Accent Illustrations Surrounding Mental Health & Failure

The project brief was to design a series of illustrations that would be used as accent spot elements into an editorial concept surrounding mental health and feeling like a failure because of it. Each piece brings on a feeling of anonymity highlighted by the first image’s faceless central figure, the second’s indiscernible setting and the third’s use of empty speech bubbles coming from nowhere. By infusing a personal element into all three designs, the work became grounded, authenticating how expression feels contained and how that influences how people shape and adhere to their lives. Containment as it relates to personal life becomes relevant because of the way individuals mold themselves into an image informed by the world around them, creating a setting that encloses each piece as if bracing for an attack. Failure is a fear people hide from if not able to tackle head-on, with the encapsulated spaces all mirroring how failure creates a feeling of smallness which distorts each landscape into a coping mechanism of their own highlighting how fear can convince, consume and disguise. Paired with a sense of anonymity the work showcases how in the face of fear we often feel faceless, we feel we often can’t face it and those fears manifest into belief systems that dictate the flow of life for those who are caught in its cycle or trapped in its bubble, those who believe and eat off its plate.