During spring 2017, I was enrolled in Public Relations Publications with the director of digital learning at OU, Adam Croom. The course focused on creating graphic design and digital pieces using Adobe programs and Canva.
This class was my favorite PR course at OU!
This class was my favorite PR course at OU!
Final Project
For our final project in PR Pubs, we could create anything we wanted using an Adobe platform or Canva. Though I was in the midst of finals, I decided to challenge myself for this assignment. I created this complex, stop motion video.
Here was my instructor's feedback: "THE. BEST. And you held out on me and turned it in LAST. I've been waiting so long now.. This is super special. Thanks for putting in the extra effort. If I gave quantitative grades, this would be at the top. You'll have to settle for "complete" for now. But it's COMPLETE!"
Here was my instructor's feedback: "THE. BEST. And you held out on me and turned it in LAST. I've been waiting so long now.. This is super special. Thanks for putting in the extra effort. If I gave quantitative grades, this would be at the top. You'll have to settle for "complete" for now. But it's COMPLETE!"
Social Media Pieces
We were instructed to create three social media pieces for a client of our choice using Canva. When we were given this assignment, I was badly craving Snuffer's Cheddar Fries (since nothing compares to them here in Oklahoma). Hence, I picked Snuffer's as my client.
The first graphic I created is a Twitter piece (obviously only intended to be posted on Fridays if you didn't catch the pun). I wanted to showcase the gorgeous, greasy bowl of cheese fries, so I decided to not overcrowd the image with too much text. I made the green box somewhat transparent for that reason, as well.
For the second piece, I continued with the "Fryday" theme. I chose to display even more of the alluring photo, so I formatted the text around the picture in this graphic.
For the final piece, I chose to steer clear of the french fries route. I've always thought that random national holidays are fun to celebrate and something restaurants can gain a lot of publicity and revenue from if executed well. For instance, iHop's National Pancake Day celebration is always a huge success. On top of giving customers a free short stack of pancakes, iHop also donates to organizations that support children battling critical illnesses. That's some good PR (and a really good deed) if you ask me.
I conducted research and found out that National Beverage Day is on May 6. Though this graphic is hypothetical, I think celebrating this random national holiday could be a great opportunity for Snuffer's.
I conducted research and found out that National Beverage Day is on May 6. Though this graphic is hypothetical, I think celebrating this random national holiday could be a great opportunity for Snuffer's.
Spoon University Projects
I created this Facebook cover photo to promote OU's Spoon University launch party. This was not a class assignment, but I created this piece on Canva - which I learned to use in PR Pubs class. Thanks, Croom!
I created this "menu" for the April 6 Spoon event. We posted it on the Facebook event page and various social media sites. My strategy was to create a graphically appealing document with a "fun" voice to appeal to college students (cue the free queso and drinking games).
Business Card Project
The business card assignment was one of our first projects in PR Pubs. We used Adobe InDesign to create a business card for a client of our choice. As a fervent foodie, I decided to create my business card for a local dessert shop on Campus Corner. Epic Pops is a gourmet popsicle shop that prides itself in serving hand-crafted and fresh popsicles. The Epic Pops' menu is written on chalkboards inside the store, so I chose to emulate this concept in my business card by using a faded black background and a chalkboard font. I started off with just blue and pink accents (since these are the interior design colors at Epic Pops' shop), but this reminded me too much of a baby shower. I added in the yellow because I admire how it pops on the dark gray background, and I like how it complements the blues and pinks. This was my first-ever creation with Adobe InDesign.
Letterhead Project
For this project, we were instructed to create a letterhead for the same client as the business card project. We also used Adobe InDesign to create our letterheads. I chose to stick with the same chalkboard concept as the business card for consistent branding.
Direct Mailers Project
I created two direct mailers to promote the University of Oklahoma Residential Colleges using Adobe Photoshop.
The Residential Colleges are the two newest on-campus housing facilities at the University of Oklahoma. Students must fill out an application and complete an essay in order to be considered for admittance into one the housing facilities. The community consists of two separate buildings - Dunham College and Headington College. The ideal students for the Residential Colleges are ones who wish to live in a career-focused environment. The Residential Colleges are only available to sophomore, junior and senior students.
The Residential Colleges are the two newest on-campus housing facilities at the University of Oklahoma. Students must fill out an application and complete an essay in order to be considered for admittance into one the housing facilities. The community consists of two separate buildings - Dunham College and Headington College. The ideal students for the Residential Colleges are ones who wish to live in a career-focused environment. The Residential Colleges are only available to sophomore, junior and senior students.
My public for the first direct mailer (slideshow below) is OU sophomores or juniors who live off campus and are not involved in Greek life. This public also might feel disconnected from campus and crave involvement. My strategy while creating this direct mailer was to emphasize the on-campus convenience, community environment and meal plans.
The second direct mailer I created (slideshow below) is targeted at parents of OU freshmen, sophomores and juniors, whose students are also not involved in Greek life. These parents want their child to live on campus for safety. They also value meal plans and want their child to have a valuable and fun "OU experience." Therefore, I strategically decided to emphasize the security system, on-campus proximity, meal plan and the "OU experience."