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Maddy Buck

Maddy Buck is a comics artist based in Minneapolis who specializes in illustrated explanations of tech, law, and all things complex.

  • Illustrated Explanations/Nonfiction Comics
  • About/Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Store
  • Blog

UNFOLDED CONTENT

The goal of this project was to redesign the introductory information that would be given to new participants of an alternative court program for women arrested for prostitution in Michigan. It presented a number of challenges:

How do we communicate the information in a way that engages all program participants, especially those who may be resistant to the program?

How do we organize the information in a way that communicates the basic information, but in a way that is not too overwhelming.

How do we create a visual language that is compelling and adds to the text but is appropriate to the intended audience.

The final product was a print brochure that divided the information into parts and unfolded as the reader gets deeper into the content. To reach this point, however, I went through many iterations to make sure the text, visual language, and organization were appropriate and useful for the intended audience.

I developed this project with weekly critiques from Hannah Smotrich, professor of design at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design.

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Organizing the Content We started with six pages of dense, italicized text. The document explained the details of a court program that offers an alternative to jail time for people arrested for prostitution. The goal was to redesign the document,
The pamphlet is meant to teach participants about the program. It’s not meant for lawyers. We were unable to connect with the participants, so I imagined myself in their shoes when deciding how to organize the information. What would I be thinking w
After cutting and simplifying the language, I played with paper to find a format for the information: a document that is divided into folds and presents the information with each unfolding. To decide where to put each chunk of information, I cut and
I didn’t have access to the actual users of the product, so I tested the organization on people unfamiliar with the program, making notes on how to change for the next round.
Visual Language The program had a sequential element to it, so I was encouraged to develop a visual language to depict the three phases of the program. With each new phase, the participant has fewer requirements to complete. The initial sketches
So I started brainstorming, mindmapping, and sketching. I brainstormed visuals that would signify growth, balance, and progress. I nixed a lot of ideas because they didn’t fit. I was especially careful to avoid images that were too body-oriented, co
One of the ideas I explored was a flower growing. But it felt too childish.
Another option was a clock. But it didn’t work either. It wasn’t compelling, and when I shared it with others, I learned it wasn’t very easy to follow.
So I did more pages of brainstorming and sketching, developing the idea of a bridge as a metaphor for the progress of the program.
I sketched many options. The goal was to show a person progressing through the program, crossing the bridge. Because we also wanted to avoid body imagery, the person had to be ambiguous.
The final sketch was made using illustrator. It includes railings on the early parts of the bridge to show that the amount of freedom increases as participants progress through the program.
Language Editing The process of breaking down the information also involved breaking down the main ideas from the original documents, which were written in a letter format with a rigid tone. I created a question-and-answer format and tried to
Conclusion This project allowed me to take a human centered approach to a visual design project. I learned to think about the tone of the language used, the connotations of the visuals and the text, and how the design of the page could affect the

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