illustration
Housing first
July 15, 2021
This illustration features people whose lives were improved by an experimental housing program in Denver, CO, along with some of the items that help make their new apartments “home.”
The challenge here was expressing that idea with an already heavily-used set of commissioned photos.
To create a fresh take, I worked with contrasts—of size, color, lightness, and balance. Anchoring the composition is a faded image of a downtown Denver street scene. Against that, a proud, crisp face shows the clarity and happiness that comes with having a place to be. These contrasts speak to the transformative power of home.
This image received many accolades from the broader team and serves as a dynamic introduction to a summary of the study’s findings.