Variable Data Direct Mail Piece

The variable data direct mail piece for my digital file preparation class was a 5"x8" piece which was to have elements that changed depending on who the piece was aimed at. I found a couple stock photos on the school server of both a man and a women who appeared lost or in a bad situation and decided to make my piece based on these photos. I wanted to do my piece for Pittsburg State University. The variable data that I decided on would be the photo of the woman in the dark hall to be targeted to females who may be looking to go to college and the photo of the man in the desert to males looking to find a college to attend.

The Call-to-Action:

The piece is to attract the audience to visit Pittsburg State University's website and to get them to consider enrolling at the college.

The Design of the Piece:

Although the main image on the front would change depending on whether the receiver was male or female, both would have a star like bubble containing the text "Feeling Lost?" to accompany the images and strike curiosity in the viewer.

The back is the same for both pieces, with short text used to entice the viewer to visit the Pittsburg State University website. The receiver's name will be replaced at the top for each receiver so the piece has a personal feel. The message about getting their future on track, the college's small class size and and the many fields of study would appeal to someone who may be looking to attend a smaller university.

Here are the thumbnail sketches:



 Here are the roughs:

I decided to go with the design of the bottom piece.

Here are the final pieces:

The front of the piece that would be sent to females

The front of the piece that would be sent to males

The back of the piece with a custom name for each piece

Dimensional Innovations at the Four States Regional Technology Conference

I attended a session at the Four States Regional Technology Conference (FSRTC) at the College of Technology at Pittsburg State University. Ben Brown was the guest speaker from the company Dimensional Innovations based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company currently employs about 95 employees. Ben said himself that it was hard to describe exactly what the company did, but summed it up as creating design elements for architecture. The approach the company takes is design and build. They work in fields like the theatre, sports, transit, museums, government, lighting, composites, entertainment, and more. The company has a closely related team of both designers and engineers so that the company can design and then build the things they designed. The company has done work for Sprint, sculpture work at Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City as well as numerous work all over the country.

Ben described some of Dimensional Innovation's keys to success which are below:

• Planning
• Engineering Simple Solutions
• Engineering Less Expensive Materials
• Develop Accurate Throughput Process
• Line Balances Through Production
• Set it Up Correctly and Go

The presentation was very inspirational because the company not only designs but they also engineer the concepts they design so they see projects through from start to finish all within the company.

Ben Brown showing a polar bear sculpture 

Dimensional Innovation created for a Zoo exhibit 

Ben Brown explaining Dimensional Innovation's work with surfaces.