During my final semester of college (which was my study abroad in London) I experienced anxiety as I faced my impending graduation while adjusting to a new city and country. During this tough time, I focused my feelings into a poster series representing these emotions in different ways. Using graphic design, illustration, and risograph printing, I wanted to explore the variety of ways someone can feel anxious and how it can impact one’s life.

• A modern-day Memento Mori (Remember Death) illustration printed with risograph. Using bright and bubbly colors, the immediate feeling of lightness and fun contrasts the dark meaning of the piece and the stress it hides throughout the illustration. A tongue-in-cheek “Have YOU thought about death yet today?” does the same thing.
• A graphic exploration of coping through humor. The visual and repeating element of the asterisk is used to tie the piece together and overwhelm the viewer at the same time. Aggressive purple, green, and black colors strain the eye and make the piece itself feel unsettled and anxious.
• The deflating balloon illustration focuses on the emotional draining of anxiety and how fast one can lose air and energy when anxious. In a group setting, one balloon falls to the floor, crinkled and trampled on; that’s the anxiety.
• Text from Dan Howell’s book on anxiety, You Will Get Through This Night, providing a more positive outlook on anxiety with a solution-focused response. The visuals of this poster were inspired by retro textbook pages and the colors were kept soft and light to minimize feelings of stress when viewed. This piece served as a cap to the series, with a more positive and hopeful message about the future.