiring and converting prospective students. Through a series of targeted print materials—including a viewbook, conversion brochure, and program-specific brochures—the project focused on showcasing real student voices and capturing the spirit of the Dornsife experience, with the ultimate goal of driving enrollment, deepening audience engagement, and supporting yield efforts.
USC Dornsife needed to refresh and unify its undergraduate recruitment materials to better connect with a highly competitive audience of prospective students. As the largest college at USC, offering dozens of majors and minors, the challenge was to present a compelling and cohesive story that could speak to a wide range of academic interests while still feeling personal and authentic. The communications goal was to bridge the emotional and practical needs of both students and their families—guiding them from initial exploration to final commitment. The campaign needed to resonate across multiple decision points and serve a variety of audiences, including prospective freshmen and transfer students, their parents or guardians, and internal stakeholders across departments.
The Challenge
We began with stakeholder interviews across three core groups: current Dornsife students, prospective students, and parents. These sessions helped us gather insight into what each audience valued, what questions they had, and how they perceived Dornsife’s strengths.
From there, we developed a creative strategy anchored in student storytelling. We put out a call for current students to submit their own photos of campus life—allowing their perspectives to become the visual foundation of the campaign. Paired with curated quotes from students, alumni, and faculty, these authentic images shaped the tone of the campaign.
Throughout, we collaborated closely with Dornsife’s communications team to ensure consistency with the USC brand while building a distinct identity for the college. Tools included InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator, with a focus on accessible layout, dynamic typography, and flexible content blocks for future adaptation.
Our Approach
We delivered a suite of print materials designed to guide prospective students through the entire recruitment cycle:
• A visually rich viewbook featuring real student-submitted photography and narrative quotes from faculty and alumni
• A conversion brochure tailored for admitted students to reinforce their choice and prompt enrollment
• A series of program-specific brochures spotlighting Dornsife’s many majors and minors
• Extended visual elements and templates for consistent use in welcome materials for incoming freshmen and transfers
Each piece maintained a cohesive tone and design system, elevating the look and feel while remaining easy to update across departments.
The Solution
The campaign provided Dornsife with a flexible, authentic suite of tools that elevated their recruitment messaging, drove stronger connection with prospective students, and supported the internal communications team with scalable assets.
Impact