Alumni Magazine and Donor Report Editorial/Content Creation and Publication Design

Objective

Saint Francis High School, a coed, Holy Cross high school (grades 9-12) in Mountain View  California (Silicon Valley), made the decision to move its annual magazine, Progress, and donor report from being created internally,  to an external marketing/publications expert. To showcase its new strategic plan and curricular and cocurricular initiatives, Saint Francis hired Kalix Marketing to write, design and edit two issues of Progress, the Saint Francis alumni magazine, and the Donor Report. Kalix reimagined these critical marketing publications to best meet the school’s needs and unique Holy Cross mission by:

• Creating a more engaging experience for the school’s constituencies
• Aligning content with the Saint Francis brand and broader marketing messages
• Showcasing outcomes and missions to deepen school pride and alumni devotion

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Approach

Kalix’s team of communications/publications experts (editor/writer, graphic designer and copy editor) first discussed with the Saint Francis team the specific goals and objectives for the magazine and the donor report, and then conducted a thorough audit of Saint Francis’ past magazines and publications and online messaging. Kalix identified areas for improvement (messaging and visual elements), which aligned with Saint Francis’ goals and best practices for alumni publications and created a story budget. Kalix arranged and conducted interviews, worked with Saint Francis on photography, and wrote and edited all copy for a variety of features and departments for Progress. Kalix’s  graphic designer revamped copy organization, improved typography and color use and aligned the look with the school’s brand. At the request of the client, Kalix reviewed the printer’s proofs to assure color corrections, etc. were made and delivered the final file to the printers.

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Services Provided

• Strategic creation of story budget (content creation)
• Writing
• Interviewing and article research
• Editing
• Design creation and implementation
• Art direction
• Photography consultation
• Management of draft process
• Copy-editing
• File review and preparation for printer

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Results

The redesigned Progress is a more modern, dynamic magazine that captures the vibrancy of Saint Francis through more sophisticated visuals, more alumni, faculty and student profiles to showcase outcomes and school culture/mission, shorter articles, infographics, etc. to engage a reader’s interest. The Donor Report, while a more traditional format, was redesigned to enhance the brand and provide more engaging, visually interesting information about the impact of giving, particularly on financial aid.

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