For Emiland De Cubber, the most offensive part of NSA’s PRISM program is not the egregious violation of privacy, but the hideous slideshow the agency used to present it. Cluttered with clip art, inconsistent colors, and needlessly emphasized type, the slides looked more like work of a grade school media teacher than that of an elite, highly classified intelligence agency.
In the NSA’s flawed visuals, De Cubber saw a marketing opportunity. The designer recreated the NSA’s slideshow, replacing its 1990s aesthetic with clean, nonthreatening lines that wouldn’t look out of place selling a stylish commercial startup. See some of De Cubber’s slides alongside the NSA’s above.
“Dear NSA, you can do whatever you want with my data, but not with my eyes.” De Cubber writes at the top of the presentation. “Those slides are hideous. I would have expected better of you…”
And to close: “Even if you are not a government agency, I would be happy to help you with your next presentation.” That’s good salesmanship.
