Secret Locations in Cape Cod and Islands

Publication Design

Mirror, Mirror

Launch

Publication Design

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 concise booklet that presents core therapeutic concepts in a more intimate, patient-centered voice. It explores how thought patterns influence mental health and how they can be reshaped. The visual design mirrors the reader’s emotional state through sparse layouts, weather metaphors, and a somber aesthetic achieved with gothic typography and hand-drawn black ink illustrations.

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