By Ragina Lashley<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe moment of truth. Elizabethtown College.\u201d All of Etown\u2019s prospective students buzzed about theirs when it was received in the mail. Everyone who earned acceptance into the College discovered that single white envelope protruding from their mailbox. As they opened the trademark blue envelope and devoured the white lettering in the center, it was the moment that some just knew that Elizabethtown was where they\u2019d spend the next four years.<\/span><\/p>\n For the Office of Marketing & Communications (OMC), that moment originated from a commitment to quality and innovation, which Integrated Marketing Manager Donna Talarico said aimed to \u201cmake the students feel special\u2026let them know what we\u2019re all about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n So far in 2013, OMC has earned 10 awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for the branding and project work they submitted (See News-Page 1). Their office is the center of all the College\u2019s communications and where in-house publications such as the Bird Guide, the Elizabethtown Magazine, the viewbook, materials for prospective students, directories, and all social media and website design and management originate.<\/span><\/p>\n Committed to innovating the College\u2019s communications, OMC is careful to ensure that all changes to their designs are efficient and purposeful. Most recently, the College\u2019s website received an overhaul. Digital design manager Danilo Yabut bid adieu to the past header and footer and added new elements such as the \u201cWild Card Navigation,\u201d a system to highlight events and departments on campus. Another change was made to the calendar system which proved to be an arduous process of figuring out a way to \u201c[get] everyone to used the system.\u201d Yabut said that his mantra in regard to the analytics aspect of his job is that \u201cif something isn\u2019t performing, get rid of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As for the social media aspect of communications, Donna Talarico has single-handedly changed the face of Etown College by connecting with students, alumni, faculty, staff and prospectives via the web. Talarico keeps a \u201cfinger on the pulse,\u201densuring that information is kept up-to-date and available for all to access through Facebook, Twitter, etc.<\/span> ….<\/p>\n The\u00a0view-book’s\u00a0development took\u00a0approximately three months and included Yabut\u2019s coordination of the photo shoots, Sheaffer\u2019s visual designs and Talarico\u2019s profiles. Talarico makes certain that her words possess clever and playful tones but still allow her to \u201cportray [Etown] as serious, yet a fun place.\u201d The branding video, which won a Silver CASE award for \u201cVideo Features\u201d and a Bronze Telly Award, was a \u201cgreat pride point,\u201d Talarico said, because she \u201cgot to write the script and learn a different type of writing \u2026 [and] be a lot more concise.\u201d Talarico\u2019s aim to connect with the audience can be described as \u201cbeing real and authentic\u2026. We can\u2019t always take ourselves too seriously.\u201d<\/span>
\nTalarico\u2019s work has appeared in a variety of projects, including the view-book for Etown\u2019s recruitment package.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nCassie Meade, a junior graphic design intern at OMC, speaks of Sheaffer as \u201can extremely talented designer, and it is a privilege to be able to work with and learn from her.\u201d<\/span>
\nSheaffer devotes careful consideration to the layout of a document, specifically adhering to a formula but still using the theme of \u201credefined\u201d to maintain a positive image of the College. \u201cWe don\u2019t do things just to do them,\u201d said Sheaffer. \u201cWe have [the client\u2019s] goals and objectives, so we figure out a solution, and that\u2019s when we brainstorm \u2026 Every new job is a new project.\u201d<\/span>
\nWhen designing the College magazine, Sheaffer aims for something fresh and entertaining while still educating the magazine\u2019s subscribers. Recent changes to the magazine have included varnishing, a tactile design element that creates a velvet-smooth cover and makes it difficult to put down. \u201cBy changing the paper, the way it folds, you can change the way a piece [feels],\u201d Sheaffer stated.<\/span>
\nYabut\u2019s favorite project so far has been \u201cBattle of the Blues\u201d, an Etown and Messiah College alumni challenge that raises donations for their respective alma maters. Yabut considered it \u201cvery successful.\u201d<\/span>
\nConcerning OMC\u2019s recent success with the CASE awards, Yabut called them \u201camusing,\u201d as he says the team is Type A in nature. \u201cWe won most, except for one \u2026 We reveled in the moment, but think, \u2018How can I make that piece better?\u2019\u201d<\/span>
\n\u201cI think we screamed,\u201d said Sheaffer. \u201cHaving that feeling of accomplishment was really great.\u201d<\/span>
\nTalarico said that receiving the awards was \u201csuch an achievement; with each additional one, we knew we did good work \u2026 [It was] a validation by our peers.\u201d<\/span>
\nThe team doesn\u2019t think of their job as theirs alone; they recognize the value of the interns that work with them, and also that of each other. Sheaffer stated her opinion on the importance of internship at the office: \u201cWe have our contributing writers for the magazine, the photography for the\u00a0view-book, and our project managers. It\u2019s important to give\u00a0students the opportunity to understand criticism \u2026 a real-world learning experience, preparing them for graduation, [as it\u2019s] valuable to take away and put on their resum\u00e9s.\u201d<\/span>
\nYabut said of his time at the OMC: \u201c[I\u2019m] satisfied with the group dynamic, but we wish for more time \u2026 but we\u2019re going to do the best job we possibly can do. The work ethic here is great \u2026 the team, the willingness is great. Other places are cutthroat.\u201d<\/span>
\nHaving only been together for approximately two years, the OMC\u2019s work reflects their ultimate goal: to unify and portray the College as a pioneering environment of growth and success for all who come in contact with it.<\/span><\/p>\n