Auggie Express or Light Speed Marketing

Sometimes it's really hard to envision a finished design project when you are dealing with a unusual space -- especially one that travels at 40 mph. This past winter Augsburg College (Minneapolis, Minn.) chose to pursue "wrapping" a MetroTransit light-rail car since the Hiawatha Line comes within blocks of campus and many students use the service daily. Information about the light-rail system is also something that we include in our day and weekend college admissions collateral.

We began the project by starting some creative work with our outside design firm. Of course, we wanted to maximize it's ability to grab people's attentions. But, as we moved through the process, we started to ground ourselves with the key messages that we wanted to make sure we were communicating. In the end, we used our in-house designers to come up with a well-designed, attention-grabbing train that also communicates our basic brand and messages.

Of course, we still weren't entirely sure how the finished product was going to look. It was especially nerve-racking knowing how much of an investment the College was making and that it was going to be on the train for 6-months. As you can see, what we were provided with as a proof really doesn't do the finished product justice.

In the end, our administration and campus community have really rallied around the "Auggie" train. We've even added value to the investment by having monthly events that require taking the light-rail train, such as a Twins baseball game or visiting the Mall of America.

Mark Chamberlain:
Production Manager at Augsburg College Office of Marketing and Communication
www.mchamberlain.us