Recently, I completed a piece for ASCD’s Education Update newsletter. The piece was a challenge because it was about creating a more inclusive school community in an effort to support diverse families. Diverse could mean anything from families with a single parent, no parents or gay and lesbian parents. Given the current social and political climate of America, we wanted to create a piece that wouldn’t cause divisiveness amongst members upon viewing the image, but draw them into the article with an open mind and willingness to understand.
Because we are talking about education and inclusiveness, I thought that a school of diverse fish would be the perfect metaphor. The first image is the first version that I made. The editor thought that the dark water and barracuda made the environment look a little murky, like scummy pond water. So I brightened up the color palette (which is limited for the sake of branding the newsletter), took the barracuda out and gave the fish some partial smiles. The second image is the end result, which I may actually turn into a print.
Donald Ely | Illustration 