A well-cut lawn is not the draw

Students don't come to a university for its gardens so research your target market carefully and design your prospectus accordingly. But don't be a shrinking violet either, advises Harriet Swain

To you, last year's prospectus was a triumph - jam-packed with course details and pictures of you and your colleagues in the lab. You thought including interesting equations that undergraduates would come across in their third year was a masterstroke. Sadly, the students didn't seem to feel the same.

Why didn't you ask them before it was too late? Aberdeen University last year won a Gold Award from the university marketing company Heist for its prospectus. Rachel Sandison, its marketing officer, says that market research was crucial to the university's success.

"The opinions of your target market can change almost year on year," she says. "What's trendy one year might be different for next year's lot of students."

Aberdeen intends to use focus groups again next year to make sure it is still in tune with its market.

Sandison says that many universities spend too much time trying to get across messages about what they offer rather than thinking about whether it is the kind of information prospective students are looking for and whether it is presented in a way that they will find "not only informative but inspirational".

She advises being succinct when giving information about courses, and using striking colour and photography to attract attention. A prospectus should offer a lifestyle choice rather than just a university choice, she says, and should give information about the whole student experience, including attractions in the city or countryside surrounding the university.

This was something the Heist judges picked out. Sarah Millns, spokeswoman for the company, says they wanted to see publications that had been designed and written to reflect the institution's environment.

John Bateson, creative director for Roundel, which has designed prospectuses for Brighton University and Wimbledon College of Art, says prospectuses are often dragged down by convention and caution.

He says they have three audiences: students first, parents second and the university itself third. A document that appeals to all can become bland and uninvolving, he warns.

"How stimulating to a school-leaver is the cliched image of three people (less sexually suggestive than two, of course) sitting on a well-cut lawn drinking bottled water - a standard image for most universities?" Bateson says.

Instead, he suggests producing regular newsletters that detail university life in a visual language that potential applicants will understand, or a concise academic-focused communication for parents. "There is no space in the market for the ordinary and the bland," he says.

Sandison suggests using gimmicks to make your prospectus stand out.

Aberdeen's literally stands out on a shelf because it is deeper than standard size, and made to look like a coffee-table book in the hope that it will be seen as less disposable than others.

It also has an index in the form of a bookmark. "That performs a function as well as being nice design," she says.

Matthew Andrews, head of undergraduate admissions at Durham University and secretary of the Admissions Practitioners Group, says it is essential to focus on what makes your institution individual and to hammer that message home in the prospectus at every opportunity.

"There is limited mileage in saying you have particularly excellent teaching quality, because everyone will be saying that," he says. What you need to do is find something that makes you different. "This has to be embedded in every message you are giving out - from the look to the words you use," he says.

You also need to co-ordinate with organisers of your university open days to ensure that the message is consistent in every interaction with prospective students.

However, Andrews warns that students will see through over-glossiness - "They know it isn't always sunny in Durham" - and will have basic questions they want answered about the programme, teaching, employment prospects and student life.

This last is particularly difficult to convey, he says, and should be tackled by realising that all students will have different interests.

Covering the whole range of opportunities available to students should ensure that at least one sparks their interest.

While the Heist judges stressed the importance of providing enough detail so prospectuses can be used as a reference document, they also wanted course descriptions and entry requirements to be clear and accessible.

"Judges too often found that prospectuses were not concentrating on basic navigation and usability," Millns says. "When flicking through, users should be provided with clear routes to further information and details on courses while gaining exposure to key institutional messages."

Peter La, deputy press officer at Surrey University, says prospectuses should regularly repeat the university's web address to encourage students to go to it for information, and should give prominent information about open days.

Sandison warns: "You could have something that looks fantastic, but if a prospective student cannot understand what has been written or where to go for information then it is useless."

And there is one way to find this out: ask the audience. "You can think it is a fantastic prospectus but the test is how it is received by the target market," she says. Maybe next time you could leave out the equations.

Further information Higher education marketing consultancy: www.heist.co.uk

Roundel, independent brand identity and communications company: www.roundel.com

TOP TIPS

Use market testing

Emphasise what makes your institution unique

Remember that students are interested in more than just their courses

Make sure course details are clear and concise

Be daring