The Challenge Arts and design education is facing a crisis of confidence. Prospective students and their families are asking hard questions: Is a creative degree worth the investment? Can artists and designers build sustainable careers in an age of AI? At Pratt, enrollment decisions hinge on whether the institution can answer those questions compellingly and honestly.

The Strategy I developed a content series built around the people best positioned to answer those questions: recent alumni in the early stages of creative careers. Rather than leading with institutional claims about the value of a Pratt education, I let graduates speak for themselves—their pivots, their breakthroughs, and their advice for navigating a rapidly changing creative landscape. The underlying strategic insight was that skeptical audiences don't trust institutions telling them what to think. They trust people who have lived it.

The Execution I conceived, conducted, and wrote a series of interviews with recent Pratt alumni, which I developed into accessible, service-driven stories. Each piece was calibrated to serve dual audiences: prospective students weighing the decision to pursue a creative education and alumni whose ongoing engagement strengthens the institution's community and donor base. I adapted the digital-first series into social media content, newsletter content, and a print feature for Prattfolio’s spring 2026 issue, expanding the reach of the story across mutliple owned channels.

The Result An editorial series that advances Pratt's admissions and recruitment goals not through persuasion, but through evidence — the living proof of what a creative education makes possible.