True to Plan: Crafting an Educational Revolution Beneath the Two Towers  

JOHN T. LANDRY AND JEFFREY L. CRUIKSHANK

Significant milestones in the rise of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) were first chronicled in Two Towers, the school’s centennial history by Mildred Tymeson. True to Plan continues WPI’s story, starting in 1965, when the Institute audaciously reimagined its approach to science and engineering education with a forward-looking curriculum centered on experiential, project-based learning. 

Taking heed of WPI’s commitment to founding principles throughout its dramatic evolution, Rick’s design gives a nod to the centennial book. To bridge past and present both covers feature an iconic campus view: one in archival black and white, the other in full color. Rick overlays the footprint and grid structure of Two Towers on the larger pages of the new volume—deconstructing the centennial book, then building and expanding on its themes to mirror the reshaping of the Institute itself. Volume 3 worked closely with Institute administrators from fact checking to photo research. 

Until recently, WPI’s history was documented solely with black-and-white photographs; in response Rick tinted images to enliven or quiet the pages. With a limited color palette, and a complex array of photographic techniques, Susan’s challenge was to maintain consistency throughout the book. The result is a lavishly illustrated portrait of one of the world’s most innovative technological universities. 

 

Pages: 240
Trim size: 9.5 x 12.375 in.
Illustrations: 408
Inks: Four-color plus spot PMS
Text paper: 80# Mohawk Superfine
Binding: Smyth sewn and casebound
Print run: 5,000
Prepress and printer: Puritan Capital
Hollis, New Hampshire
Bindery: Acme Bookbinding
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Editor: Michael Dorsey