Goal:
To create an unbiased, empathetic data visualization exploring gun ownership in America. My research consisted of conversation and interviews as well as extensive online research for data. Stepping away from political debate, I looked at the basic motivations, simple and complex, behind the choice to own a firearm and described each reason as an archetype.
Design Solution:
To create the most balanced empathetic picture, I chose a bold yet approachable aesthetic style, with a textured background of the Bill of Rights to add a sense of history.
My favorite part of this project was to find and illustrate the faces of the gun owners themselves, sharing their unique voices and, in many cases, the complexity of their interest in gun ownership.
Challenges:
The biggest challenge was approaching such a hot-button issue from an objective perspective, and putting a face to a demographic that is often feared and misunderstood. But I deeply enjoy that kind of research, and an opportunity to use Photoshop brushes, iconography, and vector illustration added to the end result, while I let as many voices as I could speak for themselves.
