Luzie Bayreuther

Department: Information Design

(De)constructing Terrorism

Until recently, terrorists were almost exclusively dependent
on mass media to promote their cause. Now, with the internet
and modern social platforms they can produce and distribute
most material themselves, creating increasingly complex
and appealing ‘brands’. Luzie Bayreuther is fascinated by this
development. In ‘(De)constructing Terrorism’, she analyses
how terrorists communicate their message and applies
these sophisticated methods to the fictitious terrorist group
Socialist Action (SA).
Mimicking the successful strategy of ISIS, she uses links
to pop culture to engage her prospective audience. Loud
hip hop music, killer dance routines, an eyecatching logo,
video-game style fight sequences and heaps of attitude come
together in a hard-hitting call to action. With a special plug-in
on the SA website visitors can track design decisions from
the initial research to the eventual marketing strategy. Terrorism
feeds on fear. Demystifying the communication channels
used can contribute to a better understanding. This may help
to diminish the impact on society.

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