Visual Storytelling > Graphic medicine and knowledge transfer

Graphic medicine and knowledge transfer

Illness, disability, and other healthcare topics are hard to talk about, and clinical materials and health communications are sometimes hard to understand. Comics give patients, families, and providers a way in: something that explains without overwhelming, and connects without feeling clinical.

Graphic medicine and knowledge transfer

Illness, disability, and other healthcare topics are hard to talk about, and clinical materials and health communications are sometimes hard to understand. Comics give patients, families, and providers a way in: something that explains without overwhelming, and connects without feeling clinical.

Malaria prevention with Abu and Momo

The comic strip in discussion in English

My friend Boris was stationed with the Peace Corps in Guinea, where mosquito nets were ending up on vegetable gardens instead of people’s beds. We made a one-page comic to change that. The story tells a simple idea: follow these prevention tips or you’ll miss the soccer game. Translated into French and well received by Boris’ team.

More about the making of this comic at Soccer, mosquito nets, and malaria: the story behind Abu and Momo.

Malaria prevention with Abu and Momo

The comic strip in discussion in English

My friend Boris was stationed with the Peace Corps in Guinea, where mosquito nets were ending up on vegetable gardens instead of people’s beds. We made a one-page comic to change that. The story tells a simple idea: follow these prevention tips or you’ll miss the soccer game. Translated into French and well received by Boris’ team.

More about the making of this comic at Soccer, mosquito nets, and malaria: the story behind Abu and Momo.

Illustrating one person’s lived AuDHD experience

A comic strip in eight panels of a woman trying to talk to a colleague but her attention is disrupted by five squirrels all talking to her about random subjects. In the end, she realises she somehow got herself working on a huge project!

A friend described AuDHD as five squirrels competing for her attention. I worked with her to turn it into a workplace comic strip, refining the squirrels’ behaviour until it matched her experience exactly, not a generic depiction of AuDHD.

More about the making of this comic at How I drew a friend’s AuDHD as five talking squirrels.

Illustrating one person’s lived AuDHD experience

A comic strip in eight panels of a woman trying to talk to a colleague but her attention is disrupted by five squirrels all talking to her about random subjects. In the end, she realises she somehow got herself working on a huge project!

A friend described AuDHD as five squirrels competing for her attention. I worked with her to turn it into a workplace comic strip, refining the squirrels’ behaviour until it matched her experience exactly, not a generic depiction of AuDHD.

More about the making of this comic at How I drew a friend’s AuDHD as five talking squirrels.

“A Child Starts To Stutter” PowerPoint slide

Dr. Joseph Donaher asked me to replace three dense PowerPoint slides about childhood stuttering with something that would land with non-specialist speech therapists at upcoming presentations including at The Cleveland Clinic. The result is a single comic strip that walks readers through the experience from a child’s perspective.

“A Child Starts To Stutter” PowerPoint slide

Dr. Joseph Donaher asked me to replace three dense PowerPoint slides about childhood stuttering with something that would land with non-specialist speech therapists at upcoming presentations including at The Cleveland Clinic. The result is a single comic strip that walks readers through the experience from a child’s perspective.

Encouraging vaccine confidence in children

Kids were missing school and their friends during the pandemic. I developed this concept around that idea, positioning the vaccine as a way to get back together rather than a medical procedure to be scared of.

This was created as a proof-of-concept for a marketing agency.

Encouraging vaccine confidence in children

Kids were missing school and their friends during the pandemic. I developed this concept around that idea, positioning the vaccine as a way to get back together rather than a medical procedure to be scared of.

This was created as a proof-of-concept for a marketing agency.

Choose-your-own-adventure comic strip

A choose-your-own adventure comic strip entitled, “Choose your own Franky Banky adventure!”. A female fox cartoon tending to her gelato stand asks a male customer named Franky Banky, “may I take your order?”. Franky Banky wants to say vanilla but he stutters his order. He is thinking to himself, “aw man”. There are three next step scenarios he can take. The first is he says, “uh, lobster” to which the girl at the counter says “Here you go!” as she hands him a lobster ice cream cone. In the next panel, Franky Banky is walking away eating the ice cream but is disgusted. “Lobster” he sighs to himself, “bleah”. In the second scenario, he stutters his order, “va-va-vanilla”. The girl says, “here you go!” As she hands him a vanilla ice cream cone. In the next panel, Franky Banky walks away feeling embarrassed. “Why did I have to stutter? Why? Why?” He asks himself. In the third scenario, Franky Banky stutters his order, “va-va-va” but is interrupted by the girl who asks “Would you like cherry? Lemon? Pickle? Poutine? Lobster?”. Franky Banky explains in the next chapter, “no, I stuh stuh stutter. Vanilla, please”. The girl says, “Here you go!” as she hands him a vanilla ice cream cone. In the next panel, Franky Banky is happily eating his ice cream and saying “Yum! Yum! This is the best vanilla ice cream ever!”
Ordering ice cream while stuttering sounds simple, but it’s not. This comic lets kids choose how Franky Banky responds — avoid the stutter and end up with lobster flavour, power through and feel embarrassed, or disclose the stutter and get exactly what he wanted. Speech therapy clinics adopted it as a tool, and it’s been translated into four languages.

