Image Info
Title: Capitalizing on College:
How Higher Education Went
From Mission Driven to
Margin Obsessed
Design Credit:
Patrice Brown and Chase Gyles
Published By:
Oxford University Press
Abstract
The cover of Capitalizing on College was designed to reflect the deeper story of higher education at this moment in time. While many books on higher education rely on overt symbols—graduation caps or campus architecture—we wanted something more subtle and reflective. The chewed pencil quietly signals the theme of obsession, while the background sketch hints at the financial margins that now shape institutional decision-making. Rather than illustrate the argument directly, the cover invites the reader to consider what’s happening beneath the surface. This was a collaborative effort. The photography was done by Chase Gyles and combined with design work from Patrice Brown. Additional pencil imagery on the spine and back cover reinforces the motif in understated ways, offering a visual continuity that aligns with the book’s themes.