Communication services
The communications group at Iowa State University’s Institute for Transportation serves organizations on and off campus, working closely with every client to determine the most effective approach for each print or online publication.
We can manage your project from beginning to end, or we can provide a specific service, like copyediting or Section 508 compliance (communications accessibility for people with disabilities). Download a brochure:
- Publications & web services brochure (207 kb pdf, print on 11 x 17)
- Report editing & distribution services brochure (328 kb pdf, print on 11 x 17)
Jump to a section of this page:
- Many services
- A variety of products
- Sample projects
- Award-winning projects
- A few of our clients
- Rates
- Contact
- Friendly, professional staff
Many services
- Document production, print and electronic formats (planning, writing, editing, design, layout, printing oversight, distribution)
- Writing and editing
- Copyediting
- Technical communications for science and engineering
- Graphic design and illustration, including document design, visual identity systems, animated illustrations, and technical illustrations
- Marketing services
- Communications-based website development
- Section 508 compliance
- Communications planning, short and long term
A variety of products
- Articles about technical subjects for newsletters, journals, and professional magazines
- Executive summaries and technology transfer summaries
- Technical briefs
- Training materials (handouts, PowerPoint presentations, etc.)
- Newsletters (email, online, and print)
- Manuals and handbooks
- Conference proceedings
- Posters and large displays
- Interactive websites
- Technical graphics and illustrations
- Proposals in response to RFPs
- Research report editing
- Packaging and navigation screens for CDs
- Informational and registration brochures
- Promotional and recruiting materials
- PowerPoint presentations
- Annual reports
- Communication plans
- Identity systems
- Complying with Iowa State’s visual identity system
Sample projects
Products with an asterisk (*) won an award from the Society for Technical Communication.
| Product | Services | Client |
|---|---|---|
| Identity system: letterhead, business card, website | Designed integrated identity system with particular attention to ISU style. | InTrans |
| Poster: Art is science made clear (miniature version, 1.7 mb; original: 35" x 96") | Selected photos and quotations, designed and layed out, had laminated. Was displayed at 2005 Des Moines Art Festival. | Bridge Engineering Center |
| Graduate recruitment brochures: sample from environmental engineering program (2.6 mb pdf) | Designed page layouts that focus on readability and ease of use and wrote compelling copy to boost graduate recruitment. Designed for color copying. | Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering |
| CTRE brochure (1 mb pdf) | Designed for two-sided color copying on 11" x 17" with 8.5" x 11" insert. | CTRE |
| Communications plan (29 kb pdf) | Developed plan and put pieces into effect | Aurora consortium |
| Technology transfer summaries: * 2-page sample (323 kb pdf) | Wrote and designed two- to four-page summaries based on completed research. | National Concrete Pavement Technology Center |
| Special report: * The First Five Years, March 2000–April 2005, the PCC Center at Iowa State University (947 kb pdf) | Wrote and designed this special "annual" report. | Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology |
| Manual: Iowa Traffic
Control Devices and Pavement Markings: A Manual for Cities and
Counties (7.2 mb pdf) |
Edited text, worked with freelance illustrator, designed and layed out. | Iowa Highway Research Board |
| Technical article: * "Go Light with the Salt, Please: Developing Information Systems for Winter Roadway Safety" (1.8 mb pdf, off site) | Wrote and submitted to national magazine (TR News), published in the January–February 2004 issue. | Aurora consortium |
| Training materials: * English
and Spanish terms for concrete paving workers (313 kb pdf) |
Designed for field use. Color offset print job with gate fold, laminated. | Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology |
| Newsletter: Technology News |
Bimonthly, 12-page newsletter edited for local transportation agencies (ongoing). | Iowa Local Technical Assistance Program |
| E-Newsletter: * CTRE
en route |
Transitioned print newsletter to email- and web-based newsletter; designed website for current and archived issues; developed email list for distribution of headlines and blurbs; edit/publish biannually (ongoing). | CTRE |
| Web site redesign: CP Tech Center |
Redesigned the look and reorganized some content when PCC Center became the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center. | National Concrete Pavement Technology Center |
| Website development: InTrans/CCEE Transportation-Related Calendar of Events | Developed interactive, database-driven website that displays upcoming events, including links to further information and online registration. | Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering and InTrans |
| Web application development: * Iowa Produce Market Potential Calculator | Developed an online form and graphic display. | Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture |
| Web marketing: * InTrans research | Wrote and edited the content on InTrans' main research page to facilitate users' search for project infromation | InTrans |
Award-winning projects
Several of our websites, technology transfer summaries, reports, newsletters, articles, and other product have won awards from the Society for Technical Communication and other competitions. Some are noted above. The rest are listed here:
In 2005
- Bridge Engineering Center brochure (5.5 mb pdf)
- Concrete Paving Workforce References Numbers 1–4 (off site)
- CP Road Map vision illustration
- Geotechnical Mobile Lab illustration and graphic design (91 kb jpg)
In 2004
- CTRE biennial report (5.9 mb
pdf)
- Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) Department’s biannual alumni newsletter
- Roads Scholar website
- Stringless Paving Technology Transfer Summary (159 kb pdf)
- Optimum Pavement Base Characteristics Technology Transfer Summary (323 kb pdf)
A few of our clients
Off campus
- Iowa and Minnesota Departments of Transportation
- Federal Highway Administration
- Story County, Iowa
- National LTAP (Local Technical Assistance Program) Association
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources
On campus
- Bridge Engineering Center
- National Concrete Pavement Technology Center
- Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
- Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
- Midwest Transportation Consortium
Rates
Tell us about your communications need, and we will offer a proposal with a realistic and reasonable production schedule and cost estimate.
Communications staff time is based on the following rates:
On-campus clients: $40/hour
Off-campus clients: $40/hour plus a percentage for overhead
We work with clients on a contract basis.
Contact
For more information or a free consultation/estimate, contact Marcia Brink, InTrans communications manager, 515-294-9480, mbrink@iastate.edu.
Friendly, professional staff
Marcia Brink, Communications Manager
Special expertise:
- Technical writing and editing
- Managing complex communications projects
- Developing short- and long-term communications plans
Favorite project: Technology News
"I like the practical nature of this periodical. I try to make technical information accessible and useful for road workers in Iowa's towns and counties."
Challenging project: Manual on Integrated Concrete Pavement Materials and Construction Practices
"I liked the challenge of finding new, more effective ways to show and tell the story of cement-water chemistry."
Years of professional experience: 15
Michele Regenold, Webmaster; Writer/Editor
Special expertise:
- Reorganizing/redesigning websites for improved usability and accessibility
- Developing dynamic, interactive websites with backend databases
- Writing for the web
Favorite project: Editing Go! magazine
"Figuring out how to write about technical subjects like a snowplow simulator and making it appealing to teens and young adult is so much fun."
Challenging project: Developing an interactive website through which authors and reviewers submitted, shared, reviewed, and revised papers for an international conference and proceedings
"I enjoy learning new skills and this project helped me learn more sophisticated web and database programming."
Years of professional experience: 13
Mina Shin, Graphic Designer
Special expertise:
- Layout and design for a variety of print and online publication formats
- Developing program identities and working with the university system
- Creating Flash animations
- Creative involvement in illustration development
Years of professional experience: 4