Crafting illustrations that center local rituals, traditions, and truths. Built through collage, the visuals hold space for complexity, solidarity, and deep cultural resonance.

Rather than follow the clean, pastel minimalism of Western design trends, we leaned into the richness, complexity, and vibrancy of the Asia-Pacific region. The result? A visual language built on collage, layered symbolism, and community-rooted detail.

• Regional fabrics, textures, and handmade paper
• Archival and hand-drawn elements
• Botanical, topographic, and architectural cues

 This layered visual language reflected the plurality of identities, politics, and movements that UAF A&P supports.

2. Decentering the West
We intentionally moved away from tropes often seen in NGO and feminist design spaces—no generic flat vectors, no anonymous figures in beige or pastel tones. Instead, we created illustrations that:


• Reflect Eastern and Pacific visual traditions, including shadow puppetry, woodcuts, embroidery, and festival iconography
• Embrace bold color, texture, and irregularity
• Celebrate difference—not dilute it


3. Storytelling Through Scenes

Each key section of the site is supported by a unique, narrative illustration:


• Grants page: Women and non-binary activists passing tools, holding space, gathering in rural and urban settings
• Convening with Care: Circles of people in movement—dancing, resting, strategizing
• Resources and Blogs: Books, scrolls, radios, and storytelling fires, drawing on oral and intergenerational knowledge traditions
• About page: A patchwork of resistance—maps, placards, ritual, labor, and celebration all woven into a single visual ecosystem

These are not just decorative elements. They are movement portraits, meant to be paused on, interpreted, and returned to.

4. Color and Form

• Color palette: Deep reds, saffron, teal, jade, indigo, and burnt umber—tones that recur across saris, batik, woven mats, and protest posters
• Shapes: Curves, diagonals, and hand-cut edges—evoking paper cuttings and land contours
• Characters: Non-linear, sometimes faceless, always present—holding drums, phones, rice, flags, and each other

• Gather visual references from grassroots groups
  
• Incorporate regional sensitivities and honor movement symbolism
  
• Refine each illustration to reflect the tone of resilience, not trauma

• The illustrations became central to UAF A&P’s visual identity, shaping not just the website but presentations, toolkits, and comms materials.
  
• Partners described the art as “instantly familiar,” “visually healing,” and “a mirror of our context.”
  
• The site stood out among international funders for its warmth, depth, and commitment to non-extractive visual storytelling.