The Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística (Latin American Center of Journalistic Research in spanish, or CLIP) coordinated a regional research –with eleven media from all over the continent– on the rise of non-lethal weapons in Latin America, the business behind it, and the victims left in the last five years. For this large journalistic work –nominated to a Gabo award 2022– they needed a graphic project on par with their multiple needs.
The first challenge was defining collaboratively the general tone of the special. The result was a project in which typography and photography, intervened with illustrations, were the unifying components. This allowed us to connect with the idea of an urban environment, a place where citizens’ protests are performed and repressions enforced. Through illustrations that potentiate the pictures, letters painted in walls and urban stencils from all over the region, we seeked to convey the energy of people coming together to protest for a better life.
Perhaps the biggest challenge of this project was the web presentation of a special with more than twenty articles in very different formats: texts, data visualization, interactive map, videos and comics. This allowed for every media to organize the special in their own websites. The presentation is also navigable from the cellphones, since 3 out of 4 people read the news on this device.
An editable package of promotional pieces was also prepared, so that every media, with their visual teams, could promote their pieces with the unit of the special. This included illustrated photography, multiple versions of the brand, translations and templates of pieces for social media.
The distribution of consumables on time allowed for a coordinated and visually unified public release, in which 12 organizations from all over the region participated. Without a doubt, this action allowed for major visibility to research journalism pieces, which do not always receive attention proportional to their efforts and severity.
