Samantha Burke
Empowerment: T, C, W
Concept & Research
On the topic of empowerment (my group’s focus), I really wanted my words to bring attention to the self. Our age demographic was targeted towards older children, ages 8 - 12; ages where children really begin to express/discover their individuality. I also felt more comfortable exploring more complex topics with this heightened age range. With each word- conversation, truth, and world- I wanted to encourage children to be both responsible and to feel empowered when expressing themselves.
C is for Conversation
My goal with this word was to encourage children to be confident when expressing themselves to their peers. However, I also wanted to remind children of the importance of listening. To express this, I drew two characters deep in conversation, their minds in bloom as they exchange their thoughts. Learning from your peers by sharing differing ideas is how we grow as individuals.
T is for Truth
This spread is intended to inspire those who read it to think independently and seek out their own truth. The truth is so easily skewed, so I wanted to be sure I defined it clearly here- the truth is not an opinion or belief, it is factual. It is important for children to understand that when seeking out information or forming their individual opinions, that they should be well researched and informed on the unbiased facts first.
W is for World
This illustration displays how our actions can have a very real impact on the world. It’s so easy to get caught up with all the horrendous things we hear in the news every day, so I wanted to empower children with the knowledge that they can make a positive difference every day in their lives with the choices they make. Whether it be the food we eat or the clothes we buy, impacts on society are made with our collective decisions.
Recap
It was really challenging to go back to the mind of a child for these illustrations/interactions. A project such as this required a lot of brainstorming and iterations to come up with a concept that would connect with the younger demographic. I feel as though I learned a lot about the importance of knowing your audience and how to put yourself in their shoes to better engage them.
Downloadable Assets
You may use the below assets created for this project provided via Figma as long as you give attribution, share your outcomes, and if your use is non-commercial in nature.
