92. UNDERGROUND
Those old enough might remember crouching beneath their desks at school during Cold War-era drills, learning what to do “just in case” a bomb was dropped. Threats today are more complex than ever, requiring new rules for community leaders to follow in the event of a threat becoming a grim reality.

“This booklet is an instructional guide for civil servants— mayors, local government o≈cials—for handling the populace in the event of a biological attack,” explains art director Scott Sugiuchi. “The client originally approached us with the idea of creating a brochure of ‘information highlights’ to accompany a detailed, multipage document and CD-ROM.”

The client also wanted something visually outside the usual constraints of bureaucratic materials. The overall organization of the content was based on the use of simple symbols and colors. “We determined the target audience didn’t really have time to read through piles of pamphlets and documents, so it would need to communicate immediately,” he says.

“I dispensed with photography and illustration and used four basic symbols as guideposts throughout. The client jokingly referred to this as The Da Vinci Code design,” Sugiuchi explains. Dana Rouse