Lakes College West Cumbria

We want a prospectus, which clearly defines our brand and our ongoing commitment to delivering a great educational experience.

After a recent brand overhaul, Lakes College were looking for a clear statement of intent from their new FE prospectus.

Lakes College is a modern traditional FE College based between Workington and Whitehaven on the Cumbrian coast.  The College offers mainly vocational courses, a mix of diplomas and apprenticeship courses and a small amount of HE courses. They have to compete aggressively against local schools, which are increasingly desperate to hold onto students in an area of falling demographics.

Having re-defined the brand, we wanted to produce a document which clearly conveyed all the elements we had developed within the brand guidelines. The cover epitomised our vision of the College — bright, playful and inspirational. Clear foil blocking was used to give the cover lift and make it tactile for the reader. The messaging was lifted straight from the new guidelines and designed to appeal to the target market.

The front end of the prospectus consisted of a 48-page section printed on Amadeus gloss with specially commissioned imagery from award-winning photographer Richard Moran, which took the reader on a journey through the college, with key profiles portraying a cross-section of the student population.

This contrasted with the remainder of the prospectus, which was printed on an uncoated paper. The section was split into two, with the first part printed green and grey, this gave the reader all the necessary background information on the College, how to apply, FAQ’s and travel information. The remainder of the prospectus consisted of course information. This was printed in magenta and grey, which gave differentiation from the previous section and aided reader navigation.