BRAND PRINT - PRATT INSTITUTE
EXISTING MEDIA:
In order to identify the image that Pratt projects of itself today, research on the existing promotional and information media was made. They could be identified within the following categories:
1) PRINTED MEDIA
P r a t t c a t a l o g s :
There are three official Pratt catalogs: The Undergraduate bulletin, the Graduate bulletin, and the Continuing Education catalog. Both the Undergraduate and Graduate bulletins resemble in style. Visually they seem conservative with a colorful twist. Garamond is the main text font, while sans serif typefaces are used for the titles. Their shape is square, a usual format for a college catalogue. The imagery is set again in a conservative way (masked rectangular pictures), giving the impression that there is a barrier between the type and the pictures. No background images are used. The bright colors on the background of some pages, alongside with images of creative work and “campus life” photos, give these book-alike bulletins a more youthful feel. But overall conservative, friendly to the eye and academic. Their aim is to attract both new students and parents as well. The Continuing Education catalog is simpler. It focuses on short term courses that Pratt offers, and the target audience is slightly older. It mainly consists of professionals and individuals that do not necessarily have official art or design training, they will not spend a lot time on campus and thus will not spend that much money in Pratt. So, the color palette is not as bold, and the imagery is limited. It doesn’t give the impression that it is related to an Art & Design school at all. Type is used extensively, a fact that proves that information is the main purpose of the specific material.
In terms of content, the two main bulletins’ main goal is to promote Pratt and to give thorough information about the three schools (School of Architecture, School of Art & Design, School of Information and Library studies) and the courses and degrees it offers. Focus is given to both the historical value of Pratt as a school, its accomplishments in terms of graduate and alumni professional success, and in the creative outcomes and contemporary history that Pratt is “writing” in today’s Art & Design world. Information about the present statistics of the student body is also given. The fact that Pratt is a New York college is not ignored at all. The location of the two campuses (one in Brooklyn and one in the heart of Manhattan), also communicates the notion of “best of both” in New York city. So, the visual result cannot follow a strictly post-modern or very old fashioned look; it has to “bridge” both worlds. Some attractive and impressive words and text like “The first art teacher at Pratt was a pupil of Cezanne”, ”prestigious professionals”, ”Pratt graduate students come from 70 countries...”, ”A Pratt degree carries the guaranty of an outstanding professional education...” are used to project Pratt’s status. Generally all the above are printed materials targeted to potential students (or faculty) and their families; thus to an audience that is not yet a member of the Pratt community. They communicate the Pratt brand in order to attract and to inform about the college’s academic, historic and social environment and tend to be persuasive.The content is impressive, but the visual result does not communicate the real “wealth” of Pratt at all.
P r a t t l e a f l e t s :
When accepted at Pratt, every student has to be informed about a large amount of academic, legal, social, medical and other issues and policy. It is part of being in such a big institution. So, printed material can be found within the rooms and corridors of the Pratt campuses. They are targeted to students and faculty that are accepted at Pratt and are members of the Pratt community. One is more likely to come across the following:
- PRATT INSTITUTE ACADEMIC GUIDE FOR STUDENTS.
Contains “boring but useful” information about registration, fees, and life on campus.
- GATEWAY - the community newsletter of Pratt Institute
- PLENTY OF FOLDED PAMPHLETS providing information and request forms about:
Special Housing and Dining Accommodation
Sexual Assault
Sexual Harassment Policy
Safety
Judicial Procedures
Alcohol and Substance Use
Family Educational Rights
Students with Disabilities
Intellectual Property
All the above carry out the same typographic theme but change color according to the subject. It is odd that they are redesigned every year, while the information most probably stays the same. Again, design-wise they resemble any other corporate printed material and definately not an art college.
