The Challenge: The goal of this project was to entice future enrollment at Peninsula College. We wanted kids to be familiar with Peninsula College at an early age. We developed this coloring book that doubled as a children’s story about friendship, but also introduced readers to the programs and services at Peninsula College. The idea came from how my own children will hold onto free coloring books that have stories in them, and they will ask me to read them again and again. Casual conversations shows that other parents with young children had similar experiences.

The Project: Working together with the Marketing Manager, we storyboarded the project and came up with an outline based on page numbers. I wrote the story, making sure to touch on different aspects of campus life, including academic programs, athletics, student activities, and tutoring services. We contracted with an artist to develop the images. The character of “Buck” was based on the many deer that roam around campus. The Pirate Pete character is Peninsula College’s mascot, with his depiction being based on college’s original design of the mascot. Because the coloring book has a story to go along with it, our goal was that it would have a longer shelf-life with families because it was a book that could be read aloud at bedtime.

The Outcome: The feedback from faculty/staff and community members was very positive. People enjoyed the story and how it touched on different aspects of campus. The story is timeless and could be reprinted in future years without requiring updates. The coloring book could be given out at events wherever the college had a presence, especially events geared toward families and children.