Alludo > Case Studies > Ferris State University's Cost and Time Saving with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite

Ferris State University's Cost and Time Saving with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries

Applicable Industries

Education
Equipment & Machinery

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Smart Campus
Time Sensitive Networking

Services

System Integration
Training

About The Customer

Ferris State University (FSU) is a top technical and professional university that has been in operation for over a century. Founded in 1884, FSU offers more than 150 educational programs to more than 11,000 students on and off campus. The university is located in Big Rapids, Michigan, and offers courses through the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Services, Technology, and others. As the largest employer in Mecosta County, the university has 510 faculty members and 1,295 staff members. Additionally, approximately 3,200 students are employed on campus during the academic year. The Center for Student Services at FSU offers a range of programs and resources that promote the academic, community, and recreational aspects of its students.

The Challenge

Ferris State University (FSU) is a leading technical and professional university that offers a wide range of programs to over 11,000 students. The Center for Student Services at FSU is responsible for producing a variety of educational materials, including course catalogs, class schedule books, recruitment posters, campus maps, directional signs, and calendars. These materials are used by students, faculty, visitors, and administration, and they rely on high-quality, accurate graphics to display important information. The challenge was to save time and reduce the costs of outsourcing these projects. Craig E. Westman, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Enrollment Services and Director of Admissions and Records at FSU, was looking for ways to make the creation of class schedule books more cost-effective and visually appealing to attract potential advertisers. He needed a software application that was easy to use, offered creative flexibility, and produced professional-quality results.

The Solution

The solution was the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite. This software was found to be more intuitive and feature-rich compared to other products like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. The easy training on CorelDRAW Graphics Suite allowed Dr. Westman to involve three staff members in his design projects, thereby utilizing FSU’s resources to output more jobs faster and at a much lower cost. The software also provided output options that allowed the Center to send projects to service bureaus or print them on site. CorelDRAW’s excellent export capabilities enabled the team to create, update, print, and distribute publications efficiently and cost-effectively. The software package included CorelDRAW for illustration and page layout, Corel PHOTO-PAINT for bitmap editing, and Corel R.A.V.E. for vector animation. The ability to create multiple layers with the Object Manager in CorelDRAW allowed the Center to reuse content for multiple pieces, resulting in more cost savings.

Operational Impact

The use of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite has brought about significant operational benefits for Ferris State University. The software's ease of use and tight integration between applications have sped up the entire design process, allowing more room for creativity. The Center for Student Services at FSU has been able to produce 160 different types of print jobs over the past couple of years, demonstrating the software's versatility. The ability to bring these projects in-house has not only resulted in substantial cost savings but also improved the quality of the graphics used in the educational materials. The software's unique interactive tools have been particularly useful in creating dynamic effects for complex documents like campus maps. Overall, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite has proven to be an invaluable tool for creating visually impressive and informative designs at FSU.

Quantitative Benefit

Cost savings of $26,000 on the production of a 3D map, reducing the cost from $30,000 to $4,000.
Estimated annual savings of $170,000 on the production of approximately 570 posters.
Saved four to five hours a day due to the flexibility and the ability to reuse the same file multiple ways.