EXPLORE THE CITY
Guide Melbourne is a small guidebook published by RMIT for students new to the university and the city of Melbourne. Its aim is to provide users with an insider’s view of the city’s venues and services, to help them explore, settle in and make Melbourne their home away from home. The book was developed from a concept I created as part of my coursework for RMIT’s Professional Writing and Editing degree.
The initial brief was to produce an interesting and engaging guidebook to showcase Melbourne for international students, with domestic students and visiting academics as a secondary audience.
In developing the editorial concept, I focused on the ‘Me’ in Melbourne as a way to personalise the guide, carrying the wordplay through the guide’s sections—Feed Me, Entertain Me, Visit Me and Assist Me—which contain entries on the city’s restaurants and cafes, entertainment and sightseeing venues, shops and amenities, as well as essential RMIT University services.
A project team, led by myself and another project manager, was responsible for taking the guide to publication. This involved commissioning content from student editors and writers, contributing my own content and leading the production process, including final design.
Guide Melbourne has been well received by RMIT students and is now in its second reprint. To date, over 6000 books have been distributed.
Elise in Wonderland 