It was the second day of club activities.
After a quick lunch, the three of us headed to the library. We had come to gather ideas for the recruitment posters we’d discussed in the clubroom yesterday. The library was our destination because it housed the archived activity records of previous clubs. Since we were starting from zero, we wanted anything that could serve as a reference.
However...
"Even so, there aren't many recruitment posters preserved here," Hiiragi-san noted.
"Most of the records are strictly activity logs... things like club achievements or budget expenditures," Yuji added.
"And the few photos of posters they do have are just basic flyers. They’re not much help," I said.
We sifted through dozens of volumes of past records, but unfortunately, the material we were looking for—actual recruitment posters—was nowhere to be found. I suppose it makes sense; even for a detailed activity log, people don't usually archive every promotional flyer they print.
This left us in a bind, as we now had no reference material to guide us.
"What now? The references we were hoping for aren't here," Yuji said.
"Hmm. At this rate, we'll just have to design something completely original..."
"A completely original poster, huh?" Hiiragi-san looked at us. "Hirose-kun, Kokonoe-kun, do either of you actually know how to design a poster?"
...Who knows? I haven't the slightest clue.
"I thought as much," she replied with a sigh.
The three of us shared a look before sighing in unison. Our prospects were looking bleak already.
We put away the activity records and began scouring the library shelves for books that might help with poster creation. By the end of the lunch break, we had managed to find three promising titles: Simple Guide to Designing Promotional Posters, The Psychology of Effective Advertising, and How Promotion Shaped History. Putting the first two aside, that third one sounded more like a manual for propaganda.
Still, since there was nothing else, we checked them out and headed back.
"Let's try to skim through these before school lets out," I suggested. "Even if we can't read them cover-to-cover, just checking the headings should give us some pointers."
"Yeah, it beats trying to make one while flying blind," Yuji agreed.
"In that case, I'll take this one," Hiiragi-san said.
We each took a volume. I kept Simple Guide to Designing Promotional Posters, Yuji took The Psychology of Effective Advertising, and Hiiragi-san took How Promotion Shaped History.
We returned to the classroom before the end of the break and began flipping through our respective books at our desks.
When the afternoon classes ended, I was still reading while waiting for homeroom to start. Shigemori eventually called out to me.
"Hey, Kokonoe? You've been glued to that book since this afternoon. What are you reading?"
"Hmm? Oh, this?"
"Yeah. You seemed so focused I was curious. Sorry if I'm interrupting."
"It's fine. It's just a guidebook on how to make posters."
I tilted the book so Shigemori could see the cover. He stared at it for a moment, then gave me a dubious look.
"Poster design? That’s a weird choice for you."
"I just happened to need some technical knowledge. I borrowed it from the library earlier."
"Huh. I didn't know the library carried stuff like that..."
Shigemori seemed impressed by the library's unexpected selection.
"Wait, are Hirose and Hiiragi-san reading books from the library too? They look like they're in the same vein."
"Yeah. The contents are different, but we're all looking into the same thing."
"All of you reading the same stuff... you guys up to something?"
"Well, yeah."
I was about to explain further when Hirasaka-sensei entered the classroom. Shigemori quickly cut the conversation short with a quick word and hurried back to his seat. Shigemori would find out soon enough once we put the posters on the bulletin boards, so I tucked the book into my desk and waited for homeroom to begin.
Homeroom ended without any major announcements.
"Stand! Attention! Bow!"
At the monitor’s command, the class greeted in unison, and the day was officially over. Everyone started moving about, and Hirasaka-sensei promptly left for the faculty room.
Now then, time to grab Yuji and Hiiragi-san. I packed my bags and stood up. I locked eyes with Yuji, who had just finished his own preparations.
"Shall we?"
"Yeah."
With that brief exchange, we understood each other perfectly. We’d spent enough time together for that to be second nature.
We both looked toward Hiiragi-san’s desk, only to find her already walking our way.
"Sorry to keep you. Ready to go?"
"Ah, yeah."
"Let's move."
The three of us left the noisy classroom and headed to the faculty room to pick up the clubroom key. Having to fetch the key every single time was a hassle, but since it was a universal school rule, we couldn't complain. The door used a pin-cylinder lock, so the thought of getting a duplicate made at a locksmith crossed my mind, but the trouble we’d be in if we got caught made it a bad idea. Better to play it safe.
Once we reached the clubroom, we continued reading our books while waiting for Mika, Saori-chan, and Hashimoto-sensei to arrive.
As we waited, we shared what we had learned. I started.
"Based on my skimming, there are three main points to creating a good poster."
I grabbed a marker and wrote the word IMPACT on the large mobile whiteboard in the Social Studies Preparation Room.
"First is impact. The first glance is everything. You have to grab their attention with a powerful photo or a striking catchphrase. If you don't hook them, no one will bother reading the details."
"Makes sense," Yuji said.