A d v e r t i s i n g ( T V / r a d i o / p r i n t ) :
Generally, Pratt does not have a notable advertising activity. Promotion happens more in terms of events and in published articles in magazines and e-journals where Pratt may be mentioned. This can also be a aspect of the Pratt brand. A brand that does not advertise creates an image that it is above advertising, that it doesn’t have the need to attract the public, that lies one step above its competitors. (Again, the absence of advertising and direct media promotion, gives the above impression. It is not necessary a fact that Pratt is not in need for new “customers”.)
2) ON-LINE MEDIA
w w w . p r a t t . e d u
The Pratt Institute website generally follows the visual theme of the catalogs. But, since the medium is different, a more minimal and modern approach is followed. The imagery is sharp, spontaneous, has a lot of movement, and random views of campus life. Still, the corporate look follows this website as well. The fact that Pratt is an art school may be communicated with slightly more laid back pictures from workshops and close ups of materials such as paint, wood, digital equipment etc, but the overall user experience of the website is structured, linear and extremely static. In the pictures we see the contrast of the old and the new, of the tactile and the digital, of natural elements (Brooklyn campus) and urban lifestyle (Manhattan campus).
3) PRATT LOGO
Pratt Institute’s logo is simple and bold. Only the word “Pratt” is used. It makes it simpler, more recognizable and somehow gives it a straightforwardness (like the pronunciation of “Pratt”!). The extra-bold Futura lettering with tight kerning makes it look more unified. The merging letter forms almost create one shape, making the Pratt logo flexible to be used as a stamp in corporate, promotional and merchandising materials. Its original color is cadmium yellow (which alongside with black is the schools official color). In terms of color, there is flexibility, so the Pratt logo can be used in other colors as well.
PRATT LIFESTYLE:
Further research on the actual Pratt experience was conducted, this time by approaching the actual students. From a brief questionnaire that was sent via Facebook to 25 random students (both from the ComD dept. and other areas such as Fine Arts, Industrial Design and Architecture), a general idea about life as a student at Pratt and preferences regarding location and facilities was formed. The most interesting outcomes were the following:
1) In terms of location, there is a balance between the students who prefer the Brooklyn or the Manhattan campus. Also, a considerate amount of them, would consider the combination of the two ideal: the greenery, open space and “campus aura” of the Brooklyn campus, and the excellent location, modern interior and urbanity of the Manhattan campus.
2) Regarding student lifestyle, when students were asked what was the overall best thing they experience as a Pratt student, most of the answers were “people-oriented”. The majority of students find that the most enjoyable aspects of their student life are being in everyday contact with talented artists, interacting with other creative students and meeting new people. All the above offer everyday inspiration to students. Some others mentioned also, that school is very demanding so there is not much time for enjoyable student life, while the Graduation was the highlight of one student.
3) Many answers linked Pratt with the fact that it is in New York. Both in terms of location and inspiration the majority of students mention the NYC location of Pratt as a key factor of their learning/student experience and one of the reasons why they became members of the Pratt community.
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS:
All the above set the rules that will define Pratt’s uniqueness compared to schools that are offering similar education.
One of the key characteristics of Pratt Institute is the fact that is based in one of the most inspiring, artistically advanced, busy and multicultural cities in world: New York. Any student wishing to get the best available Art & Design education, would prefer to live and study in the city that can be easily considered “the center of the world”. Pratt is a big New York institution offering a wide range of art, design and library arts courses, both in undergraduate and graduate levels. Because of its location, size and prestige its direct competitors in New York are SVA (The School of Visual Arts), Parsons New School for Design. They are among the most popular in their field and are most likely to recieve applications from students who would apply to Pratt as well. NYU Tisch School of the Arts similary popular, but specializes more in the performing arts and media, while FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) is more about fashion design and the creative professions surrounding it. The advantages and disadvantages of Pratt, compared with the above schools are:
Advantages:
- It is based in Brooklyn. Having a campus in Brooklyn (there is the Manhattan campus in Chelsea as well), gives the students the opportunity to visually, historically and socially explore more aspects of New York. Furthermore, its Brooklyn location is built as a full student campus, giving sometimes the impression that one is not in the busy and loud New York City. In addition, student life and interaction can be easier established within the boundaries of a college campus.
