CASE STUDY:

EdFund print branding
A national, nonprofit student loan guarantor to colleges and universities, working with financial aid administrators and lenders.

Objective:

EdFund produces numerous publications aimed at high school students, undergrads and graduates to help them understand financial aid options and programs, loan repayment and general money management.

The objective was to portray EdFund as continually relevant to a changing student population – a loan guarantor for all pre-college students, for all kinds of post-high school degrees [AAs to PhDs].

This project is part of a comprehensive rebranding of EdFund which included extension to the wide range of communication channels. Updated print materials – include the ZoneIn, Outlook and Fund Your Future magazines, brochures and newsletter templates.

WDC Solution:

A wider color palette was created, and bold typographic use extended to the outreach print publications. The magazine colors are upbeat to mirror young contemporary culture. The images are more representative of today’s youth, showing sensitivity to fashion, color, communication preferences [plugged-in, Facebook, YouTube, instant messaging]. The effect is more streetwise, more sassy and more representative of a wider diversity of students at all levels (high school, community college, college, graduate school) seeking student loans.

Challenge:

EdFund communications team (our client) was attuned to the young people seeking college loans and enthusiastically embraced the new look. However, others at EdFund were of a more conservative, traditional mindset, reticent to accept a less formal idea of college age students and EdFund’s relationship to them. In the end, we convinced them that showing diversity + visual sophistication is, in fact, a “best practice” in communicating with today’s students.

Benefit:

• Gained new school customers outside of the company's primary footprint in the West
• 250% increased request & usage of material within the first 60 days
• Positive testimonials received from school financial aid administrators and high school counselors on the quality and usability of EdFund materials:
• ‘The new Stafford brochures and Fund Your Future material will be used immediately as they are superior to other materials offered,’ reports an EdFund employee of a University of Central Florida Financial Aid Advisor
• "I really think EdFund is excellent in providing high customer service and informing students/schools in a simple-yet-detailed manner. I love how everything is presented.’
  a Salve Regina University Loan Coordinator