Generating Online Dialogue for the Aspen Institute

The Challenge

The Aspen Institute, in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, formed The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy. The 17-member group of media, policy and community leaders convened to assess the information needs of communities, and recommend measures to help Americans better meet those needs. The result of their work is the report Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age.

Initially, Aspen invited Collaborative to design the print report, yet the project soon expanded when it became clear that both the Aspen Institute and the Knight Foundation wanted to drive national dialogue around the information needs of communities and move people to take action. They knew they wanted more than a simple online PDF and were open to a variety of online approaches.

Our Approach

Collaborative began the project with the print design, creating a piece that balanced large amounts of text with compelling pull quotes and images that reinforced the text. Next, we developed an online platform that closely resembled the look and feel of the print piece. This interactive solution has a built in commenting feature that encourages users to discuss publicly specific recommendations put forth in the report, share ideas and challenge assumptions. The report site is also connected to Aspen's broader social media strategy, through blog posts, Twitter feeds and other online connections. Both the print piece and the online platform are available in English and Spanish.

Our Impact

The Knight Commission launched the report at a high profile event held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The print piece was available for distribution and Commission members were able to encourage participation in the online dialogue.

Collaborative received the 2009 Summit International Award in the category of Public Service/Advocacy Web site for this work.

Date Added: Mar 13, 2010