In our current landscape, where our medium for communicating with potential patrons seems to change daily, it's really no surprise how little of what we practiced in school years ago directly applies. (Don't get me wrong -- I'm glad my education was based in print design. I really enjoy working directly with printers to make sure our final product is all that it can be.) I was just as surprised as the next 2009 grad when I had the opportunity to create a proper black and white newspaper ad series last year.

About Experience Institute

"Experience Institute (Ei) is a 12-month higher education program based on real-world experiences. EI provides a unique opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to learn within their industry of preference through an immersive, portfolio-building experience, all while building personal character and professional relationships. Ei students are pioneers in experience-based higher education, navigating new ways to learn and become problem solvers in a rapidly changing economy."

Looking for Fellows

To boost applications and nominations for Ei's fellowship program, they decided to run a series of ads in university newspapers across the country. We created four ads using two headlines and four different images. This variety made it possible to select the ad best for a particular market, with the headline and image that would closely align with a specific student.