Douglas Hartley - Brochures for Southern Polytechnic State University

Service learning project proposal


Memorandum
TO: Susan VandeVen
CC: The yellow team
FROM: Douglas Hartley
DATE: September 16, 2008
SUBJECT: Proposal to redesign one or more brochures for the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Sothern Polytechnic State University

Statement of problem
The Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Sothern Polytechnic University (SPSU) need their current program brochures redesigned. The current brochures are very plain in that they are completely text with no color or graphics. As these brochures are used during open houses to provide information on graduate and under-graduate programs and new enhanced look would be very beneficial. These redesigned brochures would benefit the department by allowing them to better “sell” their programs to prospective students.

Objectives
The desired result of the redesign would be a fresh, new, and attractive look. Graphics appropriate to the subject matter would be a key contributor to this result but it is also a directly requested enhancement to the format. A factor to consider in the use of graphics is that the brochures would be printed on a matte paper as opposed to a glossy paper. A definite need in the new brochure design is the ability to make edits as necessary.
In order to meet the goals outlined by the department I propose that the electronic format of the document be retained in Microsoft Word. If Word for some reason proves to be inadequate for the task then perhaps Microsoft Publisher would be more suitable. I propose these two solutions and Word before Publisher for one reason: Availability. Since most offices have Microsoft Word and Word has become the most popular word processing application, future edit ability would be ensured. In order to incorporate graphics in to the new look of the brochure without either removing content or changing paper dimensions of the current tri-fold design I propose that mostly border graphics be used. This application of graphic elements would not encroach on the text but would still provide a more polished look. That isn’t to say there is no room for non-bordering graphics but they would need to be kept to a minimum to ensure the integrity of the original content of the brochure. To not only be able to redesign all four of the department’s current brochures but to also create a branded look I propose that the same theme be utilized in the design of all four brochures.
Cost:
The only cost involved in this project is an investment of time. The publishing of the finished brochure would be the responsibility to the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department at SPSU.

Feasibility:
Meeting the requirements of the department should not pose a problem. If all four proposals were to be completely unique in appearance that may pose a problem but my proposal to have a common look and theme across the brochures would alleviate almost all of the time expenditure that could threaten the feasibility of the project.
Conclusion:
The current design of the program brochures for the Computer Science and Software Engineering department at Southern Polytechnic University could benefit from a new look. They currently have four brochures that share the same basic look mostly consisting of text.
The requested enhancements and requirements are as follows:
The ability to edit the content as needed
Addition of graphics
An overall new look
The benefit that would be seen by the department would consist of a potential for increased enrollment in the departments programs as a result of the increased visibility of the new design of the brochures. The redesign could benefit the department immediately by not requiring any staff time being spent on it as an internal project.