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Harbin Institute of Technology's 2024 undergraduate admission letter design. Photo courtesy of Harbin Institute of Technology's Omnimedia Center

I still remember the excitement I felt when I received the university admission letter more than 30 years ago. The admission letter is the first "token" given by colleges and universities to students. It is an important carrier for conveying the school's educational philosophy, academic characteristics, cultural heritage, and earnest expectations. It has more distinct symbolic, symbolic and commemorative characteristics and values.

In recent years, domestic universities have innovated the design of admission letters. Through continuous exploration of materials, craftsmanship, technology, aesthetics, etc., the admission letters have become an information complex of "thoughts + culture + art + technology", which has attracted widespread attention from the society. How can the admission letters effectively convey rich information in a beautiful form? Some design trends can provide useful inspiration.

Use highly condensed visual symbols to present the historical heritage and spiritual temperament of the school, and strengthen students' cultural identity and social responsibility. Different universities have different cultural heritage and school characteristics. As the school's business card, the admission letter should inspire freshmen's beautiful vision of the future through creativity and ingenuity. Some universities use iconic buildings to trace history and convey spirit. For example, the "three-dimensional" undergraduate admission letter of Tsinghua University, which became popular in 2018, uses laser engraving technology to make more than 30 paper art parts, and assembles them into the iconic building "Second School Gate", highlighting the school's rich history. This design model has been fine-tuned and is still in use today. Some universities incorporate representative achievements into the design to reflect responsibility and encourage innovation. This year, the "key" in Harbin Institute of Technology's undergraduate admission letter is made of space metal materials, 3D printed, polished, and surface-coated using technology that was once used for docking with space stations; the main body of Beijing University of Science and Technology's undergraduate admission letter is made of "5G steel" that is as thin as a cicada's wing, as shiny as a mirror, as hard as iron, and as flexible as pine; Beijing University of Chemical Technology also uses independently developed carbon fiber composite materials that are widely used in launch vehicles, large aircraft and other major national equipment to make undergraduate admission letters... These designs combine artistic beauty with technological beauty, which not only showcases the school's scientific research characteristics and achievements, but also encourages young students to have "the great cause of the country" in mind and contribute to the promotion of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance. These designs also show that admission letters can play a positive role in establishing student identity.

The overall beauty and sense of ritual highlight the cultural character and educational philosophy of the school, and realize spiritual inheritance. As a communication medium, the admission letter can achieve meaning creation and cultural production through effective design. Like the design of Zhejiang University's 2024 undergraduate admission letter, it is based on the history of Zhejiang University students and teachers protecting the Sikuquanshu in Wenlan Pavilion, drawing on the binding method of the Sikuquanshu, and using special light-transmitting materials as the inner pages. When placed under the light, it will reflect a lighthouse, hoping that students will continue the Chinese cultural heritage and strengthen cultural confidence. Shaanxi Normal University has invited retired professors, in-service teachers, etc. to write undergraduate admission letters with brushes for 18 consecutive years, vividly showing the school's cultural education concept through this sense of ritual. Soochow University's 2024 undergraduate admission letter is an interesting fusion of school culture and regional culture-Gusu intangible cultural heritage, with the flower windows of Jiangnan gardens and the peach and plum flowers symbolizing students as the main visual symbols, combined with the production technology of Suzhou Taohuawu woodblock New Year paintings, to express the theme of "carving dreams, peaches and plums in Dongwu". These admission letters not only embody cultural heritage, but also symbolize spiritual transmission.

Enhance the experience with fun and creative ideas, expand information in multiple dimensions, and let students deepen their emotional identification with the school through interaction. This year, the new version of the admission letter of Renmin University of China uses a combination of "school emblem blind box + three-dimensional book stand" to bring a "lively lesson" to freshmen, allowing freshmen to deeply understand the history of the school and understand the school spirit in the process of opening the blind box and assembling the book stand; the cover of the undergraduate admission letter gift box of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China uses a sundial mechanism design to lead freshmen to open a new chapter in their lives. There are also some admission letter designs that increase interactivity and strengthen freshmen's memory by creating novel auditory or tactile experiences and integrating digital technology.

At present, the design style of college admission letters is constantly being refurbished, but the design should be measured. The focus is not on pursuing "luxury" and "fancy", but on the transmission of the school's educational spirit and social value, the construction of the school's brand vision and cultural IP, and the satisfaction of students' emotional and aesthetic needs. As the admission letter becomes a complex that systematically integrates brand design, binding design, information dissemination and other dimensions, its design should not only reflect creative ingenuity, but also highlight ideological connotations. Designers should start from the perspective of economic and environmental protection, and use solemn, elegant, novel and unique designs to make the admission letter an "aesthetic window" that vividly displays the image of the university and humanistic care.

(The author is a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University)

People's Daily (Page 08, August 10, 2024)