01. Overview
A tender won on quality - two deliverables, one tight brief
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań - one of Poland's largest and most prestigious academic institutions - issued a public tender for the design and production of two print projects. My studio, skillo, submitted the winning offer, beating competing bids on the strength of our design proposal and pricing.
The scope was well-defined from the start: a high-quality promotional folder in English targeting international students interested in the university's exchange programmes, and a series of personalised smartphone cases for academic staff - each themed around the faculty of the individual recipient. Both were to be delivered as complete, production-ready files.
Project brief
Design a promotional folder for international students in the context of academic exchange programmes, and a series of faculty-themed smartphone cases for academic staff. All materials to adhere to UAM's institutional visual identity. Deliver print-ready production files.
02. International student folder
Presenting the university to the world - in a single document
The folder was aimed at prospective international students exploring academic exchange opportunities at UAM. Its primary purpose was representational: conveying the prestige and academic character of one of Poland's oldest universities to a global audience who might have no prior knowledge of it.
The design worked squarely within UAM's established institutional identity - deep navy, the university crest, and the classic architectural photography of the Poznań campus. Rather than fighting these constraints, the design leaned into them: the combination of monumental photography, restrained typography, and the "Polish Your Future With Us!" headline gives the piece the confidence of an institution that knows its own value.
Inside, the layout balanced the density of practical information - exchange programmes, partner institutions, application procedures - with enough breathing room to remain approachable and inviting rather than bureaucratic.
Cover design - front and back. The UAM crest and campus photography anchor the institutional tone, while the English-language headline signals the international audience.
Interior spreads - the introduction page with archival photography of the UAM main hall, and the International Exchange section with structured programme information.
03. Faculty gadgets
Personalised smartphone cases for academic staff
The second deliverable was a series of custom smartphone cases intended as gifts for UAM's academic staff. Each case was designed around the specific faculty of the recipient - a detail that made the gift genuinely personal rather than generic branded merchandise.
Each design carried a distinct visual theme tied to its faculty's academic field: imagery from the natural sciences, humanities, or technical disciplines layered with the UAM identity. The result was a set of objects that staff would actually want to use - recognisable as UAM, but specific enough to feel individual.
All cases were designed for a specific phone model used across the institution, and delivered with production templates ready for the manufacturing partner.
Two of the faculty-themed smartphone case designs - each carrying imagery and visual identity elements specific to the academic department of the recipient.
04. Outcomes
Delivered on brief. On time. On budget.
This was a well-scoped, efficiently executed project - the kind where clear requirements and clean process allow the design work to speak for itself.