- As mentioned before, Pratt has one of the largest undergraduate and graduate architecture and art & design schools in the United States. Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture is currently the largest school of architecture in the country. Pratt has the oldest continuously accredited library science school in the United States of America. It is a historic new York institution with academic credibility.
- It has limited advertising activity. The Pratt brand is not overexposed. Schools like SVA are advertised, and at the same time, they too are prestigious and A-class colleges.
Disdvantages:
- In terms of marketing and promotion, Pratt does not communicate its advantages. The competitor schools are as well in New York, and show a lot more creative flair and freshness in their printed materials and ads. Experimentation with size, colors and materials are some of the characteristics of the competitors literature. There is a more powerful “voice” in the brochures and printed materials od SVA and Parsons.
- Pratt is an old historic college. Using more subtle promotional methods and typical “university -like”. heavy, square catalogs, Pratt keeps its status and communicates its size and reputation. But, it is in danger to be typecasted as an oldfashioned school. Design meens innovation, so the Pratt look neens to be “freshened up”.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
A motion piece will be created to communicate the Pratt brand. The target audience would be potential students (and their families). It will be like an alternative advertising piece, focusing on the communication the Pratt brand in the most effective way. Maybe it will focus on audiences outside of the United States as well, where Pratt is not so commonly known. The core target age group would be 16-25, young people with creative flair, urge to work hard and to live in New York city.
PRATT BRAND MOTION PIECE - GENERAL CONCEPT
The elements that can be used to reinforce the Pratt brand arethe ones that answer the question: “What are the most interesting facts about Pratt?” The outcomes need to be visually communicated.
1) Its size / multidisciplinary character (within the boundaries of Art & Design), and the coexistence of talented students and faculty, offer an extended fertile ground for inspiration, creativity and idea exchange. Interactivity and many creative opportunities are a key characteristic of the Pratt community. Pratt is the largest creative arena in New York!
2) The fact that it’s located in New York, (and gathers more aspects of the city than just Manhattan), gives Pratt brand a special advantage. The two campuses, as mentioned before, visualize an interesting contrast between the classic and the modern, the urban and the neighborhood. Pratt could be described as a big versatile art and design community, an interesting mix between the historic and the modern, and an original New York creative institution. The Brooklyn/Manhattan factor creates a wonderful antithesis, and represents the diverse character of New York.
In order to deifferenciate from its competitors in terms of communication, Pratt branding should keep some of its original elements and refresh them with new visual concepts and interesting ideas. A large and historically important institution like Pratt should hold on to some “old-fashioned” elements, and not copy the “cool” and “trendy” look of SVA’s promotional print material.
Descriptive words and adjectives:
evolution, tradition vs technology, tactile vs digital, Brooklyn and Manhattan, interactive, versatile, community, serious,
strong, famous, powerful, experienced.
The final piece, must have a very strong human element, to communicate the outcomes of the previously mentioned questionnaire research (the Pratt experience is all about the coexistence and interaction of students and faculty from various creative and national backgrounds). A simple and straightforward way would be the image of a human hand over a pile of blank pages (the initial blank or white page is the starting point of any creative activity and it communicates freshness, new start and ambition). So, the central character would be the hand of a Pratt artist/designer that will be seen creating in many ways using the white pages one by one and spreading them out on an imaginary table. Every page will represent a different creative activity. (Drawing, painting, clicking with a mouse, writing etc.) When the camera zooms out, the viewer will see Pratt’s “bigger picture”: all the individual sketches, that the hand created with various material and media, will have formed the Pratt logo! In order to communicate both the traditional and the modern side of the institute, the color palette of the piece will evolve from black and white and subtle unsaturated colors, to brighter and more vibrant hues. The photographic research that was conducted in both campuses (Brooklyn and Manhattan) has provided a broad idea about the color combinations and the visual theme of the final clips.
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