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Case Studies
Real projects. Real numbers. This is what happens when a client hands us a difficult challenge and we figure it out.
Project details
Client
Services
Quantity
Turnaround
Result
Northeastern University, Graduate Admissions Division
780 Grad School Applicants From One Direct Mail Campaign
The challenge
Northeastern’s grad division needed to grow its applicant pool. They came to us with a goal: reach prospective grad students and get more of them to apply. They were hoping for around 50 new applicants from the effort.
The solution
We designed a direct mail campaign built around a branded kit: a padded envelope holding a mix of promotional items (think keychains, pens, notebooks) alongside a brochure that laid out everything the grad division offers. We pulled together every piece, verified the mailing list against our seed list to catch outdated or incorrect addresses, and got 5,000 kits into the mail within about a month of the initial ask.
That campaign worked so well it’s now a twice-a-year fixture, running every fall and spring for the past three years.
The result
applicants, more than 15 times the original goal of 50.
No mailing list issues. No delays. Just a well-targeted campaign that proved direct mail still works when it’s built right.
Quote slot: one or two sentences from Shawn or the Northeastern contact about the campaign.
Name, Title, Organization
Planning a mailing for admissions, donors, or members?
We’ll check the list, build the kit, and hit the drop date.
Related services: Direct Mail Marketing, Promotional Products. Common questions about mailing lists and turnaround are answered on our FAQ page.
Project details
Client
Services
Large Format Printing, Signage & Graphics, Promotional Products
Scope
Timeline
Result
Northeastern University, Oakland campus
Rebranding an Entire Campus in Six Weeks
The challenge
When Northeastern acquired Mills College in Oakland, the sale wasn’t approved until late June, and the university needed the entire campus branded and ready for its first fall event by September 1st. That gave us about six weeks to rebrand a full college campus, with the added challenge of doing it sensitively: many members of the Mills College community were emotional about the transition, so the new branding needed to honor Mills’ legacy rather than erase it.
The solution
We worked around the clock with Northeastern’s design team to produce and install a full suite of branded assets across the entire campus: pole banners, building banners, exterior signage, wall graphics, a large-scale sign for the athletic center, and branded game-day items like bag toss sets and flag banners. To respect the Mills College community during the transition, we developed a co-branded logo that combined the Mills and Northeastern marks, a hybrid identity that stayed in place for about a year before the campus fully transitioned to Northeastern branding.
Our team made multiple trips to Oakland to manage installation and make sure everything was done right, on a timeline that left almost no room for error.
The result
A fully rebranded campus, ready for opening day, delivered in six weeks with a co-branded approach that respected the outgoing Mills College identity while establishing Northeastern’s presence. The project covered everything from signage to game-day gear, a true full-campus transformation under serious time pressure.
Rebranding a campus, office, or event space?
Tell us the deadline first. We’ll plan backward from it.
Related services: Large Format Printing, Promotional Products.
Project details
Client
Services
Commercial Printing, custom production and finishing
Quantity
Techniques
Result
Northeastern University, Office of the President
The challenge
Engineering a First-of-Its-Kind Scanimation Holiday Card
Northeastern’s creative director wanted a holiday card for the university president unlike anything they’d sent before: a card using scanimation, an optical effect where sliding an image through a die-cut sleeve makes it appear to move. She had the concept. She didn’t have a way to produce it, and neither, at the time, did we. It was our first laser-cut production job.
The solution
We had to work out the science from scratch: the exact width and spacing of the laser-cut slots needed to create the scanimation effect, and how to execute cuts precise enough that a standard die-cut machine couldn’t handle them. We foil-stamped and die-cut the sleeves, then brought the sheets to a laser engraver to cut the fine detail the effect required. The final card featured an image of a dog catching a frisbee that appeared to animate as the insert slid through the sleeve.
The result
A working scanimation card, produced correctly on the first run, for a project budgeted at roughly $50,000 across a run of about 1,000 cards. It’s a good example of what happens when a client brings us an idea with no roadmap: we build the roadmap.
Have an idea nobody's sure how to produce?
Bring it to us before it’s locked. We’ll work out how to make it.
Related services: Commercial Printing.
Why Clients Stick With Us
Across all three of these projects, one thing shows up again and again: we get involved before the problem becomes urgent. On recurring work like Northeastern’s admitted student mailings, our team sits in planning meetings months in advance, at no charge, to make sure whatever gets designed can actually be produced and delivered on schedule.
That’s the difference between a vendor and a partner: we’re not just filling print orders, we’re an extension of the marketing team.
Have a project that needs figuring out?
Give us a quick description of your project and when you need it. We’ll tell you how to get it done.