Project Title- What Does Your Car Do? – Podcast & Promotional Brochure Campaign
Maker- Teresa Crawford
Genre- Podcast, Promotional Brochure, Multimodal Marketing Composition
Level– Graduate
Program-M.A. in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media
Course-WRIT 5800
Course Instructor- Dr. Mason
Semester Created-Winter 2026
Description
What Does Your Car Do? was created as a multimodal branding and storytelling project connected to my business, Let’s Go Buy A Car. The project includes a self-interview-style podcast and promotional brochure designed to educate consumers about the car-buying process and introduce my “Carcierge” service model.
The purpose of the project was to combine audio storytelling, visual rhetoric, branding, and persuasive communication into a unified campaign that feels personal, informative, and approachable. The podcast focuses on real-world car-buying experiences, consumer education, and the idea that purchasing a vehicle is not only about the car itself but also about strategy, confidence, and understanding of the process. The brochures reinforce that message visually through bold typography, luxury-inspired imagery, and conversational language to connect with potential clients.
The design process centered heavily on audience awareness. I wanted the materials to appeal to everyday buyers, especially people who feel intimidated by dealerships, first-time buyers, busy professionals, and women consumers who may feel overlooked during negotiations. The brochures were intentionally designed with clean layouts, limited clutter, strong contrast, and motivational messaging to make the information easy to read and visually engaging.
The podcast component added another layer to the project by creating a more authentic voice behind the brand. Instead of relying solely on written text, the audio format allowed me to explain my services in a conversational way and establish trust with listeners. This helped create a stronger connection between the audience and the overall brand identity.
Visual rhetoric and multimodal composition theories influenced the project’s structure. Readings on design, audience engagement, and multimodal communication shaped how text, visuals, spacing, brand colors, and audio worked together to convey a consistent message. The brochure use persuasive language, strategic white space, luxury automotive imagery, and pink branding elements to create both professionalism and personality.
The project materials were created digitally using Canva and other multimedia editing platforms. The podcast was recorded using Audacity as a self-interview format and paired with visual branding elements that align with the Let’s Go Buy A Car identity and slogan: Know More. Pay Less. Drive Happy.
Reflection
This project changed the way I think about composition by pushing me beyond traditional academic writing into full-fledged multimodal storytelling. Instead of focusing only on words, I had to think about how visuals, layout, branding, tone, audio, and audience interaction all work together to create meaning. The design thinking process helped me focus more intentionally on the user experience and how people emotionally respond to both visuals and messaging.
Compared to a traditional writing assignment, this project required much more strategic planning and creativity. Every design choice mattered, from font size and color selection to image placement and pacing within the podcast. I also had to think carefully about branding consistency across different media formats. That process made me realize how much communication happens visually before someone even reads a single sentence.
One thing I was most satisfied with was the overall branding consistency between the brochures and the podcast. The materials feel connected and professional while still sounding authentic to my personality and business approach. I was also proud to create a project that serves both academic and real-world business purposes.
The most challenging part was balancing professionalism with personality. I wanted the brochures and podcast to feel informative and polished without sounding overly corporate or disconnected from real people. Since the project is tied directly to my business, authenticity was extremely important.
This project was strongly influenced by multimodal composition theories and readings that discussed visual rhetoric, audience-centered communication, and design as writing. The project reflects ideas from scholars who emphasize that communication is no longer limited to alphabetic text alone. Audio, visuals, spatial arrangement, and digital presentation all contribute to meaning-making. I intentionally followed some promotional design conventions, such as bold headlines and persuasive messaging, while also breaking traditional business brochure conventions by using conversational language and more personality-driven branding.
Overall, this project reinforced that effective communication is not just about delivering information. It is about creating an experience people remember.
https://audio.com/teresa-1861841883737972/audio/what-does-your-car-do-teresa
