52. VISUAL DIALOGUE
“What came out strong and clear is that students wanted this real, ‘warts and all’ feeling of what it’s like to go to [The Art Institute of Boston],” says Fritz Klaetke, creative director of Visual Dialogue, speaking of an online survey of high schoolers he completed before starting a new catalog for the Art Institute. These findings led to a few key design decisions, like all the photos in the book being taken by four actual students.

“They’re there at all hours,” notes Klaetke. “It’s not some outsider coming in at 2:00 in the afternoon, saying, ‘Hey kids, act like you’re having fun.’” In addition, quotes from the survey are printed on the cover, and the first six spreads are blank, with a line of copy along the bottom asking the prospective student to “think about what’s in, not on, a blank page.” Other design elements such as the color scheme and grid system connect to parent Lesley University. “We took the existing system and flipped it 90 degrees,” says Klaetke. “It didn’t have to be a sibling, but at least a funky cousin.”
Laurel Saville