NPQ, Spring 2011

BACK STORY: China’s Tiananmen protests in 1989 were countered with a strong fist by the government, but in this age of information, a revolution can be orchestrated through the smart phone. The overthrow of the authoritarian regime in Egypt, as well as the other Arab uprisings, demonstrated the power of connectivity through Facebook and Twitter; yet this upheaval is not governance. You can’t Tweet a constitution which can provide for the common good and sustain a society over the long term. This issue discusses the power of social networks “From Tiananmen to Tahir Square.”

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I started with a faint image of the pyramids in the background and utilized a powerful image of a young Arab woman holding a smart phone and peace sign, that was a powerful testimonial symbol for the Arab Spring of 2010 and 2011. I surrounded her with a  collage of images taken from Apple’s iPod advertisements of the time to reinforce the power of this connectivity by everyday people. The type uses some illustrative swashes, which is meant to subtly mimic Arabic type, just in case the headscarf-wearing woman wasn’t enough.