Our Wave: Illustration System
Role: Illustrator, Volunteer
What: Developed illustrations to accompany an artcle written by a researcher Laura Sinko on gender-based violence
Where: Our Wave
How: Created original artwork that illustrates different stages of the healing process after sexual assault and domestic violence
Impact: Helped establish a sense of psychological safety and predictability for readers, improved understanding of complex health-related information, and provided an alternative medium to obtain information when words can be triggering and overwhelming.
Their mission is to decrease the prevalence of assault and create a world where survivors are believed and supported.
Goals
I joined Our Wave as a volunteer to create the non-verbal, safe, and empowering language for processing trauma that may be too difficult to express in words.
The goal of this project was to improve accessibility of the healing guide created by the Director of Research and Survivor Support at Our Wave.
It was also a space for me to develop the illustration style that will be later used in both product, educational and marketing materials.
Collaboration
I worked closely with Laura Sinko, the researcher and author of the article/guide on healing after gender-based violence, and Kyle Linton, the co-founder and Executive Director of Our Wave.
My Role
I developed an illustration style and a system of illustrations based on Our Wave’s minimalistic design approach and exisiting branding guidelines.
Design Concept
The illustrations were created within a framework of subtle metaphors as opposed to literal representation. Traumatic memories are often stored visually and sensorily in the body, and we wanted avoid triggering these painful experiences.
Laura’s guide includes 6 stages of healing where every stage is a process of its own. I made a decision to create four illustrations for each stage as opposed to one to better showcase these transitions. I was also focusing on keeping compositions simple and light as survivers can have difficulty concentrating due to trauma symptoms.
Final Design
The final collection includes 24 minimalstic illustrations in Our Wave’s branding colors. I also added purple as an accent color as it’s also the awareness color for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Results
These illustrations helped create a safe and welcoming space in Our Wave’s healing guide by avoiding potentially triggering or explicit imagery.
They visually simplified complex information, making it more accessible to a wider audience, including those with limited literacy or difficulty concentrating due to trauma symptoms.
This system also strengthens Our Wave’s ability to communicate its mission and research to the broader community.