Moments that Connected Us
The emotional counterpart to an annual report, this 2021 print piece for Pride Foundation uses illustrations and an instant-photo inspired design to communicate a sense of connection and community during an ongoing pandemic.
In addition to design and pre-production, I also created the illustrations for these cards. You can see the illustrations in detail on my illustration page.
Concept & Process
The concept for this piece was a series of “snapshots” depicting milestone moments from the pandemic years, with an emphasis on the things that create a sense of connection.
Pride Foundation’s photo bank from 2020 and 2021 was extremely limited. Most of the photographs we did have from grantee partners had already been heavily featured in other communications throughout the year, so my team requested that I create original illustrations to use in place of photos in this series. The illustration approach had an added benefit: each image amalgamated specific events and experiences into a universal image in which recipients would be able to see themselves.
I participated in initial concept meetings and helped select the subject matter for each “snapshot,” then went to work creating the illustrations and designing a template for the cards and band.
Design & Layout
My card design alludes to an instant photo, with a square image surrounded by a white border on the front, and a dark square on the back reminiscent of the back of the negative. Beneath the image on the front of each card is a phrase that introduces the theme of that card in a handwriting font to indicate a human element without sacrificing legibility. I utilized the negative space on the back for a longer message describing the experiences from the last year that the card represents.
These cards arrived in recipients’ mailboxes in an envelope, wrapped in a paper band to keep the cards together and in order, and accompanied by a cover letter from Pride Foundation’s CEO. Printing the series as a pack of individual cards created a sense of leafing through actual snapshots from a journey, while a printed band provided a space to display the title of the piece and ensured that the cards were viewed in order.
