Purpose
The goal of these editorial spreads is to inform and educate readers about progressive theories of addiction. All components of the spreads are my original work including the copy, which came from an in-depth literature review and research project completed prior to the design of the spreads. Johann Hari's book Chasing the Scream was the main source of inspiration for the illustrations and information conveyed in the editorial spreads. The overarching message that I chose to communicate in these spreads is that drug abuse is not the key cause of addiction but a symptom of it, and that underlying issues such as trauma and social isolation are typically the root cause of all forms of addiction.
Parameters
These editorial spreads were the second iteration of a series of work related to the topic of drug and alcohol addiction. The project objective was to create two magazine spreads for a publication similar to The Walrus. The spreads were to be treated as a feature article and use a tone that is informative, authoritative, and logically persuasive.
Process
After collecting a large amount of research about the topic, I began to group the data into major groups that I could create subheadings for. These subheadings would help direct the reader through the spreads and summarize the concepts conveyed in each section of the editorial. Once I decided upon my key copy sections, I created illustrations that helped to convey each concept. I chose a colour palette of red and blue tones because these colours symbolize the feelings of sadness and pain that victims of addiction typically are overcome by.
The illustration in the first spread conveys a psychology experiment that took place in the 1980s where lab rats demonstrated that isolated rats were far more likely to become addicted to drugs than rats living in a community. The second spread summarizes some of the key examples that Hari uses to demonstrate that addiction is rooted in isolation and trauma far more than the chemical hooks found in drugs and alcohol.
