SMART Business
The 2nd edition update of SMART business is a comprehensive resource for 12-15 year old students, covering the subjects of personal finance, enterprise and the economy. The new publication includes a complete re-design, with colourful and impactful layouts, that are easy to navigate. The brief stated that the material maintain its core values, whilst incorporating more graphics and features making it more engaging and visually appealing to the learner.
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The updates provide students with clear, concise sections in which to develop their knowledge. There are built-in features that test their skills, with examples and case studies to help give a greater appreciation of the business world.
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Across the scheme, the three books and corresponding e-books, were created simultaneously, on a 3-month schedule. Managing the page design and assets across the scheme needed great project management and seamless communication with the editorial team, to ensure the project met strict deadlines.
Textbook
The textbook extends over 39 units, with a separate exam section - 442 pages in all. We added clear signposting for navigation, throughout the various sections and information types. Design features included unit openers, with clear learning objectives, section headers, clear and distinctive icons and simple colourful vector artworks and graphics.
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Key features such as quick quizzes, fill-in type exercises and review sections needed to blend seamlessly with the new style, yet stand out to help aid the learners journey throughout the unit and reinforce learning. The textbook also included illustrated characters, which help the students relate to the information and act as narrators and markers to key information, making the content more digestible.
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​The book was broken into 3 learning strands indicated by three colours.
Skills and Accounts Book
The Skills and Accounts Book echoes the textbook and is aimed at providing students with the tools to improve their accounting skills and prepare for classroom-based assessments. The Skills book compliments the main textbook, with clear navigation and sectioning, making it easy for students to find the information they need.
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The accounting and finance sections are extremely table heavy, due to the nature of the material, which required our keen eye and attention to detail to ensure continuity throughout.
Exam Prep & Reference
Exam preparation utilises past exam papers, helping students with their exam preparation and keep the material as up-to-date as possible. Simple vectors and section design were utilised to help engage students and guide them through the unit.
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The index and glossary called for simple styling to ensure they weren’t too space hungry, yet were clear and easy to navigate for the learner and teachers alike.
In Summary
In total, we worked on over 800 pages of material, both new and re-purposed, delivering a bright fresh scheme of work within tight budgets and schedule parameters.