"True. If it looks plain, people will just walk right past it," Hiiragi-san agreed.
They both nodded along. Between a wall of text and a poster with a striking image, people's eyes are always drawn to the visuals.
"Second is making the audience envision a better version of themselves. By showing them who they could become after joining, you inspire them to actually want to sign up."
"I see. People are definitely interested in what they can gain... in what they'll be able to achieve," Yuji noted.
"If they can visualize a future for themselves, even a vague one, they're much more likely to take the first step," Hiiragi-san added.
The book mentioned that visuals or illustrations are better than text for this because they're easier to process at a glance.
"Finally, the third point: selective information. You need to provide the exact details that will lead them to join."
"...Information to lead them?"
"Brief explanations of activities, location, and how to apply. Too much or too little info is a mistake, so you have to be selective. For example, listing dates for a club orientation or a tour can help guide interested students toward the next step."
"Ah, right. That’s a common format for event flyers," Yuji said, satisfied. He took the marker from me and stepped up to the board.
Underneath my notes, Yuji wrote a new sentence.
"From my book, I think the most important thing for us is to hyper-target a specific demographic."
"Targeting a niche?"
"Exactly. Sometimes targeting a specific group is more effective than a broad, shallow appeal to everyone. It's not great if you want general fame, but our primary targets are the first-years. For example..."
Yuji wrote two phrases on the board.
Summer Essential! NEW Stay-Fair! and The 30-Something Woman's Summer Essential! NEW Stay-Fair!
It was a perfect example of narrowing the target.
"By using a catchphrase that limits the audience like this, the appeal becomes much stronger for the people who actually fit that group. It's a choice between advertising broad and shallow, or narrow and deep."
"True. That wording might not resonate with anyone else, but it leaves a massive impression on the target group," Hiiragi-san observed.
"I think we can use that strategy without any issues," I said. "Even if we ignore the appeal for second and third-years, it’s fine as long as the message hits home with the first-years."
A normal club would recruit from the whole school, but our goal was expansion through a massive intake of freshmen. To put pressure on the Repeating Student group, the more first-years we had, the better. There was no reason to reject Yuji’s proposal.
"Then I'm next... or so I'd like to say," Hiiragi-san said with a wry smile, showing us the cover of her book. "But unfortunately, I have nothing to report. This book really is just a history of promotion. There wasn't anything practical I could apply to our poster."
It seemed Hiiragi-san’s book had been a dud for our immediate needs.
"No worries. In that case, let's try to draft a prototype based on the points on the board," I suggested.
"Right. But with these criteria, it’s going to end up looking like an event poster..."
"Yeah... a full-photo background with a loud catchphrase over it..."
"Basically an event poster," I finished.
Drafting it turned out to be a struggle. We spent quite a while debating back and forth, refining the concept.
Eventually, once Hashimoto-sensei and the girls had joined us and the discussion had run its course, we finally reached a consensus on the rough draft. It had taken over an hour of deliberation.
"It's just a rough sketch, but is this our final draft?" I asked.
"Looks like it," Yuji said. "Let's make a prototype. If it’s bad, we can just tweak it."
"Agreed. We won't know for sure until we see the real thing," Hiiragi-san said.
"Got it. I'll take care of the prototype."
I put the draft into a clear file and tucked it into my bag. Since we decided to use background photos from my dungeon dive recordings, and because I was the most tech-savvy of the three, the assembly fell to me. I was given the freedom to pick the photos, but I planned to make several versions so we could all decide which one was best tomorrow.
"Hey, Onii-chan."
"Hmm? What is it, Mika?"
"Are you sure about that catchphrase and composition?"
I paused and showed the draft to Mika.
The catchphrase on the sketch read: Dungeon Exploration. Accounting. Only those who master both are truly ready for adulthood. The layout had the club name at the top, a photo of dungeon exploration on the right, and a photo of someone in uniform working on a laptop on the left.
"Yeah, it should be fine. Between the photos and the slogan, it’ll be clear what our club is about."
For the dungeon photos, I planned to select ones that clearly showed monsters from the 20th floor and deeper. Those who knew what they were looking at would understand exactly what we were up against. It was a subtle way to send a message to the Repeating Student group.
I looked at Mika and Saori-chan, who still seemed a bit skeptical.
"Just wait until you see the finished version. If you still think it needs work then, let me know. We're going to post these mostly around the first-year building."
"...Okay."
"...Yes."
Satisfied with their answers, I finally put the file away and asked Hashimoto-sensei for permission to take a few photos. We needed the "accounting" shots now.
"Alright, you two, I need some photos for the poster. Just pretend to be using the computer. Mika, you first."
"Oka—y!"
I held up my phone and began snapping photos of Mika and Saori-chan. It took a few tries, but I managed to get some good shots. The poster was going to look great.
With the photo shoot finished, the second day of club activities came to a close.