We Are Stories Studio was commissioned to design Voices from the Field of Violence Against Women & Girls Prevention: Ideas, Priorities and Beyond, a report summarizing key insights from extensive consultations with international organizations, grassroots activists, researchers, and practitioners. The goal was to create a visually engaging, accessible, and feminist-aligned publication that effectively conveys critical insights to the field of gender-based violence prevention.

Visual Storytelling: Elevate the voices of activists and practitioners through an intuitive design that reflects the depth of their work.

Accessibility: Ensure readability and clarity across diverse audiences, including non-native English speakers.


Feminist & Decolonial Aesthetics: Embed design choices that honor diverse cultural perspectives and challenge traditional, hierarchical information presentation.


Engagement: Make the report compelling for digital and print formats, allowing for broad dissemination.

Illustrations played a crucial role in reinforcing the report’s ethos of justice-doing. Rather than relying on abstract corporate visuals, we designed:

• Rooted Visual Narratives: Hand-drawn illustrations reflecting real, diverse bodies rather than idealized, Eurocentric forms. Each character was intentionally shaped to honor bodily diversity, intersectionality, and lived experience.

• Community-Centered Imagery: Illustrations placed emphasis on collective organizing, mentorship, and intergenerational knowledge exchange, mirroring the essence of movement-building.

• Symbolic Storytelling: Instead of reducing themes to simplified iconography, we used visual metaphors that align with indigenous and feminist storytelling traditions. For example, circular formations represented reciprocal relationships rather than hierarchical structures.

• Decolonizing Visual Hierarchy: By avoiding a ‘top-down’ approach to illustrations, we placed figures within shared spaces—communities, networks, and interconnected ecosystems—visually challenging Western notions of individualism.

• Color & Texture with Intention: The textures embedded in the illustrations were drawn from natural elements—earth, fabric, and movement—evoking the tangibility of activism, healing, and resistance. We ensured color contrast supported accessibility while resonating with cultural vibrancy.

• Ethical Representation: No imagery was extracted from stereotypical tropes; instead, every element was created through a lens of respect, authenticity, and care. We rejected exploitative visuals in favor of illustrations that recognize agency, power, and resilience in feminist and grassroots organizing spaces.

• A mix of serif and sans-serif fonts was chosen to balance authority and approachability.
• Generous line spacing and paragraph breaks ensured ease of reading.
• Pull quotes and highlighted insights broke the monotony of long text sections, reinforcing key messages visually.
  

• A warm, earthy palette—rooted in deep purples, ochres, and muted blues—was chosen to convey resilience, activism, and trust.

• Contrast was carefully maintained to support accessibility for visually impaired readers.

• Subtle gradients and textural elements added depth without overwhelming content.
  

• Content hierarchy was structured to guide skimming and deep reading effectively.
• Clear sectioning, bold headings, and summary boxes facilitated information retention.
• Language justice was prioritized through font choices that accommodate various linguistic scripts.
  

• Collaboration is key: Close coordination with the authors ensured alignment between content and visual storytelling.
• Iterate with intention: Multiple refinements allowed for a final product that balanced aesthetic appeal with functional clarity.
• Design as activism: Thoughtful design choices amplified the voices of marginalized communities and contributed to the decolonization of knowledge production.

Through the Voices from the Field report, We Are Stories Studio reaffirmed its commitment to design as a tool for social change. By prioritizing accessibility, feminist principles, and decolonial aesthetics, the studio not only created a visually compelling report but also set a precedent for how design can meaningfully support movements for justice and equity.