47. THIRST
“The client was essentially looking to double the number of applications from college-bound high-school students,” says Thirst creative director Rick Valicenti of the College for Creative Studies. As the man behind this visually thrilling whirlwind tour of a booklet, he was inclined to “do nothing, write nothing” himself, and to create a book where all images and words would reflect the voice and impressions of the students, faculty, administration, and alumni. “We used recorded telephone interviews and good journalistic research to capture the voice of CCS,” he says.

Rough-and-tumble Motor City never looked so inspiring as it does in these pages. “I definitely enjoy Detroit,” says CCS student Sean Walker on page 26. “The city is wrapped in history and mystery.” Vibrant with innovation and motion page after page, the book is meticulously put together. “The sensibilities of Thirst are evident in the curating and sequencing of the words and images,” Valicenti explains. “Remaining disciplined and true to the conceptual point of departure was a challenge,” he admits, and one he lived up to.

He adds, “I am not applying to college, so how can the real human presence from an outside design consultant be real human presence?”
Romy Ashby