the approach
While We Were Working is an editorial publication that takes a deep dive into the lives of essential workers during the peak of COVID-19. Declines in mental health and physical health took an extreme toll on many lives but some workforces never stopped having to work during such a trying time. This publication examines the mental health of workers and the blurred lines between safety and health in the workplace, and how workers can approach the social anxieties of working.
the challenge
The hardest task to overcome while working on this editorial piece was finding a unique way to tell a story through visual language and typography. Without the use of photography, the goal was to convey the same feeling of uncertainty that an essential worker endured.
skills
Use of typography to develop an editorial tone | Developing an expressive typographic system | Designed with a real-world audience in mind.
what i learned
From this project, I learned how to express emotion through typography and type treatments. Trying to find a mix of strong and powerful messaging in combination with such an emotional topic was challenging. I aimed to convey feelings of emptiness and darkness by using large black and white negative spaces. The articles within this publication are typeset tightly similar to newsprint typesetting. I wanted anyone to be able to pick up my publication and feel how essential workers were feeling during working hours.
