Final Project: House Organ

 📰 Academic Project Title: Creating a House Organ for a Brand

📘 Course: English Writing for Public Relations

🎓 Level: B2 (Upper-Intermediate)

📂 Deliverable: A digital corporate magazine (house organ) on Canva with an oral presentation

 

🔎 1. What is a House Organ?

A house organ (also known as a corporate magazine or in-house publication) is a publication produced by an organization for internal or external audiences. It serves to communicate corporate news, achievements, events, product launches, internal policies, and brand culture.

Types:

• Internal: Targets employees (HR updates, staff stories, company vision).
• External: Aimed at clients, investors, or partners (success stories, CSR, PR campaigns).

 

Sample: House Organ

https://issuu.com/luxuryavenue/docs/2010_la_spring

🗂️ 2. Project Description

Students will work individually or in pairs to create a mock-up of a house organ (corporate magazine) for a fictional or real company. It will include various types of written corporate content:

Required Sections:

1. Editorial Introduction
2. Corporate Letter (from the CEO or Director)
3. Press Release (at least one)
4. Articles
5. Newsletter Section (monthly updates or highlights)
6. Brochure Content (featuring a service, product, or event)
7. Letters of Appreciation
8. Visual Elements: Cover page, logo, professional layout (images, columns, titles, etc.)

 

🧱 3. Structure of the Final Product

Section	Description
Cover Page	Title, company logo, publication date, tagline
Index or content	Content list with page numbers
Editorial Introduction	Short text introducing the issue’s content and objective
Corporate Letter	Formal, motivational message from a leader (CEO, director)
Articles	A written composition on a specific topic that forms an independent part of a wider publication, like a newspaper, magazine, or academic journal
Press Releases	Announcing a new product/service, event, or achievement
Letters of Appreciation	Letters in which someone is thanked
Newsletter Pages	Headlines and brief items of interest with visual appeal
Brochure Pages	Promotional content with persuasive and visual language
Back Cover	Contact info, social media, slogan, acknowledgments

 

🗣️ 4. Oral Presentation (5–8 minutes)

Each student or pair will present their house organ to the class:

Presentation Guidelines:

• Explain the purpose of your house organ.
• Describe the target audience.
• Summarize each section and its function.
• Justify design/layout choices.
• Reflect briefly on the writing process and challenges.

 

 

🧩 6. Suggested Steps for Students

1: Introduction to house organs + brainstorm company

2: Draft corporate letter and press release

3: Draft circular, newsletter + brochure text

4: Design layout and revise all texts

5: Submit printed or digital magazine

6: Presentations + peer feedback

 

📌 Materials and Tools

• Canva / Adobe Express / Google Docs / MS Publisher (for layout)
• Sample press releases and brochures
• Grammar and vocabulary guides for business writing
• Rubric shared in advance

 

·       📚 References (APA 7th edition)

·       Argenti, P. A. (2018). Corporate communication (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

·       Bly, R. W. (2019). The copywriter's handbook: A step-by-step guide to writing copy that sells (4th ed.). St. Martin’s Griffin.

·       Guffey, M. E., & Loewy, D. (2022). Essentials of business communication (12th ed.). Cengage Learning.

·       Locker, K. O., & Kienzler, D. S. (2021). Business and administrative communication (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

·       Smith, R. D., & Elliott, D. (2020). Strategic planning for public relations (5th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429053426

·       Stanton, J. (2017). Introduction to business communication (2nd ed.). Pearson Education.

·       Walters, L. M., & Walters, T. N. (2020). Visual communication for public relations (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315665085