For the final dive into our MA Publishing projects as part of the IGNITE Festival of Creativity 2020-21, we’re delighted to tell you all about Reading Passport.
For this brief, students were asked by the client, Literature Works (https://literatureworks.org.uk), to develop a concept for their ‘Reading Passport’ campaign – a promotion aimed at encouraging library usage across the South West.
Literature Works are the regional literature development agency for South West England, a registered charity and an Arts Council England National Portfolio organisation. They’re also based at the University, so this was a perfect opportunity to channel our creativity towards benefiting our local area – something we were all keen to do. The student team was led by Charlotte Cooper (Editorial) and Rebekah Meek (Design), with support from Emma Gill, Dana Harley and Elizabeth Stoddart.
In order to meet the brief, students created a postcard campaign focusing on emerging literary genres. The postcards are fully illustrated, with suggested reading for the genre included on the reverse, as well as QR codes linking through to more information for those who want it. The aim is to expand reading habits – either by flagging up titles within a genre that’s already of interest or providing a gateway to a new area.
In addition to the assets themselves, students provided a strategy document including costed plans for a library tour, guidance on printing options and a print and social media campaign. The project is now being pitched directly to regional libraries, and is slated for a September 2021 launch.
The design work below is just a sample of the full campaign – you’ll need to visit your local library in the autumn to find out more!
Lynda Cooper, Lecturer in Publishing, summarised things as follows:
“This was an exceptional project, with exceptional outputs. Truly industry-standard. There was excellent leadership within the team and they operated with professionalism and independence throughout. It’s fantastic that the students have been able to engage with a local charity on a community-based project with such a strong connection to publishing. I look forward to the campaign running and I’ll be first at the door of my local library when it does!”