Chris Glosecki Editorial Illustration: “The Vanishing Encyclopedia” Computer Drawing DG208 24 April 2012
Creative Brief Background: When the Chicago Tribune published its article “The Vanishing Encyclopedia” by Andrew Gyory earlier this April, it offered a scholastic and rather traditional perspective on how people have acquired knowledge and information through established resources like Encyclopedia Britannica. I want to offer the Chicago Tribune a fresher outlook on their article by pairing it with a vector-based image. My visual will put a more innovative spin on the interconnectivity of digital information by wrapping a globe with Encyclopedia Britannica’s web address. I then have additional sources of data in the form of websites that encircle the globe like a physics symbol. The backdrop of shelves filled with volumes of encyclopedias represent conventional knowledge as it “melts away.”
Target Audiences: Since Encyclopedia Britannica will now be focusing on its digital format and educational curriculum for schools, the primary demographic for this project will be students, teachers, scholars and anyone involved in academia. Additionally, because the topic of the article is about how we as a species share and gain knowledge in order to evolve, this study would also apply to anyone in the communication field, tech start-ups or social media marketing.
Objective: After the audience reads “The Vanishing Encyclopedia” reinforced with my image, they should become very conscious of how the data age is rapidly changing how humans create, share and receive information. Whether they consider themselves a part of digital and social media or not, they should get involved, sign up for the numerous accounts online such as blogs, social accounts, personal websites, music sharing portals, etc. that provide the interconnectivity and access to the billions of thoughts and ideas being shared across the world every second.
Obstacles: People are resistant to things they don’t understand. Although available to everyone, the Internet and technology are changing how society functions and evolves at an overwhelming rate. This pace leaves older generations behind or those that do not have regular access to the Internet or computers. Special interest groups and older generations also argue that digital and mobile information cause us to become more solitary and disconnected rather than connecting us because we don’t have to be in the physical presence of one another to exchange thoughts and ideas.
Key Benefit: Being connected to the Internet and having access to digital information can improve an individual’s everyday life in many ways. They stay connected with family and friends over long distances and have access to events, clubs and organizations that they may otherwise never have heard of.
Support Statements: To counter the argument that the digital age is causing us to become more isolated and disconnected by using resources like Wikipedia and communicating through social media, I will say that this is an inevitable change that can bring us together on a larger scale. People may appear disconnected while they tune into their smart phone or have a conversation through a computer screen but this way of communication is connecting us globally and offering new avenues to people we may have never encountered before. Humans will always have a need for physical social interaction and with the ability to stay connected to people across the world that we either encountered in the past or may meet in the future, we will ultimately increase our network of friends and family and be able to share and pass on knowledge for everyone’s benefit.
Tone: The vector illustration along with Gyory’s article will have a positive assertive tone implying good possibilities in the future.
Media: This project will be displayed in print or online media with The Chicago Tribune or other similar publications that also wrote articles about the end of Britannica’s print edition such as The New York Times.
Creative Considerations: Since The Chicago Tribune and publications alike are read by people around the world the article should be published in multiple languages.
Resources Images
"The Quest For Knowledge"
"A New Beginning"
:RUNV &LWHG Gibbs, Michael, . "conceptual illustration: The Quest For Knowledge." michaelgibbs.com. stock illustration.com , 2011. Web. 24 Apr 2012. Gibbs, Michael, . "conceptual illustration: A New Beginning." michaelgibbs.com. stock illustration.com , 2011. Web. 24 Apr 2012.
Jenny, . "An Alternative Education." Wordpress. N.p., 2012. Web. 24 Apr 2012. <http://analternativeeducation.com/2012/01/06/one-resolution-for-theyear/>. Stregowski,Jenna, . "Physics:Total Lunar Eclipse." Wordpress.com. histats.com, 2011. Web. 24 Apr 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?
Gyory, Andrew, . "The Vanishing Encyclopedia." Chicago Tribune Opinion. The Chicago Tribune, 2012. Web. 30 Apr 2012. <http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-perspec-0408-facts20120408,0,2992778.story>. Bosman, Julie. "After 244 Years, Encyclopedia Britannica Stops the Presses." Business Day: Media and Advertising. The New York Times, 13 March 2012. Web. 30 Apr 2012. <http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/after-244-yearsencyclopaedia-britannica-stops-the-presses/>.