Coloring Our Fears
A coloring book for exploring how creativity can support mental health awareness through activity (coloring) and education (read about phobias). Future goals include refining the phobia descriptions, updating the infographic data, and expanding the project with new contributors and larger format editions.
Four peer-reviewed psychiatric studies were distilled into two evidence-based infographics — one on the opening page, one on the back cover, each with QR codes linking to the source material.
Over twenty-five participants transformed patterned line drawings into expressive illustrations using Sharpies. Open interpretation. The result is a series of zine-like, hand-drawn artworks acting as the coloring pages.
To structure the book's layout from start to finish, 5 phobias were selected from each of the 5 phobia categories then paired randomly with the submitted illustrations. The first edition of fifty copies was printed and bound through university print services.