Chicago Booth — When a Viewbook Becomes a Movement

Challenge:

Chicago Booth needed to modernize how it recruited prospective students. The traditional viewbook — a heavy, expensive, coffee-table-style print piece — wasn't reaching students the way they actually consumed information. And the existing digital presence wasn't filling the gap.

The goal was to rethink the entire recruitment marketing approach: generate more leads, increase awareness and consideration, and build something that felt as world-class as the school itself.

What I did:

Using qualitative and quantitative research, a deep website analysis, and a comprehensive marketing plan, I led the redesign of both the digital and print recruitment experience.

The centerpiece was a new microsite and a completely reimagined viewbook — digital-first, compact, and built around how prospective students actually wanted to engage with the brand. I led a cross-functional team of designers, developers, and content writers through the entire process.

But the part I loved most was the student storytelling. I developed an entirely new testimonial approach — interviewing current students across both campuses, staging video and photo shoots in every corner of the Harper Center and Gleacher Center, editing the videos with the team, and crafting profiles that felt real, not brochure-worthy. The goal was to let prospective students see themselves in the people already there.

The results:

The new website delivered a 200% increase in traffic. The redesigned print viewbook saved thousands of dollars in shipping costs through a more compact format — while actually elevating the brand through better photography, better video, and a sharper content strategy.

Why this matters for my clients today:

This project is one of the clearest examples of what audience research actually unlocks. We didn't guess what prospective students needed — we asked, listened, and built around the answers. The result wasn't just a prettier website. It was a recruitment system that worked harder because it was built around real people, not institutional messaging. That's the same approach I bring to every audience insights engagement today.

My going-away plaque from the Chicago Booth marketing team — written in Viewbook format, naturally. "We Have Fake Plants!" is a reference to the creative problem-solving that went into every student shoot. Possibly my favorite professional keepsake.