The NIV College Bible

The NIV College Bible is one of the NIV themed bibles published by Zondervan.  Its attractive college styled cover, makes this a good gift for any college student.  The durable hard cover will last as its carried to bible study or on a dorm book shelf.  This is a minimalist, yet a good, reliable choice for a bible.  There are applicable devotions for adult readers of all ages- young and old alike,  The devotionals are based on specific passages and they shed light on the meaning of God's word.  They are general enough to apply to any reader and not so specific to school life- which you would find in a teen devotional bible.

 Other than that, there isn't much that stands out visually, other than the graphics on the removable dust jacket. Under the dust jacket, the traditional college themed hardcover resembles a standard pew bible.  This subtle, unassuming bible features the new revised, gender inclusive 2011 NIV bible text. 
The text is easy to read, and standard with bold chapter titles. There are some two tone  graphics or other visual elements. I would not consider this a study bible as it lacks even the basic chapter introductions or maps that even many minimalist bibles have. What isn't standard is the unexpected dark cadet blue font.  The font looks like a shade between dark grey and blue.  Its nondescript shade isn't as bold as a black font and may make some readers question their eyesight- especially older readers with vision problems, or an astigmatism. 

Other than the Nevertheless it is a high quality standard bible that looks sturdy enough to stand up to daily use. Basically this is a pew bible with some good devotionals included.  Overall, with all the bibles on the market with greater study features, I would neither endorse this bible, nor reject it. There are better choices depending on your needs.  Regardless, this bible would be perfect if it were available in school bookstores.  This bible would be a good outreach opportunity if colleges and universities carried this bible in their stock.  In my opinion, it is appealing enough visually that I imagine many college students would pick this up for themselves even if just out of curiosity.   I feel that this bible gives a minimalist, tasteful, clean, contemporary feel- nothing to distract the reader from the word of God.  As a blogger I received this bible published by Zondervan for the purpose of writing this review.