The Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design has a challenging yet rewarding Master of Fine Arts degree program. Located at Georgia State University in the heart of downtown Atlanta, students have the opportunity to further develop their creative thinking and practice in a diverse and vibrant setting, all while receiving full tuition coverage plus eligibility to receive competitive fellowships. M.F.A. candidates have access to renowned faculty that can facilitate the student development process with their professional expertise and unique approaches to solving creative problems. With the benefits in mind, it’s no wonder why Welch School of Art & Design’s M.F.A. program was one of the best kept secrets in academia for a long time.

During Summer 2014 I was part of the marketing team, and we decided that the school needed to leverage the competitive edge that it had over schools in the area such as SCAD, Georgia Tech, and Art Institutes. We figured we would do this by highlighting the unique benefits of the student experience at Welch School of Art & Design. To reach our audience, we bought advertising space in the latest editions of two of the most renowned print journals within the creative communities of Atlanta and beyond: Art Papers and BURNAWAY.

For the design, I decided to take a minimal approach with the intention of making our ad space stand out among the other advertisements, especially that of our competitors. I believed that a large (and punny) tagline, the benefits of the program experience, one image, and the school logo on a one-color background would be the only elements we needed to stimulate reader attention and engagement. For imagery I landed on an photograph of the late Ernest G. Welch, a primary donor and former student of the school. The subject and placement of the image were arranged in a way to entice viewer engagement, and it also conveys a student experience at an institution that embraces curiosity.