"editorial_design"; "graphic_design"; "book_cover_art"

LESSONS LEARNED

TheAfghanistan-War was led by four different US-Presidents, as the time of writing this. Started as the “War on Terror” in 2001 it has lasted two decades now. The End of this war was proclaimed multiply times over the years, but the region remains unstable. In 2019 the Washington Post gained access to over 2000 confidential documents from the US government investigating its own shortcomings and manipulation surrounding this war. These documents where part of the “Lessons Learned” investigation. This book will focus in the manipulation of facts and contrast them with what was actually presented to the public, while also examining the media’s failure to question the framing of the “War on Terror”.

The difference between public and private statements will be brought to light and highlighted, figuratively and literally.

Visually this book distinguishes between private and public statements very clearly. Photos of public appearances appear distorted and washed out to symbolize the manipulation taking place. While private statements will appear as scanned prints of memos and interview transcripts, which are part of the “Lessons Learned” documents. This way the manipulation is made apparent to the viewer immediately.

Other supporting design elements are the highlighted text elements referencing the base material. A vast collection of data that needs to be deciphered. This book aims to make a complicated topic easy to understand.

Cologne 2021

impressum