Choose-your-own-adventure comic strip

A choose-your-own adventure comic strip entitled, “Choose your own Franky Banky adventure!”. A female fox cartoon tending to her gelato stand asks a male customer named Franky Banky, “may I take your order?”. Franky Banky wants to say vanilla but he stutters his order. He is thinking to himself, “aw man”. There are three next step scenarios he can take. The first is he says, “uh, lobster” to which the girl at the counter says “Here you go!” as she hands him a lobster ice cream cone. In the next panel, Franky Banky is walking away eating the ice cream but is disgusted. “Lobster” he sighs to himself, “bleah”. In the second scenario, he stutters his order, “va-va-vanilla”. The girl says, “here you go!” As she hands him a vanilla ice cream cone. In the next panel, Franky Banky walks away feeling embarrassed. “Why did I have to stutter? Why? Why?” He asks himself. In the third scenario, Franky Banky stutters his order, “va-va-va” but is interrupted by the girl who asks “Would you like cherry? Lemon? Pickle? Poutine? Lobster?”. Franky Banky explains in the next chapter, “no, I stuh stuh stutter. Vanilla, please”. The girl says, “Here you go!” as she hands him a vanilla ice cream cone. In the next panel, Franky Banky is happily eating his ice cream and saying “Yum! Yum! This is the best vanilla ice cream ever!”
Ordering ice cream while stuttering sounds simple, but it’s not. This comic lets kids choose how Franky Banky responds — avoid the stutter and end up with lobster flavour, power through and feel embarrassed, or disclose the stutter and get exactly what he wanted. Speech therapy clinics adopted it as a tool, and it’s been translated into four languages.

Long-form comics: graphic novels

A book entitled, "Tales of mischief, mayhem, and mirth".
A graphic novel opened to a random page
A graphic novel opened to a random page

I also create longer form comics, including graphic novels, which offer more in-depth storytelling and establishing a deeper resonance with the characters. In this example, my first Franky Banky graphic novel with 15 long-form comics showing how the protagonist confidently deals with various speaking situations caused by stuttering stigma. I also inject a lot of humour – and puzzles! – making this a low-tech interactive graphic novel.

Fun fact: a scene in this graphic novel inspired a 10-year-old boy to give a presentation, on his own initiative, about stuttering in front of his class and then his school!

 

Long-form comics: graphic novels

A book entitled, "Tales of mischief, mayhem, and mirth".

I also create longer form comics, including graphic novels, which offer more in-depth storytelling and establishing a deeper resonance with the characters. In this example, my first Franky Banky graphic novel with 15 long-form comics showing how the protagonist confidently deals with various speaking situations caused by stuttering stigma. I also inject a lot of humour – and puzzles! – making this a low-tech interactive graphic novel.

Fun fact: a scene in this graphic novel inspired a 10-year-old boy to give a presentation, on his own initiative, about stuttering in front of his class and then his school!

 

Reducing communication anxiety with Stuttering Is Cool Day

An i phone showing an instagram post that you can swipe revealing all 9 screens.

Every Friday the 13th, I publish a comic strip encouraging people who stutter to spend the day stepping outside their comfort zone. For example, ordering exactly what they want, telling someone a joke, and speaking with no fear. It runs as a social media campaign under the #StutteringIsCoolDay hashtag.

Reducing communication anxiety with Stuttering Is Cool Day

An i phone showing an instagram post that you can swipe revealing all 9 screens.

Every Friday the 13th, I publish a comic strip encouraging people who stutter to spend the day stepping outside their comfort zone. For example, ordering exactly what they want, telling someone a joke, and speaking with no fear. It runs as a social media campaign under the #StutteringIsCoolDay hashtag.

Visual communications

Part of an infographic explaining various reasons why wolves howl
Science, travel, and data are full of good information that never gets read because it’s tends to be dense or dry. Infographics, icons, and illustrated maps turn that same information into something clear, visual, and worth looking at twice.
Browse visual communications

Visual communications

Part of an infographic explaining various reasons why wolves howl
Science, travel, and data are full of good information that never gets read because it’s tends to be dense or dry. Infographics, icons, and illustrated maps turn that same information into something clear, visual, and worth looking at twice.
Browse visual communications

I also draw comics about UX design

Check them out in the footer!

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I also draw comics about UX design

Check them out in the footer!

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