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

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. 

Rick’s design gives a nod to the centennial book and the school’s dramatic evolution. To bridge past and present, the footprint and grid structure of Two Towers is overlayed on the larger pages of the new volume—deconstructing, then building and expanding on the centennial book’s 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. The result is a lavishly illustrated portrait of one of the world’s most innovative technological universities. 

Production Coordinator: Susan McNally