Secret Locations in Cape Cod and Islands

Mirror, Mirror

Launch

Over the Abyss

Topic

Mental Health Treatment (DBT & CBT)

Audience

Those in need of
mental health guidance

Category

Publication
(Zine)

Softwares Used

InDesign, Photoshop,
Freehand Illustration

Problem

Those who are treated for anxiety and depression by psychiatrists or therapists often do not feel comfortable or understood, due to cultural differences between them and their treatment team. Treatment such as dialectical or cognitive behavioral therapy feels clinical and like too much work. Patients also don't trust that it will help them.

Design Solution

Over the Abyss: A Simple Guide to Dialectical and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a zine that offers the same theories psychiatrists give, but in a mood more familiar and intimate to the patient, offering understanding. Readers learn that thinking patterns fuel their illness, that these thoughts can be rerouted, and how. Aesthetically, the design reflects the reader's current feelings, with sparse layouts to express quiet sadness. It also consistently uses the weather as a metaphor for feeling. This somber tone was achieved through gothic and elegant typography, and illustrations drawn by hand with black ink pens.

Project

Brainstorm + Concept Sketch

Since cognitive distortions can nest in a variety of victims regardless of gender or race, it was essential to illustrate different types of people throughout the publication. I chose a man for the catastrophic thinking spread to ignore the social constraint that men need to conceal their emotions.

Type + Color System