Monday, 28 July 2008 | Levent OZLER
Viewpoint Creative Teams with History for Library of Congress Visitor Experience
Presentation Aims to Make Library's Collections More Broadly Accessible and More Compelling to Live and Virtual Visitors
Take a stroll through the Washington, DC-based Library of Congress or visit their website and you'll be greeted with a sleek, new presentation created by Viewpoint Creative, the award-winning creative agency specializing in entertainment and lifestyle brands. The overview, produced for History in partnership with the Library of Congress, is designed to illustrate how the Library's collections are more broadly accessible and more compelling to both visitors, as well as educators using the Library's content in their classrooms.
"History and the Library of Congress are all about making history relevant today," explained Michael Middeleer, Viewpoint's Executive Creative Director. "Our job was to showcase the amazing treasure trove of artifacts the Library has and present them in a compelling way to a varied audience -- both online and visitors to the Library itself."
The Viewpoint creative team achieved that by eschewing an academic 'hallowed halls' tone and instead, took a contemporary and a personal approach showing the Library's curators themselves speaking directly to the camera and handling some their most prized possessions, such as the contents of Abraham Lincoln's pockets the night he was assassinated and hand-drawn maps produced by George Washington during the Revolutionary War.
"We wanted everything to be in a 'you' voice with the curators talking directly to visitors and viewers so it feels like they're inviting you in to the Library and making it a personal experience," said David Shilale, Viewpoint Creative General Manager. "The goal was to get at a richer core and keep it vital and alive much in the same way History does with their programming and website."
Viewpoint Creative's design and animation also speaks to the vibrant spirit of the Library and History. A dynamic red line leads you through the Library's vast collections and active rectangular shapes holding Library treasures suggest the interactive features of the Library and the digital experience available online.
In the past year, Viewpoint Creative has also worked with History to produce a presentation for the National Endowment for the Humanities "Picturing America" grant program.
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