In 2017, about 2.2 million visitors were expected to attend the Tall Ships Regatta in Boston. More than 50 tall ships from 14 different countries would sail into Boston Harbor. Boston’s rich maritime history includes notable tall ships like the Two Brothers whaleship, Mayflower, the Amistad slave trade ship, and the USS Constitution, to name a few.

After experiencing a tall ship regatta a few years earlier I realized they were comparable to a parade: Everone likes to see them. An ancient transportation technology, they arouse people‘s curiosity about a bygone era in American history. A simpler appeal is they are just cool to look at and experience. When these symbols of past American industrial, commercial, and military might travel to your community in a free activity, it becomes a must-see event.

I grew up miles from the coastline and over a century after the heyday of tall ships. Even still, I liked them, knew what they were but, really couldn’t describe them or really appreciate them.

The print graphic depicted here had to primary objective: To educate and inform. To fully appreciate the ships, I wanted attendees, including myself, to know exactly what they were looking at. Because so many people were expected to attend, an online viewer’s guide was created.

In 2017, 40 percent of the Boston Globe‘s viewer market read their content on mobile phones. Because more people would attend the event than the Globe‘s combined print and online subscriber base, providing good information during the regatta offered an oppportunity to grow those bases. I never saw the analytics, but I hope a significant share of attendees were exploring the tall ships on their mobile phones. If they did, they would know where the different types of ships were docked and what to look for if they boarded one.