Member Article

Newcastle agency provides an alternative outlook

Newcastle University’s Alternative Prospectus has been shaped by social networking sites to give potential students a real insight into life in the North East.

Newcastle-based communications agency Gardiner Richardson designed the University’s Alternative Prospectus for 2010, 20,000 copies of which are set to hit the streets.

Written by students, the guide provides information on the city and gives a ‘behind the scenes’ look at student life, including the best places to live and how to make the most of Newcastle by day and night.

In order to appeal to the target audience, the prospectus is designed in the style of social networking sites such as Facebook, using low resolution images and digital style text boxes.

Dave McDonald, design director at Gardiner Richardson, said: “It has been a pleasure to create something that stands out from Newcastle University’s traditional prospectus.

“The Alternative Prospectus really encapsulates student life as it has been written by students and the look and feel of the guide taps into the social networking phenomena which is particularly resonant with this age group.”

The prospectus contains information about everything from Freshers’ Week to graduation it provides a guide on how to get involved in student life beyond the lecture theatre.

Phil Roughley, Assistant Publications and CVI Officer, said: “We were keen for Gardiner Richardson to do something completely different from our traditional prospectus, we wanted something that was a behind the scenes guide to being a student at Newcastle University.

“We think the final result is perfect for those who we are appealing to as it provides student reviews and images teamed with a clean and easy to read style.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .