🖼️ Visual Advocacy: Designing Resources That Speak to the Margins

When I design a carousel or infographic, I’m not just thinking about colour palettes and layouts. I’m thinking about who’s not usually spoken to. Who’s left out of the conversation. Who’s scanning the page, hoping to feel seen.

Visual advocacy isn’t decoration—it’s translation. It’s the art of turning complex, emotionally charged ideas into something that feels clear, safe, and empowering.

🎯 Design with Purpose

Every resource I create is shaped by three guiding questions:

1. Is it emotionally resonant?

   Does it honour lived experience and invite reflection?

2. Is it accessible?

   Can someone with ADHD, trauma, or cognitive fatigue engage with it easily?

3. Is it inclusive?

   Does it speak to people at the margins—not just those already in the room?

This isn’t just design. It’s facilitation on the page.

🧠 Behind the Scenes: From Concept to Carousel

Let’s take a recent example: a carousel on trauma-informed leadership.I started with a messy sketch—just keywords and emotional tones. Then I asked:

• What’s the emotional journey of this resource?

• Where might someone feel overwhelmed or unseen?

• How can I use visual rhythm to guide, not overload?

I chose muted tones, soft shapes, and clear spacing. I used affirming language and layered the content so it could be skimmed or deeply read. Every detail was intentional.

🌍 Why It Matters

People often say “make it simple.” But simplicity without empathy is exclusion. Visual advocacy is about empathic clarity—making space for nuance, emotion, and accessibility.

When we design for the margins, we don’t just include more people. We change the centre.

💬 Final Thought

Design isn’t neutral. It either invites or excludes. So let’s make it an invitation—to feel, to reflect, to belong.

Would you like to pair this with a visual showing your sketch-to-carousel process? Or a metaphor like a bridge, a doorway, or a spotlight? I can help generate one or build a carousel version to amplify it.