From @Tumblr to TV: How our #Starbucks ‘Trenta’ graphic became an online hit
The week-old editorial above caught my attention because it’s about how an illustration (which the National Post commissioned from Andrew Barr) went viral.
My shock came not when I saw the bigger-than-a-stomach cup, but when I read this line in the Post’s editorial:
The Starbucks graphic was an excellent learning experience for us, in that it was a perfect example of how editorial and graphics can maximize exposure by moving quickly to execute a great concept at the peak of popular interest.
“Learning experience?” Is the editorial staff saying they are just now learning the value and effectiveness of including strong, informative graphics with their stories in order to attract readers’ attention? Shouldn’t they already know this?? Isn’t this fairly basic to editorial publishing? To storytelling?
To the folks at the Post: my apologies if I got this wrong. It just concerns me, as a working illustrator, to think the good people who commission work from us seem to not grasp the full value of what we bring to the table.